Last Call

Tad Doherty, volunteer hockey coach, freelancer and optimist

Veer Mudambi

Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

The rise of the particularly infectious new omicron variant of COVID-19, which may or may not be less dangerous than Delta, made the return from winter holidays just that much more difficult. Demand for testing has risen and some are seeing shades of early 2020. Longtime Worcester resident Tom “Tad” Doherty, however, is determined to find reasons to be optimistic. A freelance benefits consultant and volunteer hockey coach for Holy Cross, Doherty is confident that Worcester’s trademark resilience will, hopefully, see it through the final stages of the pandemic. Doherty sat down with Last Call to discuss his observations during the pandemic and going forward into 2022.

How has the pandemic affected your work?

From a business standpoint, I switched to more of a virtual world during the pandemic like everyone else. People are more comfortable when they don’t have to leave their place and that’s helped my business a lot. Even with the pandemic, it was actually one of the best years I’ve ever had. As the year went on and the world tried to come back to some kind of normalcy, people realized you don’t need to go to an office every day to get your job done. People were still trying to figure out how to come back but then omicron showed up and then everyone hit the brakes. I can actually get as much done if not more without leaving my home. That’s like going back to the '80s where you could do more business over the phone — that was the era when the phone rang all the time.

What effects have you observed in the last week as people come back from holiday during omicron?

After the holidays, the number of testing sites seems to have quadrupled. I was driving through the city to pick up my daughter, and a 10-minute drive turned into 30 minutes because of the traffic jams around the testing areas. At the old Greendale mall site, the line was down the street around the corner. I think testing is going to be a regular way of life from now on.

I feel like we’ve gone back to the stay at home order which hasn’t quite been given but all the precautions are out there. The streets this morning at rush hour were quiet — there was no traffic. People are staying home — they’re as concerned as they were last time and it’s more quiet at all hours.

Were you bracing for a post holiday surge?

I’ve been braced for a winter surge since summer. What happens every winter in New England? People get the flu, pneumonia, etc., as they begin to be indoors more. I wasn’t sure of the extent but I expected a bump when the weather turned colder. Especially post holidays, when people missed getting together last year and felt pretty confident they could do it this year.

Would you say omicron reminded people not to give up on the remote/ hybrid workplace? That they don’t have to go all-in back to the office?

I don’t know if it reminded them so much as pulled them back in that direction. Even with the vaccines and everything else, they had found a different way of life. And consequently, I think a lot of people came to a better work-life balance — I know I did. It’s allowed me to follow another of my passions — coach hockey.

How has this resurgence affected your work at the rink?

I’m not there every day but I’ve seen the intense level of stress and anxiety it’s put on the players and coaches — on top of what the sport already brings — almost doubled it. That has added a whole other layer to managing and organizing for coaches. Before Christmas break, there seemed to be a good system. Post holiday, they had to try something new and players were divided up into pods based on vaccination and symptoms. It’s a really unique challenge of keeping practice going but making sure everyone’s healthy and I think they’re doing a great job.

So what does all this look like when you go in for practice?

Everyone’s practicing in smaller groups, so it’s a trade-off. On the one hand, you get more one-on-one with players. On the other, you get less time working on full-team plays and concepts. I’m a volunteer coach and my time at the rink is limited so I haven’t gotten the worst of it, but I can still see what a logistical nightmare it is.

How hopeful are you for the end of the pandemic?

I’m very hopeful that we will figure this out but it might be a while before that. I think there’s a level of acceptance here that wasn’t there before — people are taking it ever so slightly more seriously. For all the unknown, overall, people are continuing to adapt and doing the best they can do.

Tom "Tad" Doherty, has lived in Worcester for 22 years TAD DOHERTY