Monday, January 25, 2021
What it Takes
Swim teams without pool access are using this downtime as an opportunity to restructure their program and find creative ways to keep their teams alive. Tristan Formon, CEO and Head Coach of Berkeley Aquatic Club (BAC) in New Providence, New Jersey, was one of the fortunate whose applied tactics brought his team swimming success and a valuable life lesson.
“We know we will look very different when we eventually come out of this. After the first shut down, we took a deep breath and decided to rebuild the program from top to bottom,” says Formon. “It’s still a lot of work in progress but it's been a better experience for everyone.”
Formon is also the New Jersey Swimming General Chair, the Eastern Zone Technical Chair and sits on the USA Swimming Age Group Developmental Committee. The Berkeley Aquatic Club is also a Safe Sport Recognized Club. Formon’s breadth of these experiences helped him prioritize the needs of the community.
When all sporting events were cancelled in March, Formon’s needs shifted. “Safety first, mental health, awareness...all these things needed to be addressed. I have a very supportive staff, and we all asked, ‘what more can we do?’ ”
With a new focus, Formon implemented big changes to the program. They set up a needs-based scholarship foundation, expanded their support base and put fundraising efforts into the hands of engaging parents. “We changed the focus to create opportunities for all kids to swim, give the community access, remove financial barriers and save lives,” says Formon.
Before the pandemic, BAC required approximately 88 volunteers hours per year, depending on the swimming group level. “Required volunteerism is an oxymoron. It was one of the first things we cut, and it completely changed the mentality. The continuation of the program was very well received and I haven't had an empty volunteer spot since.”
The humanitarian efforts have touched his competitive swimmers too. “The very best athletes come through our doors; they have an unbelievable skill set compared to other athletes you see on TV,” says Formon. “It's been an incredible lesson.”
Gaining Momentum
When BAC was given back their pool access in June, Formon planned his training and competition season to work around the new club’s initiatives while staying within the county’s mandates.
He elected to bring back every inch of pool surface and run 45 minutes practices two to three times per week. “We were out of the water for three months. We had to build back up, especially the hands and forearms, getting that feel for the water they lost.”
Formon noticed a lull and many ups and downs but encouraged his swimmers to just be the best they could be for that day. “Leaders, coaches, volunteers, LSCs...they all need to lead by example. You can still teach sacrifice, failure, commitment and resilience -- these are huge life lessons taught without water. I ask them, ‘How do you want to be remembered?’ and try to create something that is different and unique,” says Formon.
He also sought out other options for a championship meet to ensure his swimmers would be able to race. “I heard rumblings we’d get shut down again in December,” he says. Additionally, he wanted to race his swimmers in November, as in years past they came back from Thanksgiving with colds and flus, and weakening their performances at a December meet. “I tell them not to double dip at Thanksgiving! Inevitably, many come back sick.”
With flexibility being the biggest muscle flexed this year, his team tapered, shaved and raced in November at the joint BAC / STAR Winter Invitational. Even with only 60 percent of training volume to fall on, the result was overwhelming success with 24 best times, 18 new pool records and one new state record.
Both teams executed all safety protocols: one-way traffic flow, two minute breaks after each race, masks at all times, minimum volunteers and access to live streaming for parents. The coaches doubled as marshals. The bleachers could seat 300, but were used only by 32 athletes at a time, spaced eight feet apart with assigned seating. The large deck space allowed for easier social distancing and was hosed down and cleaned between swim sessions. Cones were placed seven feet apart indicating spacing and relays only used lanes 1,4,7 and 10. Formon was the DJ for finals and marched them out to infuse energy. “The swimmers followed protocol and remained flexible,” says Formon. “They were just so excited to race.”
Formon’s timing for the race season worked perfectly, as the following weekend, their pool was indeed shut down after an executive order suspended all sporting activity. And as seen across the country, these orders are sending some swimmers out-of-state to find racing opportunities, although LSC rules for official times are being enforced.
