COVID-19 / Coronavirus Gymnastics Club Reopening Steps / Process

[PeanutsMom]

Everyone needs to understand that ChalkBucket is just a discussion forum. There is no need to call people out. If you need to find out who is not following some of the rules... just watch the news.

No one is expecting people to agree on this topic... just talk.

Reality is reality... right now I don' have to get my temperature taken if I walk into my local Home Depot... sure... maybe their employees do... but I don't. I don't have to wear a mask. I can try their curbside pickup and they will get closer than 6 feet to me... and without a mask.

Here's the thing... I'm in my house right now.

The points you raise are incredibly valid. In our area all big box stores are open (grocery store, Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, Office Max, etc) yet small businesses are closed. We can't go to a gym to exercise, but people encouraged to get outside and take a walk around their neighborhoods. I live in a HUGE neighborhood of 186 houses on really small lots (its basically detached condo living). We fill an entire elementary school bus with the kids who live in our neighborhood. Parents are sending their kids outside to play all day long because, let's face it, kids, siblings and parents home all day together need some separation. So these kids are interacting and playing, running, breathing hard, and kids don't remember to social distance. My kids have been inside more because I am requiring them to do more school than the weekly "recommendations" by the district (guess that's what happens when mom is a teacher). But they are getting outside, but I try to keep them further away from kids by letting them ride bikes, but not play tag. Have a Nerf war, but don't play basketball, things that hopefully encourage distance.

This virus is not going away. Its a virus, much like the flu. Even with a flu shot/vaccine, it makes its rounds every year. We have to be smart, not scared, and hopefully we can start getting everyone back to a semblance of normal sooner rather than later.

 

[gymmomx2]

How do you even properly sanitize the floor or all the leather on the equipment though? Is this just a risk that we need to get comfortable with? It's weird going from sanitizing groceries to letting the kids touch equipment that was touched by other people, I can't wrap my mind around it.

 

[GymMamaX3]

How do you even properly sanitize the floor or all the leather on the equipment though? Is this just a risk that we need to get comfortable with? It's weird going from sanitizing groceries to letting the kids touch equipment that was touched by other people, I can't wrap my mind around it.

I've thought a lot about this, and there's no way to do gymnastics without assuming some risk. So, unless we swear off the sport for years, I think you control what you can - encouraging good hand hygiene, hopefully in conjunction with good testing/contact tracing. For the record, we no longer sanitize our groceries, based on info from the FDA. We put everything away and wash our hands.

 

[gymmomx2]

I've thought a lot about this, and there's no way to do gymnastics without assuming some risk. So, unless we swear off the sport for years, I think you control what you can - encouraging good hand hygiene, hopefully in conjunction with good testing/contact tracing. For the record, we no longer sanitize our groceries, based on info from the FDA. We put everything away and wash our hands.

You may be right that we would be assuming some risk by sending our kids to gym. One of my mine has asthma so it's an additional factor in our decision to send them. Thankfully I don't think our gyms will reopen for another 6-8 weeks at the earliest so we have some time to think about it.

 

[gymmomx2]

You may be right that we would be assuming some risk by sending our kids to gym. One of my mine has asthma so it's an additional factor in our decision to send them. Thankfully I don't think our gyms will reopen for another 6-8 weeks at the earliest so we have some time to think about it.

Also the FDA recommendation is still to wipe down shopping cart handles. So what about gymnastics equipment? Ugh. This sucks because I think we might be the only ones not sending the kids back if their gyms decide to open. I 100% see how you can distance the athletes but I just don't see how proper sanitziation is going to happen, not with most of the equipment being wood and leather. The boys spit on the pommel and on the p-bars LOL. They spend a very long time prepping the p-bars with honey, water, spit, chalk. I'm not sure it's even feasible to sanitize those bars!!!!

 

[GymMamaX3]

You may be right that we would be assuming some risk by sending our kids to gym. One of my mine has asthma so it's an additional factor in our decision to send them. Thankfully I don't think our gyms will reopen for another 6-8 weeks at the earliest so we have some time to think about it.

