September marks the beginning of the 15th year of swimming at our Triangle Aquatic Center and the start of the 10th short-course season for our TITANS. We have a lot to celebrate, and we should all be very proud of how our TAC and TITANS families have been able to navigate the COVID pandemic over the past 18 months. This effort would not have been possible without the leadership of Bruce Marchionda, Mark Frank, Mike Curran, and the entire TAC leadership team. A lot has changed at TAC since March 2020, and with the new 50-meter pool construction starting this fall, the changes will continue.
We welcome all of our TAC patrons and our TAC families back for a terrific new season. We also extend a warm welcome to all of our new TAC patrons and new TITANS families that have recently joined. Because of all of the new faces at the pool, this is the perfect opportunity for us to provide a comprehensive summary of the COVID policies and procedures that are in effect at TAC.
TAC leadership will continue to be responsive to the changing face of the pandemic, and these policies and procedures will likely change as the Delta variant (first reported in the United States in March 2021), the Lambda variant (identified by the World Health Organization in June 2021), and future variants develop and spread across the globe.
TAC’s Updated COVID Protocol
The current TAC COVID protocol is available here. Please review it so that your entire family is familiar with how TAC is handling contact tracing and identifying swimmers that need to quarantine, isolate, or stay away from the facility. Please continue to report all information concerning positive tests and close contacts with known positive individuals by email to Elisa at [email protected]. Do not report information to your swimmer’s coach – that slows the flow of information and delays the contact tracing process.
Under our COVID Protocol, vaccinated and unvaccinated swimmers are treated differently. Unvaccinated swimmers who have close contact with a COVID positive person are required to quarantine. Vaccinated swimmers, on the other hand, are only required to monitor for symptoms.
Testing is widely available in our area. Wake County has set up no-cost, no-ID, and no-appointment drive-through PCR testing clinics at several sites. Testing is available from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and does not require the involvement of a parent. Results are sent to your mobile phone and take only about 12 hours to receive. Click here for more information concerning locations.
Flu Shots and COVID Vaccines
Many of us took advantage of the flu shot and COVID vaccine clinic that was held in the Atrium during the KickOff celebration this past Saturday. Thank you for the strong response! The flu shot and COVID vaccine clinic will continue during the Blue/Green Meet on September 18th and 19th between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. both days.
The link for signing up for a flu shot or a COVID vaccine is here. TAC has partnered with AdhereRx to host these clinics. You have the option of the flu shot or any of the three available COVID vaccines. There are insurance and non-insurance options. With insurance, there are no “out-of-pocket” costs for these shots.
When you sign up online, you will need to enter your insurance information. The sign-up process takes about 5 minutes per person. (You create an account and sign up for yourself, then add each dependent also getting a shot.) Be sure to pick “Eastern Time Zone” when you select your appointment to make sure you sign up for the correct time. The shots will be administered in the Atrium. Bring a photo ID with you so they can match you with your appointment time.
Walk-ins are also welcome! Please feel free to stop in and ask if they availability, even if you do not sign up in advance. Be sure to bring your photo ID and insurance information so you avoid “out of pocket” costs.
Updated Mask Rules
All swimmers are required to put on a mask before entering TAC. A mask shall be worn until the swimmer has a swim suit, cap, and googles on and is ready to enter the water. Swimmers shall not gather in groups on deck when not wearing a mask. When swimmers get out of the water at the end of practice, swimmers are required to put a mask back on and keep it on until they leave TAC.
Coaches are required to wear a mask on deck until all of their swimmers are in the water. Coaches will maintain social distance after their swimmers have entered the pool. If a coach is giving brief, individual instruction to a swimmer who is out of the water, then the coach will cover their own nose and mouth with a mask.
For indoor dryland training, coaches and participants are required to wear a mask at all times. If the dryland training takes place outside, then coaches and participants are permitted to remove their mask.
Keep your Swimmers at Home if they have Symptoms
The best way for us to keep each other healthy is to stay away from TAC if your swimmer has symptoms. So before you drop your swimmers at TAC, please confirm that they are not experiencing any symptoms of illness, regardless of whether the symptoms are related to COVID. Let’s keep our TAC swimmers and staff healthy and keep our training on track.
Spectators return to TAC for Meets
We are welcoming spectators back to TAC for our meets this season. The entire stadium seating will be available for spectators. All spectators are required to wear masks for the entire time that they are in the facility. TAC staff and volunteer meet marshals will continue to provide friendly reminders at all events. Please be sure to bring your own mask.
Because spectators are back in the stands, all of the swimmers will remain on deck for the entire meet. Swimmers will be encouraged to spread out on deck as much as possible. Swimmers on deck are required to wear masks when they are not lining up for their events.
