A Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association committee has approved a proposal that will allow schools to host virtual swim meets during the 2020-2021 season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
As reported by swimswam.com, the measure gives schools the option of hosting meets in person or virtually. It was passed unanimously by the MIAA swimming and diving committee, and now goes to the board of directors for approval.
During a virtual meet, teams compete at their own pools with timers and officials present under the traditional high school meet format. The results from the separate meets will then be compiled into a finalized document in order to determine a winner.
The swimming and diving committee has recommended that virtual meets be held on the same day as each other, or no more than one day apart. Additionally, they have recommended that in order to enforce social distancing, all swimmers exit the water on the opposite end of the pool after finishing a race and that all relay teams stand six feet apart prior to entering the water.
Swimming committee member and Xaverian High School athletic director Ted Currle says that he is very keen on the idea, stating, “It will reduce travel so that will cut down expenses. That’s important now, since we would need more buses for a meet due to the social distance. In some places, there might be restrictions on how many people you can have in the pool.”
In Massachusetts, 40 girls' teams and 12 boys' teams typically compete in the fall, while 240 boys' teams and 212 girls' teams complete in a winter season. Due the pandemic, several fall teams have announced they will compete in winter this year.
