Viral Swimming

   UCLA swim team member, Chris Woo, c1979

From the Bruin: The upcoming swim and dive season will present challenges unlike any other.

The return of college sports in 2020 has faced unprecedented challenges given COVID-19 complications and sudden outbreaks. For those that have resumed play, such as football and men’s and women’s basketball, returning to competition has been stymied by game cancellations and newly developed protocols, while other sports face season postponements.

Second-year coach Jordan Wolfrum believes UCLA swim and dive does not have to face predicating issues – such as maintaining physical distance – that contact sports like football and basketball face.

“Fortunately for us, we can do our sport at a really high level, very, very distanced and safe and in a way that is very compliant with (COVID-19) protocols,” Wolfrum said. “So even putting together the way that we will do a meet or a competition, it’s more about travel and figuring out those pieces because the reality is we don’t need to come within 6 feet of each other in most senses.”

With the resumption of certain fall and winter sport seasons, the Pac-12 put together a series of protocols for its member institutions to follow, such as daily antigen testing along with a weekly polymerase chain reaction test to be given to the student-athletes. Should a positive test come to light, cardiac monitoring is among the protocols in place to address virus-related health concerns.

Additionally, those infected – and people within their 6-foot vicinity during a 48-hour window of the positive test – will be required to quarantine for a minimum of 10 days, or seven with a negative test...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2020/12/02/swim-and-dive-gets-back-in-the-water-after-extended-time-off