I really have sympathy for parents who have to consider asthma and other high-risk factors in addition to the general risk for kids. I think of that with my neighbor kids who all have asthma, and what it means for going back to school in the fall. So, to take the gym opening question one step farther....how do kids get to be kids while being six feet away from other people? That is do-able for two months or so, but long term? What are the consequences of distancing and isolation? I'm thinking about school, obviously, and other sports, not just sports as intense as gymnastics. Sleepover, birthday parties, etc. What is the balance? These are the things that keep me up at night! I will openly admit I want the gym to open as soon as it's possible for their mental health (and mine!!) but I don't take it lightly at all.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

I read a study about a week ago, that asthma was not leading to increased risk in otherwise healthy people. Is that not true?

This is an older article, but says the same thing.

Asthma Is Absent Among Top Covid-19 Risk Factors, Early Data Shows (Published 2020)

Despite warnings that asthmatics were at higher risk for severe illness from the coronavirus, asthma is showing up in only about five percent of New York State’s fatal Covid cases.

www.nytimes.com

Our Gov announced today that he hopes Texas gyms will be able to open around May 18th if we don't get a spike in serious cases before then.

 

[gymmomx2]

I read a study about a week ago, that asthma was not leading to increased risk in otherwise healthy people. Is that not true?

This is an older article, but says the same thing.

Asthma Is Absent Among Top Covid-19 Risk Factors, Early Data Shows (Published 2020)

Despite warnings that asthmatics were at higher risk for severe illness from the coronavirus, asthma is showing up in only about five percent of New York State’s fatal Covid cases.

www.nytimes.com

Our Gov announced today that he hopes Texas gyms will be able to open around May 18th if we don't get a spike in serious cases before then.

it's good news indeed if asthma is not a risk factor! Off to research!

 

[skschlag]

it's good news indeed if asthma is not a risk factor! Off to research!

It has made me feel a bit better, although most places are still putting it in the high risk category.

 

[DND]

Plans discussed for the re-open of our gym include:

(1) Gymnast assigned a balance beam. HB complex day A. LB complex day B. After rotation all surfaces wiped down. Beams wiped down. Mats wiped down. Cleaning done before next group enters gym.
(2) Gymnasts assigned drills stations for the day. Drill stations rotate thru the given group thru the week. Cleaning same as #1.
(3) Bathroom use. In-gym, lobby bathrooms single person allowed at a time. After use the surfaces need a spray and wipe down.
(4) For now, prohibiting open foam dismounts. Mats on top of open foam can be cleaned or wiped . Same idea as #1.
(5) Warm-up area will be one of our karate or dance rooms. These can be more easily cleaned after use and be ready for next group.
(6) Prohibiting the athletes from using their lockers (located in main bathrooms). All items in gym bag in marked areas in gym. Numbers on the walls for bags. The numbers are 6+ feet apart.
(7) Turned off gym's water fountains. Required all athletes to bring water for their use. Staff has bottled water availability. Gymnasts required to have personal spray bottle for bars.
(8) Sign-in board in entry way (athletes name, temp, with bag, date time in, etc.). Parents are discouraged from lobby. If strong desire to come into lobby, they must sign-in. Seating has been restricted to folding chairs and folding tables.
(9) Emergency Plan recognized - Informed staff, parents, gymnasts that if an athlete is identified as having symptoms or confirmed Covid the group will be in a 14 day quarantine from the gym. The group includes the assigned coach.
(10) Staff is discouraged from waiting or congregating in staff offices.
(11) Staff wear masks and gymnasts wear masks when not at station or on a task.
(12) Parents can view practice via password access to on-line gym security cameras.


This is what I recall this early Saturday morning. Be safe, be strong and see you on the streets soon, Eric -

Just curious what product are you using to wipe down the suede beams?

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Just curious what product are you using to wipe down the suede beams?

We have a liquid (sold in large gallon quanities), I do not recall at the moment the manufacturer, that is misted (electric misting gun) onto everything (gym/lobby/front desk). The misting gun is very expensive and was hard to get at the beginning of March. All surfaces. We were told that it works against Covid 19. It was sourced by a parent, Chemical engineer who works for the company,. In the dry gym it dries within an hour. Additionally all beams, vault tables are planned at EOD to be wiped with a water and mild bleach solution. Wiping the BB's and tables down had been done twice a week prior to the pandemic. In the past we added an anti-fungal to our cleaning solution once a week for all mats/surfaces/bathrooms etc.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Addition to my post above: Some cojent facts - COVID-19 and other coronaviruses can live on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days, according to the World Health Organization, depending on the type of surface and the temperature and humidity. Link Removed, which has not yet been reviewed by other scientists, found the novel coronavirus was viable up on copper up to 4 hour, up to 24 hours on cardboard and two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.

