Anxious to get back in the pool
‘I don’t get why some sports can return and not swimming’
WATERLOO REGION — Competitive swim clubs in Waterloo Region are ready to take the plunge back into the pool but are still stuck on deck.
And it’s getting frustrating as they wait for clearance to resume full training, especially when other sports are getting the green light to return.
“We’re in the process now of trying to lobby the cities and the powers that be to try and get some kind of opening happening for a controlled environment for a return to play,” said Cathy Pardy, head coach of the Region of Waterloo Swim Club.
“I don’t get why some sports can return and not swimming, which is completely controlled and modified and safe.”
ROW, Waterloo’s Club Warriors and the Cambridge Aquajets have all been beached with city and university pools closed.
Club coaches are keeping their elite athletes in shape by offering dryland training through online videos but swimmers really need to be in water to progress. And they thought they’d be among the first wave of sports to return considering swimming is noncontact.
Instead, Ontario clubs are still waiting for guidance as pools reopen in the United States and in several other provinces across Canada.
“Why gymnastics can start and swimming can’t I don’t understand,” said Pardy. “Gymnastics has a ton of equipment that they would have to wipe down after every single athlete. Swimming is regulated by chlorine levels that kills off crap, essentially.”
ROW and the Aquajets have had to refund part of their registration fees for swimmers with pools closed. Swim Ontario has put a moratorium on racing, which also hurts the pocketbook for clubs that host meets. Meanwhile, some swimmers may not have the financial means to come back.
“We’re definitely concerned,” said Aquajets head coach Ron Campbell. “That impacts our bottom line and how you pay coaches and other expenses.”
The irony is that safety is paramount in swimming. It’s a noncontact sport with swim lanes that are already two metres apart.
“The problem I think that the government has with opening pools is the fact that they only think of the recreational component of public swim where it’s a lot of contact and boisterous play,” said Pardy, whose club has about 250 members.
“They’re not understanding and taking into account that we are an organized sport where we have professional coaches that are looking out for the safety of their athletes even before COVID,” she added.
Clubs are following the lead of Swim Ontario and Swimming Canada and have policies in place for a safe tiered return that looks at everything from how athletes and coaches arrive, prepare, practise and leave a facility.
They just need to get back in the pools to implement those policies.
Every day they remain sidelined hurts the bid for prospective Olympic or Paralympic athletes, Pardy said.
“I have one swimmer … who is trying to make the Paralympic team,” she said. “To have an athlete out of the water for six months is going to be completely detrimental to him when other provinces are opening up for training. It’s going to reflect whether or not he’s going to be in contention to try and make the team.”
But it’s not just elite athletes that will benefit by opening pools. The faster clubs prove they can swim safely during the pandemic, the faster swimming lessons and open swims can resume for the general public. “The sooner we can get in, the better it is for everybody,” said Campbell. “They want to start with people they know can do it. If that goes well, then down the road we can get to a point where everyone can return.”