Changes for Fall 2021 swim season

With practices starting soon on September 21, we would like to make everyone aware of how some things will be different from previous years.

Waivers and USMS registration

All swimmers are required to be USMS registered prior to attending a practice. USMS has updated the registration process to include an electronic version of the practice waiver. As a result, paper waivers will no longer be needed or accepted.

Practices length and days

Husky Masters will now be offering 1 hour long practices Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:20 PM. We are starting out at this tempo to ensure we are able to offer practices for an extended period rather than burn through all our reserves. As the situation evolves we will be keeping an eye on any possible additions that could be offered.

We will be renting the entire pool with all 8 lanes available. As such there might need to be some reshuffling of preferred lanes and reassessment of comfortable pacing. Please be flexible when showing up to practices to help ensure the lanes are balanced and grouped by appropriate pacing.

Practice themes have been temporarily suspended while we get back to normal swimming. For the most part practices will be mid distance freestyle with options to chose stroke.

Payment

We will only be offering a single practice payments at this time at $13/practice, no new punch passes will be available for purchase. Other forms of payment including passes will be evaluated at a later date. Those with existing punch passes will be receiving an email on how they can make use of their remaining practices. If you had a punch pass and have not received an email, please email join@huskymasters.org for assistance.

We have taken the opportunity during this unexpected break to enhance the website and change how to signup and pay for practices. All practice signups will now take place via the new Husky Masters Event Calendar which includes integrated payment options including credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal. This calendar will allow you to signup ahead of time for your desired practices and will generate an attendance list. There will no longer be a sign-in sheet or punch passes to mark off on the pool deck.

For more information on how to signup please check out the How to Signup for Practice page.

COVID Restrictions

We ask that all swimmers be fully vaccinated. At this time there are no restrictions preventing us from restoring practices at View Ridge Swim and Tennis Club. We do not believe we will reach the threshold of attendance needed to require masks all the way to pool side, but we will keep everyone informed on any requirements that are in place for the facility. We do not believe the locker rooms will be available, but will update if that changes. Locker rooms are available and all indoor masking mandates are in effect for those areas.

We do ask everyone to only attend a practice if they are feeling healthy. Please email join@huskymasters.org if you have any positive test results after attending a practice so we can assist with any contact tracing efforts.

2024/2025 Swim Season Opener

Practices are back with the first planned for Oct 3. We will be holding practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays while we work to have sufficient coaching to go to 3 days per week. The website should have the calendar populated soon. 

End of 2021/2022 Swim Season

April 28th will be the last practice of the 2021/2022 swim season. After that Husky Masters will be on break until we are able to rent pool time again (typically Sept). During the summer, View Ridge Swim and Tennis Club make full use of the pool and there is no opportunity for Husky Masters to rent any pool time.

Unfortunately the Seattle area is very challenging to find pool space. The evening time slot for pools is extremely competitive and previous attempts to locate pool space have not been fruitful.

During the summer, many swimmers can be found in the local lakes when they warm up or the Puget Sound (one such group is the Western Washington Open Water Swimmers). Other options include lap swim times at local pools or other USMS groups (typically with practices in the mornings). One such group that practices at View Ridge in the mornings is GLAD. Other USMS groups can be found via the USMS Club Finder

Previously the HMST Facebook page has been used by individuals to coordinate meetups including mid to late summer swims at Madison Beach Park. Other activities include Fat Salmon and other open water races. We will attempt to add events as we are aware of them to the calendar for awareness.

During the summer the HMST board will be preparing for negotiations of pool rental next season. We intend to survey the group about priorities.
If you missed signing up for any practice in time, we have also created a way to catch up Missed Practice Payment Product.

Practice updates

We had a great first week with 2-4 swimmers per lane. General workout themes are going to be added to the calendar starting mid Oct so you can get a sense of what to expect each day.

Locker rooms

The locker rooms are available and do require masking while not actively showering. 

Parking Lot

There has been increased theft reports in the area over the last year and as a result View Ridge has made sure the parking lot lights will remain on until we have finished our practice. They do advise taking the normal precautions of not leaving any visible to attract theft. We will also be sliding the gate to the pool closed after practice is underway to discourage non-HMST visitors. If you need to leave early, the gate is not locked and can be opened by sliding it.

Weather

The rainy season has started, but doesn’t impact our practices. For those days when we have driving rain, it might be advisable to leave your dry bags just inside the locker room as the building overhangs don’t always protect the bench areas. So far we have only had to suspend or cancel practices when lightning occurs.

Pool Sharing

There is a USA Swimming age group swim team ahead of us that practices until ~8:15. Please allow sufficient room for the kids to exit to ensure an efficient transition.