Dr. Alison Peterson of Allina Health's United Hospita, " It is good practice to clean surfaces at home using products containing bleach or 70% alcohol. Wipe down commonly touched surfaces." "Use appropriate precautions in your home that would do with the common respiratory illnesses,” said Peterson. The Environmental Protection Agency has guidelines for which products to use against SARS-CoV-2.

 

[DND]

We have a liquid (sold in large gallon quanities), I do not recall at the moment the manufacturer, that is misted (electric misting gun) onto everything (gym/lobby/front desk). The misting gun is very expensive and was hard to get at the beginning of March. All surfaces. We were told that it works against Covid 19. It was sourced by a parent, Chemical engineer who works for the company,. In the dry gym it dries within an hour. Additionally all beams, vault tables are planned at EOD to be wiped with a water and mild bleach solution. Wiping the BB's and tables down had been done twice a week prior to the pandemic. In the past we added an anti-fungal to our cleaning solution once a week for all mats/surfaces/bathrooms etc.

Do these products not make the beam crack?

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

Addition to my post above: Some cojent facts - COVID-19 and other coronaviruses can live on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days, according to the World Health Organization, depending on the type of surface and the temperature and humidity. Link Removed, which has not yet been reviewed by other scientists, found the novel coronavirus was viable up on copper up to 4 hour, up to 24 hours on cardboard and two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.

Dr. Alison Peterson of Allina Health's United Hospita, " It is good practice to clean surfaces at home using products containing bleach or 70% alcohol. Wipe down commonly touched surfaces." "Use appropriate precautions in your home that would do with the common respiratory illnesses,” said Peterson. The Environmental Protection Agency has guidelines for which products to use against SARS-CoV-2.

This is true, but it is not the primary mode of transmission, nor is it believed to be a particulary effective mode of transmission. By all means, clean everything, of course, but it's not going to have an effect the way distance and lower numbers will, since the main mode of spread is person-to-person through respiratory droplets.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Do these products not make the beam crack?

They do accelerate the wear of the beam cover.

The manufacterurs recommend the mild solution to wipe only if you have to. Wipe not saturate. They sell some products to use. The balance between safety and accelerating wear and tear is a tough place. The bleach will wreck landing mats and panel mats - my experience starting at the sewn threads. Other retailed solutions work on mats. Suede beam covers are a hard target due to the smelly, dirty, fungal feet of athletes. I am not being deliberately insensitive to make a point, rather emphasizing that each gym must take a stance, based upon clients on safety.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

This is true, but it is not the primary mode of transmission, nor is it believed to be a particulary effective mode of transmission. By all means, clean everything, of course, but it's not going to have an effect the way distance and lower numbers will, since the main mode of spread is person-to-person through respiratory droplets.

Excellent point.

We are all speaking to the same as respiratory drops will fall to the gym surfaces and then need to be cleaned.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

We're not actually - that falls under contact transmission. That's not counted as person-to-person/respiratory transmission. Contact transmission is not believed to play a large role in passing Coronavius.

 

[DND]

They do accelerate the wear of the beam cover.

The manufacterurs recommend the mild solution to wipe only if you have to. Wipe not saturate. They sell some products to use. The balance between safety and accelerating wear and tear is a tough place. The bleach will wreck landing mats and panel mats - my experience starting at the sewn threads. Other retailed solutions work on mats. Suede beam covers are a hard target due to the smelly, dirty, fungal feet of athletes. I am not being deliberately insensitive to make a point, rather emphasizing that each gym must take a stance, based upon clients on safety.

Thanks as admin I’m not trained in such info so I’m just looking for solutions to present when we are given the choice in our area.

 

[rjb123]

I think also that if gyms have the ability to open doors (DD's gym has large garage type doors that they can open and shut) that would be a good thing weather permitting of course.

 

[SHELOVESGYM]

I really don't think parents should be allowed to enter the gyms at all during this coronavirus time. I realize that the safe sport rules dictate that parents must be allowed to watch practice to protect the gymnasts -but I think that at this time having extra people in the gym is more of a danger than a safety precaution. This is of course assuming that there are no suspected safety issues at the gym (I'm positive that no parents at our gym have any concerns). There is data suggesting that kids are less likely to spread the virus than adults are, particularly to other kids.