Members of the Strathmore Silver Sharks Swim Club are excited to be back in the pool and making a splash.

Head Coach Jennifer Mertz, says the club has been working tirelessly in order to get up and running, as the club’s season started in mid-September.

“We have met with Swimming Canada, Swim Alberta, Alberta Health Services, and our local facility to ensure that all of our COVID requirements are met. We started the season a bit early this year, in the middle of September, to allow each group into the facility one-by-one (staggered entry) to ensure everyone understood how they can enter and exit the facility,” said Mertz.

According to their website, the Strathmore Silver Sharks Swim Club is an age group competitive swim team with programs available for all ages and swimming abilities. The club offers trained and certified coaches who are members of the Canadian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association. “Our first practice was Monday and it was great to see everyone back in the water. All coaching staff will be keeping at least 2.5 metres distance and wearing a mask,” Mertz said. There are also no spectators.

The club is now organized into three cohorts of less than 50 people, which don’t include coaching staff or pool staff.

“We are aiming to keep our cohorts at less than 40 athletes,” said Mertz.

The first cohort includes Bronze, Copper, and Minnows athletes, the second are Gold, Silver, Platinum swimmers and the third cohort are Sport4Life.

In terms of the routine for athletes using the pool, Mertz explained that the athletes will have a staggered entry and all groups will wear masks until they are in the pool. Parents drop off swimmers, who complete self check-ins, athletes enter the pool through the viewing area with all of their materials, including shoes, and they are ready to swim.

As swimmers enter the facility, they will use hand-sanitizer as well.

The cohorts will exit the pool staggered and leave through the East side door. There will also be 20-minute breaks between groups in order to clean high-touch areas.

You can find more information about joining the Strathmore Silver Sharks Swim Club here.