MESI Athletes Letter and Video to Governor Mills

In light of the state of Maine's most recent guidelines regarding swimming, us athletes consisting of members on BOD, various committees, and team representatives have taken it upon ourselves and sent a letter and video to Governor Mills from our perspective on the matter. Here is the letter we sent:

Dear Governor Mills,                                                                                          

As Athlete Representatives sitting on the Board of Directors for Maine Swimming, as well as representatives from each individual Maine Swimming team, we would like to express our concerns regarding the impacts that the State’s recent actions will have on us and the 1,200 athletes we represent across the State of Maine. While we appreciate the measures you and your team have taken to keep our State safe, we feel that recent changes impacting community sports will be detrimental to us, not only in the present, but also in the future. Our concerns include the mental health of swimmers, limitations on opportunities for student-athletes to prepare for college, and the financial stability of coaches as well as some families in our swimming community. 

As athletes of the Maine Swimming Community, we collectively experienced feelings of isolation, hopelessness, anxiety, and sadness following the initial shutdown of our sport in March.  We endured the shutdown until June when we were able to return to socially distanced team workouts with team cohorts and our coaches.  The inability to participate in socially distanced team workouts under the supervision of our coaches as a result of the recent “moderate risk” classification of team swimming is detrimental to our mental and physical health.  This experience is not confined to just Maine.  Based on a recent University of Wisconsin study, approximately 68% of student athletes across the nation reported experiencing such despondent emotions during the first COVID-19 shutdown to the degree where medical intervention would typically occur. We fear that with this most recent shutdown of team swimming these unwanted mental health impacts will once again ascend and that is something we wish to avoid.

The recent restrictions on Community Sports create a significant disadvantage for Maine Swimmers and specifically the opportunities for our Senior Athletes.  A Student-Athlete’s senior year is one of the most defining years of their athletic careers.   Although there is potential for us to have a swim season, the time period in which these guidelines are in place are crucial for preparing for championship/recruiter-observed meets.  Many of our student athletes compete both for club teams and high school teams.  Furthermore, compared to other states whose guidelines are not as strict, we are at a severe disadvantage as these other states are holding their championship meets, and those swimmers are earning times for advancing their recruiting efforts.  For seniors, these swim meets are their last opportunities to show college recruiters they are worthy of a spot on their team. The outcomes of these meets often decide where these student-athletes attend college and their potential to earn scholarships. Many student-athletes depend on these scholarships as a stepping stone to further their education and to become better leaders. Without the opportunity to earn these scholarships, an athlete’s family will undoubtedly endure financial struggles.

This pandemic is having a tremendous impact on our swim families, our coaches and the community organizations that provide the facilities in which we train.  As you are aware, many families within our state are enduring a significant financial burden as a result of not having a steady source of income.  Many Maine Swimming families made the decision to keep their athletes in the pool for the physical and mental health benefits although this decision was difficult for some families because of their financial situations.  As swimming is a year round sport, facilities and opportunities are limited many families have to commit for an entire season in order to participate.  By shutting down swim clubs as a result of these recent Community Sport restrictions, families are losing money that may have otherwise been allocated to other essential areas of life.

Some teams have been considering making refunds to families but this loss of revenue could severely impact the organizations with pool facilities since a high percentage of income for most facilities is from the swim teams. With facilities already operating at a lower margin since COVID hit this could be catastrophic to them. Some facilities will once again have to furlough their coaches while others may have to shut their doors. Finally, for a lot of coaches, their main source of income is from year-round coaching. Many of them have already lost a large portion of their income due to pools being closed during the spring quarantine.  These coaches have families at home who are reliant on this income. 

It is important to acknowledge that it is not just high school athletes who are being impacted by the recent community sports guidelines.  Maine club swimming provides opportunities for kids of all ages to stay active.  The physical, social, and mental well-being of children of all ages benefit from club swim programs throughout our state. 

Lastly, it is important to acknowledge the commitment that the Maine swim community has been making to follow the COVID-19 guidelines and protocols since clubs returned to the pool five months ago.  We adhere to the social distancing protocols by restricting the number of swimmers in the pool, in each lane and ensuring that we stop at opposite ends of the pool from each other.  We wear our masks at all times when we are not in the pool, including on the pool deck and elsewhere in the facilities where we swim.  In addition to Maine CDC guidelines, all Maine Swimming members adhere to USA Swimming guidelines and the protocols of the facilities in which our members swim.

All guidelines have been consistently followed and because of this Maine Swimming has had no COVID-19 related incidents since the reopening.  If given the opportunity to return to team practices, swimmers would continue to follow these protocols.  It is our understanding that there remains no evidence that COVID-19 spreads through recreational activities in chemically treated pools. We believe that by strictly following all of the previously existing guidelines and protocols, Maine Swimming would be able to continue practicing safely without any incidents and thus ask that team swimming be reclassified from moderate risk to low risk.

Respectfully, 

Maine Swimming Athlete and Team Representatives: