{"id":432920,"date":"2020-05-22T12:05:48","date_gmt":"2020-05-22T19:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=432920"},"modified":"2020-05-22T12:05:48","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T19:05:48","slug":"connecticut-swimmer-launches-petition-to-reopen-pools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/connecticut-swimmer-launches-petition-to-reopen-pools\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecticut Swimmer Launches Petition to Reopen Pools"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jacob Sherman<\/strong>, a rising high school senior at Westhill High School in Stamford, Connecticut, has started an online petition to urge the state to reopen swimming pools.<\/p>\n

Sherman\u2019s petition, \u201cReopen Connecticut Pools<\/a>,\u201d on change.org had gotten more than 5,500 signatures as of Friday afternoon. He started the petition last Saturday.<\/p>\n

Sherman told the Stamford Advocate<\/em><\/a> that he got the idea after seeing the petition started in Kentucky to reopen pools<\/a>. A similar petition from two high school swimmers in New Jersey<\/a> this week garnered national attention. The Connecticut Swimming LSC has shared Sherman\u2019s petition on its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sherman, 16, also swims for Chelsea Piers Connecticut. He\u2019s been out of the water since mid-March. The coronavirus pandemic caused the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference to cancel its swimming championships in March. (Petitions and protests to reverse that decision were unsuccessful<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Connecticut entered Phase 1 of its reopening plan on May 20. But pools are not slated to open until Phase 2<\/a>, which will occur around June 20. The exact date for that shift is not yet determined, pending how the pandemic proceeds in Phase 1.<\/p>\n

Sherman cites the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines as well as USA Swimming’s recommendations for reopening in the petition. He’s looking to pools as a valuable resource for both aspiring college swimmers like himself and those in the community who rely on the water for exercise and fitness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reopening of pools is very important to Connecticut swimmers such as myself, hoping to get a spot on a college team,\u201d Sherman told the Advocate<\/em>. \u201cWith many other states reopening their pools, we are at a disadvantage to the swimmers in other states who are getting a chance to train and get new times. Although I think that most college coaches are very understanding with what is going on, it is essential to train in order to get a spot on a college team.\u201d<\/p>\n

As of Friday\u2019s data released by the state<\/a>, Connecticut had seen 39,208 cases of COVID-19 and 3,582 deaths. Because of its size, though, its rate of 1,100 cases per 100,000 people is the fifth-highest rate in the U.S<\/a>. Its death rate per 100,000 people is third highest, according to data collected by the New York Times.<\/em> Fairfield County, where Stamford is located, is the most affected in terms of cases (14,751) and cases per 100,000 people (1,562). It\u2019s seen the most deaths with 1,180.<\/p>\n

Swimming Through a Pandemic<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The postponements and cancellations wrought by COVID-19 haven\u2019t just affected the Olympics and the ranks of elite swimmers. They\u2019ve trickled down to neighborhood clubs and summer youth leagues, affecting thousands of recreational and competitive swimmers alike. Here is some of our coverage of COVID-19\u2019s effect on the American summer swimming calendar.<\/em><\/p>\n