“Obviously the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Noone has access to water, so families are willing to travel. But the advisory is that if you travel out-of-state, you have to self-quarantine. Personally, I think it'd be great if folks stopped traveling and stayed home. I see it as a short term sacrifice for a long term goal,” says Formon.
Currently shut down for the foreseeable future, Formon says he feels a great duty to protect the participants. “I’m constantly sharing my plans with the Health Department and emphasizing that health and wellness are the first priorities and access to water is the second,” he says.
How he does it
Even with overhead and staff payroll, owning his own facility during the pandemic offers certain benefits, such as avoiding third-party issues. It also means he has to do all of his own pre screening at the door, and is subject to surprise inspections and on-deck observations. He continues to add pages upon pages of his self-written safety standards handbook. But he knows that his tireless efforts are very different from the challenges facing swim teams who use municipalities or public pools. “I’ve seen teams suffer, I’ve seen others just completely fold. This isn’t easy. It’s an issue of the sport surviving, not just our team.”
Formon was able to stay afloat by building good rapport with the Health Department and from there, designing and executing a plan with protocols that were safe, effective, and inclusive, and covered all mandates. “Having a solid relationship with the Health Department is imperative. They’ll see how you're saving lives and impacting the community on a much broader level. It becomes a symbiotic relationship with them, and I think that’s crucial.”
Additionally, it’s critical to focus on the mission, and change the mindset of what swimming is limited to. “This sport isn’t a revenue generator. And it's a team of hundreds of kids going four hours a day, six days a week. So, that’s perceived as a huge risk, and there’s a good chance they’ll close the pool,” says Formon. “But you have to show them what you’re really doing aside from competitive swimming because there is so much more. Yes, they want to see the social distancing, the masks, the limited numbers, but there’s a bigger picture here. When we restructured during the shutdown, we saw this as a golden opportunity to open our doors for kids. We could actually save lives. It’s humanity.”
The third step Formon took was investing. “Money is cheap right now, some loans are going for zero-percent interest. You can invest in the process, and invest in health and wellness.
I firmly believe we’ll come out of this. We’re all here for each other as the support expands beyond just us. Clubs are reaching out to help each other and that fabric is stronger than it's ever been.”
“We know we will look very different when we eventually come out of this. After the first shut down, we took a deep breath and decided to rebuild the program from top to bottom,” says Formon. “It’s still a lot of work in progress but it's been a better experience for everyone.”
Formon is also the New Jersey Swimming General Chair, the Eastern Zone Technical Chair and sits on the USA Swimming Age Group Developmental Committee. The Berkeley Aquatic Club is also a Safe Sport Recognized Club. Formon’s breadth of these experiences helped him prioritize the needs of the community.
When all sporting events were cancelled in March, Formon’s needs shifted. “Safety first, mental health, awareness...all these things needed to be addressed. I have a very supportive staff, and we all asked, ‘what more can we do?’ ”
With a new focus, Formon implemented big changes to the program. They set up a needs-based scholarship foundation, expanded their support base and put fundraising efforts into the hands of engaging parents. “We changed the focus to create opportunities for all kids to swim, give the community access, remove financial barriers and save lives,” says Formon.
Before the pandemic, BAC required approximately 88 volunteers hours per year, depending on the swimming group level. “Required volunteerism is an oxymoron. It was one of the first things we cut, and it completely changed the mentality. The continuation of the program was very well received and I haven't had an empty volunteer spot since.”
The humanitarian efforts have touched his competitive swimmers too. “The very best athletes come through our doors; they have an unbelievable skill set compared to other athletes you see on TV,” says Formon. “It's been an incredible lesson.”
Gaining Momentum
When BAC was given back their pool access in June, Formon planned his training and competition season to work around the new club’s initiatives while staying within the county’s mandates.
He elected to bring back every inch of pool surface and run 45 minutes practices two to three times per week. “We were out of the water for three months. We had to build back up, especially the hands and forearms, getting that feel for the water they lost.”
