How is covid affecting swimming? The short answer is that it is affecting swimming a lot. But I asked a couple of my coaches to confirm this. Kristen Luedtke said “Hey! Lots of things different including shorter season, fewer meets, daily screening questions, splitting practices for jv and varsity to keep pod sizes smaller, coaches wearing masks all of practice (leading to ‘more acne ?) splitting lanes so athletes are socially distanced and much more” Ialso asked a previous coach of mine Dave Bents and he said ‘Lots of changes in Swimming. We have limits as to how many swimmers in a lane or in the total pool. No locker room use. No parents at practice.

No spectators at meets and we have only had a couple of meets since last March. We didn’t have any swimming in April, May or December”. The last coach I asked was also a previous coach of mine named Zack Strumbell and he said ‘there are more meetings with MSHSL for coaches, fewer team meetings and team bonding, no pasta dinners, no invite meets, only 4 teams at sections, no state meet.  And yet we still had over 60 kids.“ So there are many changes in swimming and I’m sure many other sports as well. It’s crazy how much covid has affected a water sport!!