Calgary swim club turns to online workouts after pandemic closes pools

Calgary swim club reinvents training for isolation age A Calgary swim club can't go in the pool, so they're reinventing themselves online. Jordan Kanygin reports.

Calgary — The pandemic pushed them out of the pool, but the Killarney Swim Club continues to train as hard as they did before COVID-19 arrived.

Instead of swimming and time in the gym, the club’s 230 athletes have turned to virtual workouts and online Zoom meetings.

"The pools will reopen and ultimately we will be back in the pool," says head coach Mike Meldrum. "But we want to make sure we maintain a connection with these kids."

Like businesses, schools and public buildings, all training centres and pools were shut down mid-March to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Eleven part-time employees were laid off when facilities were shut down, but the swim club wanted to keep as many coaches employed as possible. So, they took their workouts online.

Now, the club’s 10 coaches oversee 35 livestreams a week, leading athletes through stretching, technique work and yoga.

As much as the workouts benefit athletes physically, they say it helps them mentally as well.

"It’s my last year with the club and I was disappointed with everything being cancelled (such as) graduation and not bring able to swim," says Anna Furlong, a swimmer in the 15-18 age group.

"It’s been a really good way to take our minds off of everything."

A Wednesday morning workout with 19 people had coach Meldrum rotating through the athletes’ small squares on the Zoom call, making sure they each followed along properly.

The teens used resistance bands, weights, jugs of water – whatever they could to simulate weight training in their homes.

"It’s definitely been a struggle not being able to actually go to the pool and workout properly, but we’ve made do with what we have," says athlete Daniel Ford.

The sessions have become part of their routines, an attempt at normalcy in a time that is anything but normal.

"The whole shut down was pretty devastating. It’s a distraction," says swimmer Grace Turner.

The club plans to continue the virtual workouts until they’re all finally able to dive back into the pool.