When Northern Lights Swim Club plotted a path back to the water during the coronavirus pandemic, it didn’t have to look far for resources.
Meet director Jodi McLaughlin surveyed the membership of the club, based out of the University of Alaska Anchorage, and found most of the experts she needed: Doctors, lawyers, experts in health and safety. And when that committee they assembled put forth its recommendation for a solution requiring an engineer, McLaughlin needed to look only as far as her husband, Sean.
“We wanted to be really proactive with our government here because our cases are low,” Jodi, who also serves as Alaska Swimming LSC’s secretary, told Swimming World Monday. “We wanted to show them that we took it seriously and wanted to get back in the water safely. We asked our coaches to establish a committee and they did. In some of their brainstorming, they proposed a shield idea, and I knew that my husband is an engineer and he’d be able to execute it.”
After a run to the hardware store and a weekend tooling in the garage, the club is implementing an elegant solution: Plexiglas shields at the end of each lane, a social-distancing aid that will help Northern Lights and other Alaskan clubs get in the water this week.
Photo Courtesy: Northern Lights Swim Club
The shields are simple in design, costing about $45 each. They sit over the lane lines at either end of Northern Lights’ six-lane pool, providing a barrier between swimmers stopped at the wall to reduce the exchange of respiratory droplets. The center of mass hovers over the wooden L-shaped anchor on deck, stabilizing the four-foot-by-two-foot shield. A foam bumper lessens the sting of a wide arm swing into the edge. And the clear glass allows swimmers to see each other and feel united even from behind an extra layer of social distancing.
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found no evidence that COVID-19 is transmitted through properly treated water, one area of vulnerability at pools and aquatic facilities is, presumably, when swimmers stop at the wall and breathe, particularly when doing so heavily mid-workout. Instead of exhaling underwater, the lane shields maintain a physical barrier.
The solution is uniquely Alaskan in its execution, a product of what Jodi calls a “do-it-yourself mindset.”
“It’s all local stuff that we can put together in the garage, get them on deck and get kids in the water,” said Sean McLaughlin, who is also a USA Swimming meet referee.
Alaska is one of the states least affected by COVID-19. The disease’s progress inspired Gov. Mike Dunleavy last Friday to advance to Phase Two of the Reopen Alaska Responsibly Plan, which includes 25 percent capacity for fitness centers and 50 percent capacity for swimming pools.
While Northern Lights Swim Club isn’t ramping up that fast yet (it has more than 100 members) or to realizing USA Swimming’s schematics for large groups. Instead, it will start Tuesday at one swimmer per lane. It will prioritize older swimmers to test out procedures, which include health pre-screening, closed locker rooms, the requirement to arrive in suit, enhanced sanitation and one-way entry and exit.
Between the new procedures and the lane shields, it’s a lot of change. But it’s worth it to get kids back in the water, the McLaughlins believe.
“Coaches understand it’s a lot of work getting the kids back in the water,” Sean said. “But it’s about getting the kids back in the water. The coaches are super excited and the kids are super excited. And I think with the barriers put in place, the shields, I think we’re in the water weeks ahead of where we would be without them.”
Swimming Through a Pandemic
The postponements and cancellations wrought by COVID-19 haven’t just affected the Olympics and the ranks of elite swimmers. They’ve trickled down to neighborhood clubs and summer youth leagues, affecting thousands of recreational and competitive swimmers alike. Here is some of our coverage of COVID-19’s effect on the American summer swimming calendar.
- Connecticut Swimmer Launches Petition to Reopen Pools
- As More States Reopen Pools for Summer, Obstacles Remain
- USA Swimming California LSCs Pen Letter to Governor Requesting Pools Open
- Chattanooga Swim League Joins Cancellation List as COVID-19 Restrictions Elsewhere Ease
- David Marsh to California Gov. Gavin Newsom: “We’d Love to Get These Pools Open”
- Summer Leagues Cancel in Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee; On Hold in Delaware
- Summer Leagues Cancel in Ohio, Nebraska; California Fights To Open Pools
- Northern Virginia Swimming League Cancels Season Officially, But Unofficial Meets Might Go On
- Decisions Loom in Several States to Determine Fate of Summer Swimming
- ‘Tremendously Difficult’ Decisions Loom for Summer Swimming Clubs
- Texas Pools Begin to Open, But Some Cities Holding Back
- With ‘Great Pain,’ Coastal Carolina Aquatic Association Cancels Summer Season
- Kentucky LSC Files Proposal to Reopen Pools in State
Resources for returning to the pool in the COVID-19 era
- COVID-19 Pools Guidance Updated By CDC On “Healthy Environments & Operations”
- Chlorine Not a Guaranteed Answer to Covid-19; Detailed Protocols The Way to Go, Says Expert
- USA Swimming Unveils Road to Competition Roadmap For Summer Return
- Pool Water Unlikely to Spread Coronavirus But Facility Environments Need Careful Handling, Says Expert
- Swim Practice Social Distancing Protocol
- The Worries and Concerns of Lap Swimming When Pools Open
- Proper Ways for Teams and Athletes to Resume Training (USA Swimming)
- Is the Water Safe From Coronavirus? Considerations for Return to the Pool
- Pools and Swimming: Getting Back in the Water Safely
- Coronavirus And Swimmers: CDC Issues Guidance On Water Transmission & COVID-19
Tomasz Madej patrz tylko!
