Nine months ago Coach Reik Foust and some of the Liberty Hurricanes swim team were wrapping up their season at the PIAA State Swimming & Diving Championships at Bucknell University when the meet was suddenly shut down amid a coronavirus outbreak.

Now a pandemic, Liberty’s swim team was just starting up practices in November when the Hurricanes were suddenly shut down again.

“They banned us from the pool,” is how Coach Foust described the Hurricanes’ current situation.

One hour before practice was supposed to begin on Nov. 10, Foust learned that Bethlehem Area School District was suspending its winter sports through Jan. 11.

“Fred Harris called (Liberty’s athletic director) and said he had some bad news. The school district was shutting everything down,” Foust said.

At that point, Foust had less than one hour to contact the swim team to cancel practice and break the news of the suspension.

Then, on Dec. 4, the East Penn Conference voted to suspend its winter sports season until Jan. 15 while planning to release a new meet/game schedule on Dec. 11.

“It’s very frustrating for me, but more for the kids,” he said. “I haven’t seen them. I’m not happy, but what else are we going to do?”

While the Hurricanes are prohibited from practice sessions and dual meets, some are swimming with club teams and others are participating in virtual training.

“We’ll get something to work,” Foust said, “but I don’t know what, and I don’t know when.”