Written by: Kanne

Category: Uncategorized

Published: June 8, 2020

Dear Sharks Families,

It is time to register for the 2020 Shark Season!  This season promises to be a season like no other!  We plan to start practices on Monday, June 15 and swim until Friday, July 31.  We will hold 3 morning practices M-F: 8:00-8:30am (12 swimmers) LITTLE SHARKS, 8:40-9:20am (18 swimmers) BIG SHARKS 1 and 9:30-10:20am (24 swimmers) BIG SHARKS 2.  We will hold 3 evening practices M-Th 7:10-7:40pm (12 swimmers) LITTLE SHARKS, 7:50-8:30pm (18 swimmers) BIG SHARKS 1, and 8:40-9:30pm (24 swimmers) BIG SHARKS 2.  Practice groups will be assigned to each swimmer after registration has closed and will depend on the age and ability ranges of the swimmers that register.

The Governor of Virginia has announced that Virginia will enter Phase 2 tomorrow, Friday, June 5.  The Broadway pool will open at 11am Friday! Due to restrictions for lap swimming and social distancing, we will need to have quite a few guidelines in place.  Phase 2 restricts gatherings to 50 people or less.  It also specifically limits lap swimming to 3 swimmers per lane with a minimum distance of 10 feet between swimmers at rest.  We have spent the last several weeks coordinating practice and season plans with our coaches.  We are very happy to report that Coach Richard will return as our Head Coach and Coach Carla will return as our Assistant Coach.  We will also have several younger experienced coaches helping on deck.

Because of the limited pool capacity, we will NOT be able to hold swim meets with other teams or even with our own team all at one time.  We CAN still have “virtual meets” where swimmers race each other in practice, times are recorded, and then we merge the times with other teams to determine placings. If Virginia moves into Phase 3 before the end of the season, we can consider other meet options.  Without the pressure of preparing for meets, we should be able to have some very concentrated practices working on stroke development and racing techniques.  And with the low swimmer/coach ratio, we hope to be able to provide very personalized feedback to the swimmers.

So how will this work? As you can see by the practice numbers, we will only be able to take a limited number of swimmers this season.  First we will require that all swimmers be able to swim the full length of the pool unassisted. (any stroke or any combination, not necessarily legal)  This is because we will not be able to have coaches in the water with the swimmers or touching them while they swim. If your swimmer can swim the length of the pool, but is rusty, use this next week to get to the pool and practice.  A swim test will be administered the first day of practice. Swim lessons will be offered at Broadway pool this summer.  See Coach Carla for more information. Next, we should be able to take all swimmers who swam with the sharks last year.  If we still have room for more swimmers we will take siblings of Sharks and new swimmers from the Broadway school district. After that, we will open up registration to all.  **You will need to register online by completing the information in the document by 9PM on Tuesday, June 9**. After that time, registration will be closed until the practice groups are set. 

Please register here: https://forms.gle/v7wo5ZX7sNPKh6Qj9

Payment will be collected the first week of practice and is due by Thursday, June 18.  Cost is $65 for the first swimmer, $55 for the second and $45 for each additional swimmer from the same immediate family. After registration has closed on Tuesday, the coaches will assign the swimmers to practice groups based on age and ability. We will then have a practice sign up online on SignUpGenius (the same program we used for volunteers).  Swimmers will sign up for either 3 or 4 practices for the week (to give all the opportunity to sign up) by Sunday at noon.  After that, signups will be open for swimmers to sign up for more practices.  Each swimmer can sign up only in his/her assigned practice group sessions.  After the first week, we will make sign ups available by Wednesday for the following week with a deadline of Saturday at 7pm for the limited number of practices.  After that, we will open up the sign ups until the end of the week.  Swimmers will have to be courteous and take their name off of the sign up if they find they cannot swim so that others have a chance to swim in their spot. (See, I told you this would be a season like no other!). More specific details on sign ups will come after registration has closed and swimmers are assigned to groups.

Finally, using CDC, USA Swimming and the Governor’s guidelines, we have established a set of Broadway Sharks COVID-19 Practice Guidelines.  The guidelines are attached to this email.  They are still a work in progress.  We were hoping the Governor would outline his Youth Sports policies for Phase 2 at today’s briefing, but he did not.  So these guidelines may be modified prior to the start of the season. In particular, we may relax the mask and temperature screening guidelines.  We realize these rules may seem too restrictive for some people and too lax for others.  We will do our best to comply with state and national guidelines and still provide a meaningful and safe summer swim experience for your children. If you are uncomfortable with any of these guidelines, you may want to wait to register until we have the final guidelines in place.  Keep in mind that these guidelines may change throughout the season. We have started very conservatively. If your swimmer or anyone in your household is considered high-risk for COVID-19, we recommend that you sit this season out. 

We will need a lot of help with at least 3-5 parent volunteers on deck at each practice to help with these guidelines. Sign ups for parent volunteers will take place at the same time as the weekly swimmer sign ups. Volunteering for parents will be expected, as practices will not be able to run without enough volunteers.  

We would like to thank the Broadway pool and the town of Broadway for working with us to make this swim season happen.  We would also like to thank the coaches and the Board members for working together to create this possibility.  Finally, we would like to thank the parents for working with us, setting a good example by following the guidelines, volunteering to help and for giving their swimmers the opportunity to swim this summer.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me, and I will try my best to answer them.

Don’t forget to register asap.  https://forms.gle/v7wo5ZX7sNPKh6Qj9

Stay safe and healthy.  Go Sharks!

Beth Arnold and the Sharks Board of Directors

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