Clubs Begin to Reveal Reopening Procedures While Others Still Wrestle With The Quarantine Beast

As Swimmers Return to Water, Chlorine Alone Cannot Succeed; Other Measures Critical

Chlorine alone is no guarantee that novel coronavirus infection cannot be spread in treated pools but is one measure among several key building blocks to getting swimmers back to the water in controlled sports environments, according one of the world’s leading experts on safety of swimming pool water in his first comments on a COVID-19 Swimming Pool Study underway.

Vincenzo Romano Spica, Professor of Hygiene at the University of Rome “Foro Italico”, advocates a return to swimming but only in controlled environments in which disinfection of the wider pool environment is a part of heightened awareness of hygiene standards and what is known about a “new virus … still little known and [one that] has already given us unwanted surprises”.

Read more on the chlorinated concerns below.

For Lilly King and Indiana Pros, Quarantine Training Means Heading to Pond

With pools closed during the coronavirus pandemic, Lilly King and other pro swimmers who train at Indiana University have taken to open water to train.

King, along with Cody Miller, Zane Grothe and Annie Lazor, have been training in a pond in a subdivision in south Bloomington. Donning wetsuits, the group swims between buoys spread about 100 yards apart. While timing reps isn’t easy, it’s at least a chance to get back in the water when most pools and indoor facilities remain closed.

“Definitely never thought I would be swimming open water, coming out and training in the pond,” King told The Indianapolis Star. “But it’s kind of been a nice little change here.”

Read more about the Hoosier's pond swims below!

Tips and Tricks for Social Distancing Your Swim Groups

While there are some people that still believe that swim teams will just ‘go back to normal’ swim practices and others that feel we shouldn’t swim until we have a vaccine, most can clearly agree that we will need to make some changes in the way we run swim practices in 2020.
The industry’s process of stopping all swimmers at the walls between each swim distance is the singular most profound change we have to contend with. Any attempt at 6-10 feet of social distancing makes it nearly impossible to have 2+ swimmers stop together at a wall. As coaches all of our sets are designed around stopping each swim group at the walls.
We fuss about swimmers not ‘hanging on the lane lines’ and have always struggled with the fact that the last swimmers in each lane typically don’t even touch the walls at the end of each swim. But these are the very principals that we have to consider as ‘essential’ as we get back into the pool.

Click the button below to read more on ONE Swim's strategies.

Swim Poll of the Week: 58% Say Fitness is Hardest Thing to Keep Up With in Quarantine

This is the Swim Poll of the Week for Wednesday May 27, 2020, sponsored by Strechcordz Swim Training Products.
In our last poll, we wanted to know: What has been the biggest challenge to keep up with during quarantine?

The coronavirus quarantine has drastically affected every day life in many parts of the world, throwing millions of people out of a work routine for each day. The virus has caused swim teams to be unable to hold organized practice since mid-March, leaving a lot of athletes out of the water and unable to swim. Adults and kids alike have been struggling in the past few months with trying to develop a routine, replicating a regular work day with productivity, exercise, healthy eating, etc.

Click below to read more on this week's Poll of the Week!

Top 10 Questions All Swimming Parents Should Understand and Respect

You see them every day. They are everywhere. At every pool. Every swim meet. Every school swimming practice.

There they are. Sitting at the side of the pool. Watching every lap. Counting every breath. Analyzing every stroke. Studying every move you make.

Coaches? No.

Swimming media? Uh-uh.

Officials? No way.

Who are these people who go to the pool and watch you swim laps day after day after day? Who are these folk sitting there in the wind and rain for hours and hours watching you practice? Who are these strange humans who love nothing more than getting out of bed at 4 a.m. just to sit in the cold and watch you train?

Your Parents!

If you're a swim parent, you MUST click the button below!