Mallory Rodriguez
Wayne Riddin
Cyrus Boyum Crews
Drew Jones Intense… I saw in lane gear bags as well to allow a return to home location in a lane with more than 2 swimmers. No swimmers congregate at the wall.
Cyrus Boyum Crews Crazy times indeed. Aram joined the meeting just after you and I left. I spoke with him and we both agreed he and I are going to have to make road trip to visit you sometime in the future. Right Aram Nalbandyan?
Ashlea Smith Jaden Harris
Scott Butler?
No way…
But can the girl swim with a wedgie again?
^^^^^^ this
Phillip Williams
Bit I thought chlorine kills the virus so being in the water is fine, it is what happens from pool to changing facilities that would cause an issue? Or are swimmers leaving the pool to change one at a time/
Lynette Holroyd it doesn’t kill it when they exhale above water. It only kills it on surfaces it lands.
Lynette Holroyd It’s an issue breathing near another swimmer or being on deck
The locker rooms are not going to be available. The swimmers have to come with their suits on under their clothes/parka.
Is this group totally out of touch with reality??
Whatever it takes to get back to business.
Not at all. But, after being out of the pool for 2 months, you do what you have to do to be able to swim again. It’s temporary. If it gets us in the water several weeks earlier, it’s worth it.
I’m done with the internet. People can’t be this dumb, right? And that’s coming from a swimmer. ??♀️
So jealous!
Julie Brian Hall
Stupid! Chlorine and bleach kill it! Waste of time!
It’s too bad that in order to survive a business must jump through hoops to prove they can do it safely, even if it’s barely a risk at all. Agree Chlorine kills it. Clubs are doing what it takes to get back to business, and that means they have to respect the risk and show they are serious and committed to being part of the solution.
Terrific!
This is story shows that Alaska swimming is attempting to keep their kids and coaches safe. But is it really able to? If a kid has Covid or their parent that dropped them off has it and either is asymptomatic will the glass shield really prevent droplets of airborne mist from being inhaled by someone else? Just today there was one new case of cover in Anchorage. The person is either in their teens or their thirties. ( there was another case in Juneau ). Does Anchorage do intensive testing or contact tracing? I think so far they have tested 26,000 total. Which means no. So…. anything could be happening with that person who came down with Covid spreading it. The whole endeavor seems pretty low risk given the tiny number of cover cases in Alaska. But is risking weeks of pneumonia, isolation, infection of friends and family worth getting back in the pool earlier? Is this really executing safety? Not my call to make. Not my kids. Hopefully it will work out well. I don’t want to see this swimming herd get thinned down.
Anchorage does intensive contact tracing . Most contacts are traced within 2 hours of a positive case.
NLSC is the biggest club in the state- good for them In trying to get kids back swimming –
Swimming World must be hurting for a story! I’m guessing the author wasn’t a swimmer. Plus what about the other 5 kids in the same lane! Can we stop posting this garbage! There’s no way a club can survive with 6 to 12 people in the water per practice!
Paul Mahar there aren’t 5 other kids in the water. They’re limiting it to one kid per lane to start, prioritizing older kids and combining it with other social distancing protocols.
I get what you’re saying, but if the choice is just a few kids in the pool at a time or no kids in the pool…
Chris Swee I get it but there’s no way a club can financially survive on 6 kids in the water. Plus, picking and choosing opens up so many other problems. We have relationships with our famlies. Clubs with 150 or more…it would be chaos!
