Eastern Swim Association cancels summer schedule

Add the Eastern Swim Association (ESA) to the long list of sports organizations deciding to cancel summer events in the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

The ESA decided Monday in a Zoom meeting of the 11 member clubs to call off the dual-meet schedule, set to start June 16, as well as the two season-ending divisional championship meets slated for July 25.

“It is just so unfortunate,” said Ed Galloway, ESA president who also is involved with the club program at Forest Hills.

“It was inevitable when we looked at what it meant to be in the green phase, how we were supposed to conduct ourselves at each meet and how many people were going to be there while trying to still practice social distancing. You can practice all you want under those conditions, but it’s tough to safely have a meet, especially a big championship meet like we do at the end of the season. There was little argument knowing what we were up against.”

Club practices for the summer season normally are in full swing by this time.

Of the 11 area pools that host ESA clubs, only one — Blackridge Swim Club in Churchill — will not open for the summer season. The others, he said, continue to examine how to move forward with compliant safety measures in place.

Galloway said several of the clubs indicated they hope to have some type of in-house training program with opportunities to have small competitions that wouldn’t be sanctioned by the ESA.

The ESA clubs had come together in recent weeks to discuss what could be done within the overall system of safety regulations initiated by the state government.

Galloway said one club is considering ways to host its independent special event which normally runs at the same time as the ESA dual-meet schedule.

Park Swim Club in Monroeville, Galloway said, is examining the possibility of spreading its annual mini-meet, set this year for July 18, over two days and dividing it by age group or by event if there is enough interest from other teams to participate and conduct the meet safely.

The multi-team Monroeville Invitational celebrated its 50th year last summer with more than 300 swimmers age 5 to 18 involved. This year’s event was scheduled for July 11 at Garden City. However, because of covid-19 regulations, Garden City representative Candice Berko said the large event will not take place.

Other events independent of the ESA each summer include the Ed Eyles Relays at Meadowink in Murrysville, the Walt Brown Odd-Age meet at Haymaker in Monroeville and the Battle of the Borders meet that pits Murrysville and Meadowink against the four Monroeville teams. Those three events also have been canceled.

In recent seasons, more than 500 youth swimmers have competed on one of the ESA member clubs. This year’s divisional breakdown had Forest Hills, Gateway Heights, Haymaker, Murrysville and Park in Division I with Blackridge, Edgewood, Garden City, Meadowink, Rosedale (Penn Hills) and White Oak in Division II.

Galloway said that White Oak is exploring the possibility of organizing and hosting a celebration evening when all of the 2020 high school seniors who swim for an ESA club would be honored together.

During Monday’s meeting, the clubs also voted to allow the 2020 seniors to swim in the 2021 season.

“We’re all trying to make the best of a tough situation,” said Galloway, who is looking forward to seeing the ESA return to competition in 2021.

“I wish all the pools and clubs the best of luck this summer as they try to do what’s best for their kids.”