How do you see a meet run in the future?

Will we be limited to a shorter event entry? Will relays be spaced, time wise , further apart to allow the next heat to get behind the blocks? Will officials need masks? Will we need masks when not swimming? What are your thoughts?Very good questions. I think actually running the meet could be done safely with some modifications ... Use a 'staging area' concept where seats are set up in a grid 2-3 rows deep by 6-8-10 seats (depending upon the number of lanes) with 6 feet/2 meters distance between each seat and between each row. Like a wide-open ready room so that you have this happening: Swimmers must enter the ready area no more than 2 or 3 heats before their race (however many rows exist in the ready area) No swimmers are allowed to wait behind the blocks, as that space is reserved for officials only (maybe timers, if needed) Active heat on the blocks races and swims Next heat up is sitting in the first row of the 'ready area' but they do not approach the blocks until the prior heat is completely out of the water I'm not sure if the rules allow it, but what if we just start relying upon touch pad technology / electronic timing only and get rid of timers so that the only people behind the blocks are the officials? If we must have a person timing, limit it to one person per lane. Masks required for anyone not swimming The bigger challenges, though, are: How do you manage physical distancing in warmup / cool-down pools? Do we have facilities large enough to both allow for a sufficiently sized meet participation (to fund pool rental costs and, hopefully, some profit for the host club) and sufficient physical distancing on the deck/stands? Thinking back to my days swimming in Arizona, all of the above could be managed during the typical in-season meets as we maybe had 100 people show up for an event, but had these massive open air, 50 meter pools like ASU, Phoenix Swim Club and the Mesa pools where people could easily be physically distanced and there was a massive amount of extra lane space for warmup/cool-down. But, very few places have access to those facilities. California has the facilities and the space, but then their meets are usually more heavily attended. One idea that I'm sure would be controversial in the USA (but probably accepted in Canada where I'm living now) would be to require all participants to show proof of COVID-19 negative test result within some reasonable time of the event, or, when we (hopefully) have vaccines, proof of vaccination. I realize that's not perfect, but might be an extra layer of 'protection' people are willing to consider? :bolt:

Will we be limited to a shorter event entry? Will relays be spaced, time wise , further apart to allow the next heat to get behind the blocks? Will officials need masks? Will we need masks when not swimming? What are your thoughts?Very good questions. I think actually running the meet could be done safely with some modifications ... Use a 'staging area' concept where seats are set up in a grid 2-3 rows deep by 6-8-10 seats (depending upon the number of lanes) with 6 feet/2 meters distance between each seat and between each row. Like a wide-open ready room so that you have this happening: Swimmers must enter the ready area no more than 2 or 3 heats before their race (however many rows exist in the ready area) No swimmers are allowed to wait behind the blocks, as that space is reserved for officials only (maybe timers, if needed) Active heat on the blocks races and swims Next heat up is sitting in the first row of the 'ready area' but they do not approach the blocks until the prior heat is completely out of the water I'm not sure if the rules allow it, but what if we just start relying upon touch pad technology / electronic timing only and get rid of timers so that the only people behind the blocks are the officials? If we must have a person timing, limit it to one person per lane. Masks required for anyone not swimming The bigger challenges, though, are: How do you manage physical distancing in warmup / cool-down pools? Do we have facilities large enough to both allow for a sufficiently sized meet participation (to fund pool rental costs and, hopefully, some profit for the host club) and sufficient physical distancing on the deck/stands? Thinking back to my days swimming in Arizona, all of the above could be managed during the typical in-season meets as we maybe had 100 people show up for an event, but had these massive open air, 50 meter pools like ASU, Phoenix Swim Club and the Mesa pools where people could easily be physically distanced and there was a massive amount of extra lane space for warmup/cool-down. But, very few places have access to those facilities. California has the facilities and the space, but then their meets are usually more heavily attended. One idea that I'm sure would be controversial in the USA (but probably accepted in Canada where I'm living now) would be to require all participants to show proof of COVID-19 negative test result within some reasonable time of the event, or, when we (hopefully) have vaccines, proof of vaccination. I realize that's not perfect, but might be an extra layer of 'protection' people are willing to consider? :bolt: