Let’s swim

Wait nearly over: Enterprise Cars Swim Centre will reopen its doors to the public tomorrow morning after the country goes into Alert Level 2 from midnight. Ready to get back into action are (from left) coach Joshua Taylor-Martin, centre manager Gary Martin and head coach Matt Martin. Picture by Paul Rickard

Swimmers will be able to follow the black line again from tomorrow morning at Enterprise Cars Swim Centre but those who go to the Olympic Pool or get Comet club coaching will have to wait a few more days.

Under Alert Level 2 pools will be able to reopen in the morning, after being closed through the level 4 and 3 periods.

The Enterprise pool in Nelson Road will reopen its doors to the public again at 5.45am tomorrow.

“We're just happy to be able to open again,” said centre manager Gary Martin.

“We want people to try to return to normality as much as possible, as soon as possible, and while we realise there are going to be restrictions, we're thankful we are going to be open and provide a service to the community.”

They will be open to the public from 6am to 3pm five days a week, with squad training as well.

“The changing rooms will be closed so people must come in their swimwear and leave in their swimwear. There'll be no showers available but the toilets will be available.

“That's all part of the Government's restrictions on pools and gyms in Alert Level 2. There will be a register kept for everyone to sign as part of contact tracing procedures.”

Enterprise caters for 160 to 170 young swimmers — aged eight to 21.

“I think the kids will be rapt to get swimming again. They've been cooped up for so long.

“We've had phone calls coming for the past couple of weeks now from people wanting to get back into it.”

Mr Martin said the lockdown had made a big hole in their training schedule.

“We normally have a two-week break anyway in April but it has cost the training squads four weeks of preparations.

“However, we don't know when competitions are going to be allowed to start up again. The biggest problem with that is the 100-person limit on indoor gatherings.”

Mr Martin said the size of the club's training squads were well within that range.

“But we cannot allow parents to be inside the pool complex during squad trainings.”

The Enterprise centre attracts a steady number of members of the public who will able to swim again from tomorrow.

“We will also be resuming our aquarobics classes on Tuesdays and Fridays, 9.30-10.15am.”

Comet manager Rochelle Somerton said they were waiting for guidelines from Swimming NZ and Sport NZ in regards to the 10-person bubble which had turned out to be a lot stricter than first thought.

“Our Olympic Pool squads and stroke development, which involve 250 swimmers at OPC, and our Elgin Learn to Swim lessons will resume once our health and safety plan is signed off from these organisations.

“We hope to hear further guidelines from these organisations today.

“We are committed to getting our swimmers back in the pool, however, we do not want to rush the process as our staff and our swimmers' safety is our main priority.”