https://www.thetelegraph.com/sports/article/D-DAY-FOR-SWISA-Saturday-vote-will-determine-15303976.php
D-DAY FOR SWISA: Saturday vote will determine summer fate of swim league
Vote to determinethe summer's fateof venerable league
Updated 3:11 pm CDT, Friday, May 29, 2020
Timers keep as close eye as swimmers dive from the starting blocks at a Southwestern Illinois Swim Association meet last summer at Summers Port in Godfrey between the host Sharks and and the Collinsville Aqua Park Gators. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a vote will be held Saturday morning to determine SWISA's fate for this summer.
Timers keep as close eye as swimmers dive from the starting blocks at a Southwestern Illinois Swim Association meet last summer at Summers Port in Godfrey between the host Sharks and and the Collinsville Aqua
Photo: Pete Hayes File Photo | The Telegraph
ALTON — The 2020 forecast for the Southwestern Illinois Swim Association is bleak, but the summer outdoor swim and dive league has at least one more day.
SWISA Board president Bob Rettle said that a pair of Saturday morning online meetings will determine the fate of the league for this summer. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, practices for the 57-year-old league have yet to begin.
Members of SWISA include Summers Port in Godfrey, Collinsville Aqua Park, Montclaire in Edwardsville, Sunset Hills in Edwardsville and Paddlers Pool in Granite City. The Collinsville facility serves as a practice sight for the Gators swim team and does not serve as a host site for meets.
Swim and dive meets, which would normally begin in early June, would have to be rescheduled as well if the league representatives vote to try to hold the season. If they do vote to have a season, they would do so under Phase 4 guidelines of the reopening plan set by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, as well as under regulations the Illinois Department of Public Health, which directs and licenses swim pools in the state.
"I'm having a Zoom meeting online with the Montclaire (pool) board at 8:30 Saturday morning and a meeting with the SWISA Board at 10 a.m.," said Rettle, who is also president of the Montclaire parents board. "We'll discuss the situation, the options and the problems, then vote."
Rettle said he was told by representatives of the Illinois Department of Public Health that the earliest pools could open would be June 26. The first mets this season were originally scheduled for June 11, including Summers Port hosting Montclaire. Each pool would have one meet a week, with a bye week for each. Also, the annual SWISA Relay meet was scheduled for June 22 at Sunset Hills. The SWISA Championship Meet was originally set for July 19 at Summers port
"That could change, though," Rettle said, "because technically, pools aren't specifically mentioned in the directives from the governor, either Phase 3 or Phase 4. But if they decide to have a SWISA season, we could begin registering kids and putting the teams together ahead of time. That way, practices could get started as soon as the water is available.
"We could have to reschedule meets, maybe have two or even three a week. We might have to divide the meets into more than one session, so that we could comply with the limited number of people that could be together.
"It would be one thing trying to keep swimmers distant in the water, but trying to keep parents and spectators socially distant would be a real problem. Summers Port would be OK for the fans social distancing, because there's a ton of space there. But the other pools are another story."
While it is agreed that chlorinei n the pool water would kill the corronavirus, the problem of social distancing on the pool decks and surrounding areas would remain a problem.
Team size for Collinsvillle, Montclaire, Summers Port and Paddlers has traditionally been roughly 100 swimmers. The Sunset Hills is slightly smaller. No pools have begun 2020 registration, instead have been waiting to hear a definitive plan.
"We need to make a decision," Rettle said. "I know we'd love to have the season, but we'll discuss it and then vote. I'd say right now it doesn't look positive, but we'll know Saturday."