News Detail
December 18, 2020 - Message to Our Membership from the General Chair - 12/18/20
Message to Our Membership from the General Chair
Dear Pacific Swimming Community Members,
There are only two weeks remaining in 2020. It seems foolish to wish away time but I have to confess that I can hardly wait for 2020 to be over. We did get a piece of good news that I would like to share with you. The State of California has recognized that outdoor swimming is a low risk sport and that we will be among the first of the sports to be able to resume intrasquad and dual meets when the Stay-At-Home order is lifted. You can read about it on the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) website at this link:
CDPH – 12/14/2020 Guidelines:
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/outdoor-indoor-recreational-sports.aspx
CDPH is currently estimating resumption towards the end of January. However this date is subject to review which is scheduled for Jan 4th. As of today, all of the LSCs in California are limited to swim practice only. Our teams in Nevada are limited by the requirement to have all of the adults tested before allowing them on deck. The catch is that currently, healthy adults in Nevada do not qualify for testing. Every day you see the reports of new records of COVID-19 cases in California so this is the time for everyone to follow the public health guidelines to lower the risk of infection.
Please note that one of the bullet points in the above announcement is that clubs and individuals are not allowed to travel outside of California in order to participate in a swim meet. This means that if you choose to disobey this guidance, you will most likely be nullifying your USA-S insurance coverage. They reiterated that several teams that have travelled to out-of-state meets have returned with COVID-19 infected swimmers.
Pacific Swimming wants to be ready to resume intrasquad and dual meets as soon as we are able to do so. To this purpose, teams interested in hosting intrasquad time trials and dual meets should begin planning for them right now. Meet Directors should contact their Zone Sanction Chairs and Zone Officials Chairs for guidance. Zone Sanction Chairs will accept sanction requests and work with the Meet Directors to ensure that meet all of the requirements. They will then be sent to the Pacific Sanctions for review and be sanctioned as soon as we are allowed to resume.
The Pacific Swimming office will be closed starting December 24th through Jan 3rd. On behalf of the Pacific Swimming office staff and the LSC Board of Directors, I would like to wish you and your family Safe and Happy Holidays. I am looking forward to a much better 2021 and to seeing you on the pool decks.
David Cottam,
General Chair, Pacific Swimming.