Chris, you are right, clubs can’t do 6 kids for long, but at least they can get 42 of the oldest in now–and when you consider siblings share a lane, several more. In 2 weeks, with Anchorage’s 380 cases TOTAL statewide since March 1, with every single one contact traced, we can perhaps expand with our good record. We have 70 active cases in the state. 10 have died. 38 have been to the hospital. YET, our entire economy and state was shut down. Are you saying the club should just stay home and die? Don’t Try to survive? Maybe a club business can build credibility doing things differently and safely and should get out there and TRY?
Paul Mahar a club doesn’t exist with 0 kids in the water. They have to start somewhere.
I don’t think this is the last modification, like everything and everyone else, just trying to feel our way back to as least a restrictive new normal as possible.
Logistically I think they can pretty quickly get past that 6 in the water. But for me I’d rather start slow and start somewhere.
Chris Swee I appreciate the dialogue. We may just live in 2 worlds. In my world coach’s don’t really financially benefit but we get by because of the relationships & experiences surpass the low pay.
We have 45 plus kids on each high school team. It would break my heart to have to choose. Swimming has already become divided more in the pass 25 years because of socioeconomic status.
I wish you well my swimming friend.
Paul Mahar you’ve already chosen by saying zero is better than 6, that’s what I don’t understand. My heart is already broken for those who have lost their season(s). My nephew lost his senior season of track(college). So he’s just done. No next year, no nada.
But…that’s already done, that bridge has been crossed. Now we have an opportunity to figure out how we get those 45 kids back in the pool. Barring something unexpected on the vaccine front or waiting an obscenely long time, we’re going to have to take the 6 and figure out how to make the next step to 12, 24, 36, and so on.
That might mean shorter and less frequent practices per athlete until something changes. Back in my competition days I would rather go 6 days a week, but I’d take 3 if the other alternative was keeping dry.
You also need to keep in mind that Alaska has been by far the least impacted State in Coronavirus infections/deaths while also having by far the lowest population density in the country too. My 2 sq mile zip code here in Seattle corona virus numbers completely dwarfs the entire State of Alaska’s figures. When would it be ok in your book to try this limited and precautious trial and it not be deemed reckless?
Instead of this shields, it is just necessary that you find the right way for avoid that swimmers stay together while having rest. So find a solution with 6ft space beetween them at this time.
Check this for example:
https://youtu.be/BhpYowt-vi4
Heiko Fikenzer USA Swimming created an entire plan for Social Distancing
Those are pretty neat ideas too for a “new wall” spot mid lane. Clubs will be utilizing this strategy also, not resting at the wall, in order to increase numbers, similar to USAS diagrams.
This is the dumbest thing I have seen in awhile. Ridiculous.
We have reached peak absurdity.
Bill Curlee , just when you think we have hit rock bottom, we start to dig!
What would you suggest? Just stay home and let the business die and not help the kids get back to what they love? Nobody wants to have to build something like this, but the clubs who want to survive will roll up their sleeves and work to get their government to allow them in.
What would you suggest a business do? lay down and die?
Whatever you have to do for the city to let you in the water I suppose
Really!
Well that just looks dangerous with corners of plexiglass sticking out in every lane? Ridiculous really
Karin Knudson O’Connell The design purpose is to protect the swimmers when they are receiving instruction from the coach at the wall. Maybe this wouldn’t be a good solution for little kids that don’t know how to stay away from the lane line, but for seasoned swimmers I don’t see this as a risk at all! My swimmer thinks it is a great solution since the wall is where the social distancing becomes the biggest issue.
Karin Knudson O’Connell can you also imagine chlorinated air this would cause.. asthmatic would not do well.. perhaps
It has bumpers
Did you see the padding like a pool noodle over the end of it? They are fine.
South Carolina governor opening our pools monday!
only at 20% capacity though. Which for our neighborhood pool (4 lane 25 m) means 13 people in the water at a time
Come on coach, Paul Mahar get the kids back in the water.
Dave Fooy Some people are so above our reality!
Paul Mahar as much as I want my kid back swimming there is no way a program as big as yours could do this. Just wishing.
There are clubs of 200+ swimmers thinking about 1 athlete in each lane for 30 minutes to begin. 20 minutes in between sessions and running all day long. The plan is that every kid gets in once per week with some of the top swimmers getting in more often. These are realistic options that many large programs are thinking about to retain members, require social distancing and begin the not so easy process of getting kids back in the pool. You should check out USA Swimming guidelines. You’ll see the schematics of pools shown and different configurations. Many people are consulting with professionals to come up with these plans.
