From the gridiron to the front lines – Riot players do it all!

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of things for a lot of people, including the cancellation of the 2020 Regina Riot season. One thing that hasn’t changed is the commitment of the members of the Riot organization to play a leadership role in their community – and that extends well beyond the football field! For example, several Riot players and coaches are working in essential services, helping to keep everyone safe during this unprecedented time.

Veteran linebacker (and 2019 team MVP) Adrienne Zuck is a registered nurse in acute care at the Regina General Hospital. As such, she’s busy helping her patients, while also keeping them, her co-workers and her family safe from the novel coronavirus.

“My work clothes go straight into the washing machine, along with the clothes I’m wearing, as soon as I get home from work,” Adrienne says. “As a health care professional, it’s crucial for me to keep myself and my family safe, so that I can provide care to people in need, and decrease the spread of the virus.”

Julianna Cornish thought learning a new position (transitioning from defensive line to offensive line) was the toughest challenge she’d face in 2020, until the pandemic arrived. Now, she’s focussed on providing important services to at-risk youth as an educational assistant and youth care worker at Ranch Ehrlo.

“Many of the youth I work with don’t have any support at home,” Julianna confides. “Right now, it’s more important than ever for us to be there for them, helping them to grow and develop. We’ve had to be pretty creative in terms of providing programming and implementing safety measures, but the smiles on the faces of those young people make it all worthwhile!”

Both ladies absolutely refuse to consider themselves heroes, despite what many of their fans (football and otherwise) may think. To Adrienne, Julianna, and everyone working hard to keep our community running, thank you. Riot Nation salutes you!

Want to know more? Check out the following media stories on Adrienne and Julianna:

CTV Regina: https://bit.ly/CTV-Zuck-Cornish

Regina Leader-Post: https://bit.ly/LP-Zuck

News/Talk (CJME) Radio: https://bit.ly/CJME-Zuck