NPSC Frequently Asked Questions
1 Question: What is happening to Club Championships planned for September and October?
Answer: Due to the Covid situation, the fact that swimmers have not been able to train, and no licences are being issued for meets by Swim England, NPSC has taken the reluctant decision to cancel the 2020 Club Championships. However, we have scheduled them to take place at the same time of the year in 2021.
2 Question: What is happening to the Presentation Evening?
Answer: Following members feedback from the 2019 Presentation Evening, the 2020 Presentation Evening was planned for November at Harben House and NPSC had already paid a deposit. However, due to the financial situation of the Club and the fact that Harben House notified us that they were going into liquidation, we recovered our deposit to support our ongoing financial commitments and have cancelled the 2020 Event. We plan to hold the next Presentation Evening in November 2021 following the 2021 Club Championships.
3 Question: What is happening with County Championships?
Answer: Currently NPSC have had no direction from the County as to whether the Championships for 2021 will take place or not. Licences are not being issued by Swim England for any meets. We are waiting for guidance from the County.
4 Question: What is the status with regards to meets?
Answer: Licences are not being issued by Swim England for any meets and the expectation is that no licences will be issued for the remainder of this year.
5 Question: What happens with regards to squad fees if I have chosen not to re-start swimming until October or later?
Answer: You will be charged the regular fee from August. The Club will start incurring pool costs and coach salaries from August and we need all the squad fees to be able to fund these costs.
6 Question: With the new schedule, do I have to attend all the sessions on the timetable?
Answer: It is not compulsory to attend all the sessions on the timetable but, it is recommended to attend as many as you are comfortable with. The more time you are in the pool the quicker you will regain swim fitness. However, if you have any type of illness you should not attend training and should discuss with your coach.
7 Question: What is the reason for bubbles and how do they work?
Answer: Bubbles have been advised by Swim England to ensure that swimmers train with the same swimmers at each session so that if one person contracts Covid, only that bubble is affected. Lisa has assigned swimmers to specific bubbles and swimmers should remain in that group at all times. The bubbles created are based on squads.
8 Question: Why is Performance 1 and 1a split?
Answer: It has been necessary to split performance 1 to help with bubbles and spaces during the sessions.
9 Question: Why do we need a progressive return to training?
Answer: Although some swimmers have been carrying out regular land training on-line, they will not be swim fit. They will have lost some of their feel for the water, technique and their swimming fitness. To ensure swimmers minimise the risk of injury and in line with Swim England guidance, a progressive return to training has been planned.
10 Question: With the new timetable, what is the plan to get back to fitness?
Answer: The initial plan is to take a slow, gradual progressive approach. In phase 1 the swimmers will be working on building their stamina gradually, regaining their technique and feel for the water. Starts will not be carried out at this point. As we have no meets to prepare for yet now is a good time to get the skills tip top!
11 Question: Why do swimmers have to swim one way?
Answer: Swim England guidance recommends that training is carried out socially distanced as far as possible. In order for this to happen, two swimmers cannot be on either side of a lane rope at the same time therefore it is necessary for all lanes to swim the same in the same direction.
12 Question: Are swimmers able to do butterfly?
Answer: Yes, swimmers can do butterfly but only with approval and guidance from the coach.
13 Question: I see that swimmers are doing a phased return, what will swimmers not be doing in Phase 1?
Answer: Swimmers will not be practicing starts, turns, sprint sets, training in zones that require explosive breathing or hypoxic training at this point.
14 Question: What does ‘beach ready’ mean?
Answer: ‘Beach ready’ means that swimmers should arrive and leave the pool as they would should they be going to the beach. This means that they should arrive already wearing their costumes under a minimum of outdoor clothes. They will be guided onto poolside where they will remove their outer clothes and put them in their swimming backpacks. After the session, they will be able to towel themselves dry and put their outer clothes back on over their costumes.
15 Question: Why are start and finish times at different times?
Answer: In order to maintain social distancing, a gap has been planned between each session to allow sufficient time for the first swimmers to leave the pool, get dressed, and leave poolside before the second set of swimmers arrive.
16 Question: What happens if I can’t attend the days according to the new schedule?
Answer: You cannot “just turn up” to a session for which you have not been allocated. If you want to attend a different session, please speak to your coach but all swimmers have been allocated bubbles so it may not be possible to accommodate your request
17 Question: What happens if a swimmer or someone in their household develops symptoms?
Answer: The swimmer should inform the Covid Lead and arrange to have a test as soon as possible. If the test is negative, the swimmer should inform the Covid lead and can return to training. If the test is positive, the swimmer should also inform the Covid lead and should self-isolate for seven days. When all symptoms have passed, the swimmer should obtain medical advice and contact the coach before returning to training.
18 Question: Are swimmers allowed to car share?
Answer: Swimmers can only car share if they are from the same family bubble.
19 Question: What equipment do I bring to training?
Answer: Before each session, the coach will advise you of what equipment to bring and you should only bring the equipment advised. On arrival at the pool you should rinse the equipment in the pool and before leaving poolside you should also rinse the equipment in the pool.
20 Question: Do swimmers or those on poolside have to wear masks?
Answer: No, masks are not required on poolside, but it would be advisable to wear them whilst walking to and from the pool entrance to poolside as some of the routes are quite narrow.
21 Question: Why aren’t NPSC taking temperatures on arrival at the pool?
Answer: NPSC have decided that a temperature test is not necessary as it cannot guarantee detecting the disease, especially in those who are asymptomatic. Therefore, NPSC has decided to ask swimmers to confirm that they are well by completing the Health Questionnaire and Risk Awareness declaration.
22 Question: Where do I do my pre and post swim mobility?
Answer: Swimmers will be sent the pre training mobility and post training stretches required for them to complete. The mobility must be carried out at home before arriving at the pool and the stretches need to be completed when swimmers arrive home.