Dave Fooy You know me! I’m broken that I can’t be on the deck with my kiddos! Stories like these give kids false hope. They start questioning why does’nt our coach do this?!!
This kind of stuff turns into the haves & have nots!
That’s too bad and a real concern. No differentiation in the process in AK of haves and have not, but it’s true the coach/owner is taking a huge hit. If you want your business to survive, what else can you do? Hope is everything my friend. What are YOU doing Coach? Don’t give up.
?
How about having everyone swim the entire workout wout removing their snorkel, would that help? Would everyone be so responsible as to make sure they keep it on at all times even when resting at the walls? And split the swimmers so that you have half at one end and half at the other end at all times. There’s probably a limit as to this would be posible or able to manage depending on the # of swimmers each respective program has. Just a offering a possible temporary solution.
Carlos Lomba How would a snorkel help? It’s not a filter. They are still breathing in shared air in close proximity.
Heather York DiFulvio Ok, considered that would be a possibility but Thxs for clarifying. Not easy finding a solution around this even w/ all that’s been mentioned regarding how chlorine and salt water could work against any further spread of the virus.
Carlos Lomba Yes, chlorine will help but only with surfaces. With how close the kids are in the lanes, that’s not the only concern, though. We are all anxious to get our kids back in the water, but facilities have to weigh the risks of opening and teams have to weigh the risk of being able to run in a diminished capacity. There are a lot of decisions and people involved. Even in Mission Viejo, he only had 18 swimmers come in. Out of 1000 or so. So, does everyone pay for it, even if their kids aren’t in? Or do the parents of those who do get to swim pay triple to cover the rental costs? So many moving parts that I’m not sure passionate swim parents are thinking of.
Studies that show warmth and humidity help aerosols fall directly down…considering their mouths are ON the surface or an inch or two above it most times’ foot above it max, those vicious particles are enveloped in chlorine pretty fast. Or they are outdoor pools, even better.
Heather York DiFulvio Yep. Very difficult decisions ahead regarding opening up a what capacity. Just like some in the restaurant business have said that to be able to maintain their operation only at 100% would be posible, not even at 75%.
Yes. No doubt…this is not a profitable stance. Only a beginning to build on. What else to do?
I’m not trying to be a downer here because I want pools to open up as soon as possible for sure! But I’m concerned about the safety of accessing swimmers that need help quick.
Tiffany Quisno Karin Knudson O’Connell can you also imagine chlorinated air this would cause.. asthmatic would not do well.. perhaps too
Tiffany Quisno Those shields won’t prevent anyone from getting to a swimmer in distress-they only go a few feet into the lane.
Lisa Alcorn def!
Good to see and hear about pools that are opening!
??♀️
How can you say that “safely fighting Covid-19” ? You don’t know that!
Heyyyy!!! Alaska!! I’ve worked out in all those pools! The Anchorage high schools have pools. One even has a 50m natatorium! I lived there 30 years. Now back in Texas. Love you guys up there!!! ???
Wow swimmers are lucky I guess. What will happen for water polo players? ??♂️
Gotta start somewhere…first we get in and build a record. Then expand to water joggers, polo etc…as they say, “differently”.
That is very unusual.
Laurie Ann Brian O’Shea
Dana Morgan Jaworski – so cool
Wow, the optics of it are GREAT!!! But does it really help?!
Fabulous! Let’s get back to practice ASAP!!
Unnecessary idea
Maybe…
Peter Lawrence
Bob Weber
This really does not make any sense.
Missy Briel Antolick , I brought up some concerns about this a week or more ago and was vilified for it! Careful what you say or even hint at or you’re made out to be a villain! Lol
Lorlee Engler ?
Absurd.
Woo hoo!!!!
Ridiculous!
Bill Siderys? Joe Christoffersen? An option for us? PLEASE!!!
LOL!
Missy Kennedy Allen Rodriguez
The pool is not a super market! There is a common sense way of doing this. HAVE DUDS AND EQUIPMENT ON BEFORE ENTERING FACILITY, check temp at entrance, safe and REALISTIC age group / #in pool?NO PARENTS , one direction in, one direction out, get out of pool,
NO PIT STOPS! Go home! ? Days May last longer to accommodate but we can all help each other out. Easier said than done! Recipe is simple. The hard part is making sure everyone does it!
Small safe steps lead to big safe steps!
#Pray4TheKids
#StayPositive☀️
They should hurry up and market these throughout the country