Formon noticed a lull and many ups and downs but encouraged his swimmers to just be the best they could be for that day. “Leaders, coaches, volunteers, LSCs...they all need to lead by example. You can still teach sacrifice, failure, commitment and resilience -- these are huge life lessons taught without water. I ask them, ‘How do you want to be remembered?’ and try to create something that is different and unique,” says Formon.
He also sought out other options for a championship meet to ensure his swimmers would be able to race. “I heard rumblings we’d get shut down again in December,” he says. Additionally, he wanted to race his swimmers in November, as in years past they came back from Thanksgiving with colds and flus, and weakening their performances at a December meet. “I tell them not to double dip at Thanksgiving! Inevitably, many come back sick.”
With flexibility being the biggest muscle flexed this year, his team tapered, shaved and raced in November at the joint BAC / STAR Winter Invitational. Even with only 60 percent of training volume to fall on, the result was overwhelming success with 24 best times, 18 new pool records and one new state record.
Both teams executed all safety protocols: one-way traffic flow, two minute breaks after each race, masks at all times, minimum volunteers and access to live streaming for parents. The coaches doubled as marshals. The bleachers could seat 300, but were used only by 32 athletes at a time, spaced eight feet apart with assigned seating. The large deck space allowed for easier social distancing and was hosed down and cleaned between swim sessions. Cones were placed seven feet apart indicating spacing and relays only used lanes 1,4,7 and 10. Formon was the DJ for finals and marched them out to infuse energy. “The swimmers followed protocol and remained flexible,” says Formon. “They were just so excited to race.”
Formon’s timing for the race season worked perfectly, as the following weekend, their pool was indeed shut down after an executive order suspended all sporting activity. And as seen across the country, these orders are sending some swimmers out-of-state to find racing opportunities, although LSC rules for official times are being enforced.
“Obviously the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Noone has access to water, so families are willing to travel. But the advisory is that if you travel out-of-state, you have to self-quarantine. Personally, I think it'd be great if folks stopped traveling and stayed home. I see it as a short term sacrifice for a long term goal,” says Formon.
Currently shut down for the foreseeable future, Formon says he feels a great duty to protect the participants. “I’m constantly sharing my plans with the Health Department and emphasizing that health and wellness are the first priorities and access to water is the second,” he says.
How he does it
Even with overhead and staff payroll, owning his own facility during the pandemic offers certain benefits, such as avoiding third-party issues. It also means he has to do all of his own pre screening at the door, and is subject to surprise inspections and on-deck observations. He continues to add pages upon pages of his self-written safety standards handbook. But he knows that his tireless efforts are very different from the challenges facing swim teams who use municipalities or public pools. “I’ve seen teams suffer, I’ve seen others just completely fold. This isn’t easy. It’s an issue of the sport surviving, not just our team.”
Formon was able to stay afloat by building good rapport with the Health Department and from there, designing and executing a plan with protocols that were safe, effective, and inclusive, and covered all mandates. “Having a solid relationship with the Health Department is imperative. They’ll see how you're saving lives and impacting the community on a much broader level. It becomes a symbiotic relationship with them, and I think that’s crucial.”
Additionally, it’s critical to focus on the mission, and change the mindset of what swimming is limited to. “This sport isn’t a revenue generator. And it's a team of hundreds of kids going four hours a day, six days a week. So, that’s perceived as a huge risk, and there’s a good chance they’ll close the pool,” says Formon. “But you have to show them what you’re really doing aside from competitive swimming because there is so much more. Yes, they want to see the social distancing, the masks, the limited numbers, but there’s a bigger picture here. When we restructured during the shutdown, we saw this as a golden opportunity to open our doors for kids. We could actually save lives. It’s humanity.”
The third step Formon took was investing. “Money is cheap right now, some loans are going for zero-percent interest. You can invest in the process, and invest in health and wellness.
I firmly believe we’ll come out of this. We’re all here for each other as the support expands beyond just us. Clubs are reaching out to help each other and that fabric is stronger than it's ever been.”