Lakota Family YMCA Stingrays General Procedures and Protocols for all swim team practices, updated November 3, 2020.
The following updated procedures and protocols are in effect for all practices until further notice in order to help limit exposure and slow the spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. All swimmers, coaches, parents, and other team members must adhere strictly to these protocols in order to continue participating in team activities throughout the short course season. Announcements will be made when, and if, any of these restrictions are modified or lifted.
Prior to arriving at the facility, all swimmers should:
Be feeling well and healthy. Any swimmers who feel ill in any way, especially those with mild to severe respiratory illness with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing should remain at home and consult with their primary healthcare provider. Swimmers should remain home until their symptoms have subsided for a minimum of 7 days (14 days is recommended) and/or they are cleared to resume training by a certified healthcare provider after receiving a negative COVID-19 test. See below for more specifics on positive test procedures.
Have their temperature taken. This is not mandatory, but highly recommended. Any swimmer with a temperature of 100 degrees or more should remain home. Temperatures will be taken by a YMCA staff member upon arrival at the Y.
Be dressed in their practice attire whenever possible. Time spent in locker rooms and bathrooms should be as limited as possible. Swimmers may wear street clothes over their suits that they take off on the pool deck.
Shower off to help maintain proper pool chemistry. Showers will not be available to swimmers before or after practices.
Fill up their water bottle(s). Water fountains will not be available for use at the pool.
Wash their hands with a suitable disinfectant for a minimum of 20 seconds in accordance with health department guidelines. Swimmers should make every effort to do this as immediately prior to leaving their home for practice as possible. Swimmers may also bring hand sanitizer with them to practice for use immediately prior to entering the facility and/or beginning practice.
Avoid touching their hands or face after washing their hands and during travel to practice.
Whenever possible, have transportation by members of their household. While carpooling is not prohibited, it is highly discouraged in order to limit the amount of exposure swimmers have to others and maintain appropriate social distancing.
Double check that they have all of their equipment and that it is in proper working order. There will be limited equipment available to use, borrow, or share. This includes kickboards, pull buoys, fins etc. as well as cap, goggles, suits, towels, or water bottles. Swimmers in Developmental may borrow kickboards and fins.
Upon arrival at the facility, all swimmers and families should:
Remain in their vehicle if there is more than 15 minutes until practice begins. In order to decrease contact time with teammates, swimmers may not be on the pool deck more than 15 minutes before practices begins.
Enter the facility through the front entrance. Whenever possible, swimmers should be dropped off and be the only people entering the facility. If it is necessary for a swimmer to be accompanied into the facility it should be by a single person only. If parents or other family members wish to enter the facility in order to workout, they should follow all procedures laid out for general YMCA members.
Proceed directly to the pool deck while maintaining appropriate social distance at all times. Swimmers should not walk through the facility with people outside of their household.
Once on the pool deck:
Parents should proceed to an appropriate seating area and maintain social distancing with all other persons on the pool deck. While being present during practice is not prohibited, it is discouraged in order to limit potential exposure for everyone and slow the spread of any infectious diseases.
Swimmers should place their belongings on their designated bleacher, promptly remove any street clothes, and proceed to their assigned area for dynamic warmup and stretches while maintaining social distance with their teammates.
During practices:
Swimmers should avoid physical contact with each other and make every effort remain 6 feet apart when they are not actively swimming. Additionally, swimmers should be aware of the direction they face when resting.
Restroom breaks should be rare and only 1 swimmer at a time will be allowed to go into the locker room to use the restroom.
At the conclusion of practice:
All swimmers and family members should leave the pool deck immediately. Swimmers may take a couple of minutes to put their street clothes back on but should not dawdle. Team members are encouraged to leave the facility promptly, however if they choose to remain in order to use other parts of the Y, must follow all procedures laid out for general YMCA members.
All swimmers should take all of their equipment with them and not leave anything behind. Lost and found will not be available and any items left behind may be discarded.
Positive Test Procedure:
Should a member of the Stingrays test positive for COVID-19, the following measures will take place:
The family of the individual should contact Coach Tom immediately, as well as the Butler County Health Department.
The individual will be expected to self-quarantine for 14 days and/or receive a negative COVID-19 test in addition to following specific instructions from the Health Department.
YMCA staff members will perform an additional thorough cleaning of all areas of the facility the individual may have come in contact with.
Coach Tom will notify the families of all swimmers in the individual’s practice group so they may make an informed decision about their swimmer. This includes deciding whether to continue practices, seeing a healthcare provider, and/or seeking out a COVI-19 test.
Contact with Positive Individual/Contact Tracing/Quarantine:
Should a member of the Stingrays have close contact with an individual who tests positive for COVID-19, the following measures will take place. Close contact means within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more in a 24-hour period.
The swimmer is expected to remain home from practices for one week, as long as they remain symptom free during that time.
If the swimmer obtains a negative test result, they may return to practice prior to the end of the one week period.
If the swimmer develops symptoms, they should remain home from practice for a minimum of 14 days, or until they obtain a negative test result.
The swimmer should not enter the YMCA for any reason during this time.
The family of the swimmer is encouraged to notify their school to determine if attending school is appropriate.
The family of the swimmer is encouraged to notify their healthcare provider to determine any further steps.
Any swimmer who is sent home from school should remain home from practices until they meet all of the conditions above.
Additional General Guidelines:
Coaches will wear masks as often as possible before, during, and after practices. Coaches will also follow all guidelines above pertaining to feeling well and healthy each day and proper steps to take if they do not.
Swimmers are must wear masks from the time they enter the facility until they proceed to their assigned lane, and again once they exit the water.
Parents must wear masks from the time they enter the facility until the time they leave the facility.
If anyone has a concern about another person’s behavior, please contact Coach Tom. Coach Tom will work with individuals and YMCA staff to resolve any conflicts about behavior or lack of social distancing.
All Stingray team members as well as their families are expected to practice social distancing both at and away from the pool. Anyone who is consistently not adhering to social distancing guidelines may be prohibited from continuing with team activities.
