The Indiana Swim Club has started practicing again, but not in its normal pools — the Bloomington North and South High School pools — due to the Monroe County School Board rules about COVID-19.
The ISC formed when Bloomington Swim Club and Counsilman Center Indiana Swim Team merged when. The ISC trains children from ages 5 to 18. IU also has a professional branch and swims under the club’s banner during off-season. There are two seasons for participants in the ISC. Short course season runs from September to March. The long course season is from April to August.
Previously, members used the high schools’ pools at no charge. The club has also rented space from IU in the past, but is unable to now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, the club is practicing at the YMCA, which is a large cost at $10,000 a month and has caused frustration for parents and members.
“The Monroe County School Board said they aren’t allowing any outside groups,” parent of ISC member, Amanda Schroeder said. “What’s frustrating to the club is they aren’t willing to discuss it.”
Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer, president of the School Board of Trustees for Monroe County Community School Corporation, said this restriction isn’t strictly limited to the ISC, but all outside groups wanting to use MCCSC facilities. Fuentes-Rohwer said visitors aren’t currently allowed because of the responsibility of contact tracing.
“This is a policy to keep everyone safe during the pandemic,” Fuentes-Rohwer said. “I don’t know when the policy will be lifted, it depends on the health department's view and what happens going further with the virus.”
Bloomington North’s pool is closed for renovations. However, Schroeder said if ISC can’t regain access to Bloomington South’s pool, they will be out of money by the end of the year.
“We’re nonprofit, anything that’s been saved up is for a rainy day,” she said. “Unfortunately, COVID is a lot bigger than a rainy day.”
Schroeder started a petition Sept. 28 to bring awareness to the issue and inform others about the reluctance of the school board. The petition has close to 370 signatures. The club also created a swim-a-thon fundraiser that began Sept. 20. ISC has a goal of raising $30,000.
ISC has a COVID-19 plan that’s been reviewed by the Monroe County Board of Health. The plan includes taking temperatures, asking swimmers if they have symptoms upon arrival to practice and wearing a mask until entering the pool.
“If we don’t have youth swimming we aren’t going to have successful high school teams,” Schroeder said. “We just want people to understand the ramifications of what’s going on.”
Throughout quarantine, swim club members participated in virtual dry land practices to keep them engaged within the club. During their long course season, occurring over the summer, swimmers practiced in-person in Martinsville, Indiana, multiple times a week. Martinsville was the closest pool to Bloomington that allowed access to outside groups.
Kristina Paegle is a junior at Bloomington South who has been a part of local swim clubs since she was 9 years old. She said it has been difficult since the pandemic to find a pool for the ISC to use. She’s had to use Monroe Lake and Lake Lemon sometimes throughout the summer to practice.
By long course season, April through August, Paegle hopes the ISC can use Bloomington South’s pool and the IU outdoor pool.
Schroeder said there are easier accessible resources for different sports throughout the community. For example, children can play soccer in an open field and play basketball at one of the many public courts in Bloomington. Pools, on the other hand, aren’t as inexpensive to build.
“We see schools in surrounding areas opening their pools to outside clubs with safety guidelines,” Schroeder said. “These kids are passionate about it and I feel like the community needs to support them better with resources and not make it so difficult to express their passion.”
