Yesterday the Canadian Premier League announced that after the conclusion of The Kickoff, each CPL team will return to its home market to play out the remainder of the schedule. With a light at the end of tunnel for a long awaited return to the Wanderers Grounds, there’s no better time for the Halifax community to band together to end the spread of COVID-19 in our region.

Kieran Baskett, 21, is a prime example of someone who is ready to change the narrative and encourage community members to follow suit. Prior to a 2021 CPL season being announced, Baskett dedicated his time to work at a local testing clinic to help identify members of the community that were carrying the virus.

Once The Kickoff was announced, the team was required to enter a 14 day pre-travel quarantine, so Baskett had to cut his time there a bit shorter than expected – although for a good reason as the end goal of playing in front of the crowd at the Wanderers Grounds was now closer to reality.

“I just want to help out the community and get COVID-19 done quicker so we can get back on the field with fans – that was a big motivator for me,” explains Baskett.

The Wanderers left for Winnipeg on Wednesday and they aren’t wandering alone. With VaccinateNS badges on their sleeves, the Wanderers bring with them a reminder of the work that needs to be done before we can be together again.

“We’re extremely proud of Kieran’s involvement with the rapid test site,” says Wanderers Founder and President Derek martin. “This is another example of positive steps our players are taking to be leaders for the youth in our community.”

The players will wear the badge on the arms of their training kit to show their unity with the Community while they travel away from home.

Baskett joined CanPL.ca to share some insight on his role, why he got into it and how he’s been getting along since joining the Wanderers under his first professional contract.

Marty Thompson: What brought you to want to get into testing?

Kieran Baskett: A lot of my school friends from Halifax had jobs working at testing sites early on. Just last month, when we went through a lockdown and weren’t able to train, I thought, like, what can I do to help? I’m just kind of sitting at home doing nothing and I wasn’t able to see any of my friends. So in a way, it was great to help the community and also really great to get out and spend some time with my friends, while being productive by testing people.

MT: What would the typical day look like for a tester? 

KB: It’s actually a pretty nice workspace, depending on how busy it is. I do some swabbing, like sticking the things up people’s noses, and analyze the test results — take the tube where the thing has gone in their nose, get drops out to see if it’s positive or negative, and text the results back to the people. There’s a lot of different jobs and it’s engaging to be moving around — if you’re standing up slaving for five hours it’s a little tiring. The people are really friendly at work so it’s enjoyable.

MT: Was it difficult getting the nose testing right the first time?

KB: Yeah, kinda. One of my friends who trains people shows everyone how to stick it up his nose and lets people just play around with it — he doesn’t get bothered at all. So that’s how I learned. It’s not that hard to pick up, you just have to get a feel for it and just be gentle.

MT: How would you describe the sensation?

KB: I like to tell people getting swabbed for the first time that it feels like you jump in a pool and water rushes up your nose. It’s only mildly uncomfortable.

MT: Thanks for making people mildly uncomfortable in the name of civil service! What else encouraged you to get involved?

KB: I just want to help out the community and get COVID-19 done quicker so we can get back on the field with fans – that was a big motivator for me.

MT: You’re the only CPL club to return to full training but have it taken away, in a sense, when you return to small-sided groups again. Did you feel as if you lost momentum as a group?

KB: I don’t think we lost too much momentum. The guys have all stayed in pretty good shape and it just feels great to get back out there and see all the guys again.

MT: What does your tandem with Christian Oxner look like so far in training?

KB: I really like working with Christian and coach Jan-Michael Williams. They’re both really great guys. And we’re pushing each other to get better every day.

MT: Anything fun from training you really enjoyed? 

KB: We were using tennis balls and a racket the other day, so that was pretty fun. It was a different way to train – focusing on hand eye coordination, using these smaller tennis balls. I thought that was pretty fun.

2021 Season Ticket Memberships are available online. Members will receive additional benefits in 2021 including 50% off a jersey for every season seat purchased, 20% off the Wanderers Fan Shop and more!