Thank you for your patience as we navigate through uncharted decisions. The Swim Team Board is in constant contact with the HOA Board, other SAIL teams facing similar situations and decisions, and reviewing guidelines from DHEC. If you did not receive the new pool guidelines from the HOA on Friday, it will be copied at the bottom of this email. Please email [email protected] and ask to be added to the HOA newsletters and emails. After reading this e-mail, we ask that you acknowledge that you read it by clicking on the RSVP button for the June 24 “event” on our website Meet and RSVP Calendar. By marking at least one parent as “attending” you will acknowledge receipt and understanding. Your swimmers will not be able to return to practice until we receive this acknowledgement.

Our biggest concern as a board is a wide-spread outbreak among our team. Although much of the data suggests most children will have mild symptoms of COVID-19, that is not the case for the parents, grandparents, and medically fragile members of our society that our team comes in contact with. A large outbreak will shut down our season and will possibly result in one or more serious illnesses. We want to put in place the actions and policies necessary so that when we have another case of COVID-19, we can feel comfortable that the exposure risk is extremely low to the team as a whole, and that only those who have been in close contact will have to quarantine. To that effect, we ask all families to seriously consider how many people they choose to have close contact with.

By all indications, the measures we have already taken, combined with personal convictions have worked. A cautious and conscientious volunteer came in contact with every member of our swim team, and does not appear to have spread the disease. With all of this in mind, we are putting the following in place immediately:

• We will have no practice on Monday and Tuesday (including Fish). We will make a decision on Tuesday night, but hope to resume practice on Wednesday morning and compete in our meet against Pebble Creek on Thursday. Please sign-up (or mark children unattending) for this meet and Divisionals immediately.
• All volunteers must wear face coverings over their mouth and nose (this includes meets as well as social events). If you are unable to wear a mask, please notify Ashley Mozingo ([email protected]) and Kelly Keever ([email protected]) immediately so that you are not scheduled to volunteer. The starter and deck ref (blows the whistle) are obvious exceptions to this rule.
• Our current policies greatly minimize team members' exposure to the novel coronavirus from others by being outdoors, using small practice groups, and enforcing physical distancing. However, we need all families to promote the health and safety of all team members (and the viability of the remaining swim season) by:

1. Not participating in any swim team activities if an immediate household member is sick (in any way), and
2. Immediately notifying Susan Tomforde if one of your family members has been exposed to COVID-19 or is experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.

• During swim meets, we prefer families to sit together, but will continue to allow the physically distanced groups as we saw them at the last meet, especially among the teenagers. If you know your child has a hard time keeping distanced, please make sure you sit with your children and help them. For parents who are volunteering, please appoint a proxy to help your children. We need all parents to be willing to gently correct any child on the team as well as to be mindful of your own actions. This will greatly reduce the anxiety level among our leadership.
• We are re-evaluating the bottlenecks that were presented at the meet on Thursday. We will have a brief parent meeting to discuss this on Thursday before the meet.
• The playground equipment is off limits to swimmers during swim meets. This has been our policy for many years and we have failed to enforce it this year. Siblings may use the playground if supervised.
• Fun Friday - Starting June 26, we will split Fun Friday into 3 groups starting at 9:00, 9:45, and 10:30 (youngest to oldest). Tie Dye has been rescheduled to June 26.

Thank you again for your cooperation. And please remember to acknowledge agreement to these policies on our website.

E-mail sent out by the HOA:

Neighbors:

As you know, we are currently seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases in Greenville County. Sadly, a family in Foxcroft has tested positive for COVID-19. That entire family has been self-quarantining for many days. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them in hopes of a quick recovery!

In the meantime, our pool staff will conduct a deep clean of all furniture and common areas. We ask everyone to practice the following and to stress the following with their swimmers:

1. Practice physical distancing from non-family members. If your child is too young to manage this on his or her own, do not leave it up to the lifeguards to enforce. This is a parental responsibility.
2. Wash hands frequently with soap and water. This is especially important after going to the bathroom. Use hand sanitizer if you cannot wash.
3. If you have any signs of being sick or any concern that your family has been exposed to COVID-19, stay home and away from the pool and fellow team members.

We need everyone’s help to keep our neighborhood safe and healthy. We need any family who learns of a potential exposure to COVID-19 to immediately notify Ken Shabel, Kenneth Cosgrove or Rodney Pillsbury and to stay away from the pool and other common areas until you receive test results/medical clearance. It is our goal to keep families informed of potential exposures, but we will maintain the privacy of families who are dealing with potential exposures.

More information to come. Thank you all.

Ken Shabel

Foxcroft HOA President.