The upcoming swimming season may usher in an entire new model for competition as schools across the region face a season that’s backdropped against a rise in coronavirus cases.

The solution: virtual meets. Simply put, the future is now.

Whitehall head swimming coach Pete Rile said that there have been informal discussions among the District 11 coaches to opt for virtual meets. They’ve floated the idea and it’s gained some traction among his coaching brethren, but nothing has been finalized. In fact, Rile said that he’s meeting with Athletic Director Robert Hartman this week to discuss the revised schedule, among other topics, one of which will be the virtual meets.

Last week the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference decided to push back its winter conference schedule to Jan. 15, and while other winter programs at Whitehall may schedule out-of-conference contests, Rile said that they’re going to stick to their 10 meets which will follow the same home-and-away format that the fall teams undertook.

Rile said that the virtual meets would be similar to time trails which they hold early in the year to get an idea where their swimmers are in respect to times.

“We do that to get a feel for our kids,” said Rile.

He said that the meet would be officiated by a crew of at least two officials who would oversee the action at each site. They would follow the same rules as a live meet, with the times fed into a computer program that would compile the results. He said that it’s likely that schools would hold these virtual meets simultaneously, but that wasn’t something that was etched in stone at the moment. He could foresee a scenario in which it had to completed before a certain time, but not necessarily at the same time.

The virtual meets would also eliminate the need for long bus rides where kids would have to be confined to one area for a stretch of time even with social distancing in place. Rile also said that it opens the door to a broader circle of opponents, and that’s always beneficial to a program.

Rile said that his colleagues have been very warm to the idea, himself included.

“I’m in favor of it,” he said.

He said that it hasn’t been discussed in length with his swimmers so it’s hard to really gauge what their thoughts are at the moment. He said that they’re dealing with a lot right now, and that will be something to discuss if and when it becomes a strong possibility because of the circumstances.

Rile said that engaging in a virtual meet is not a unilateral decision so both schools must agree beforehand. Still, it’s a serious possibility that may reshape how schools compete moving forward.

The pandemic has also impacted their practice schedule since some swimmers are learning remotely while others are on campus. Rile said that it’s staggered to accommodate the kids as best as possible to keep the natatorium in adherence with the safety guidelines. While they won’t wear masks while in the pool, Rile said that they must put on a face covering as soon as they climb out of the water. He also said that they’ve also recently got into the pool after some offseason renovations.

Rile said that he’s hopeful that they can have a season, and investigating other opportunities to compete should be considered. The circumstances surrounding this season are still fluid, and things could happen that jeopardize everyone’s safety.

“Anything we can do to keep the kids safe is the key,” he said.

With that in mind, he said that the PIAA is limiting this year’s field to 16 teams, half of what it was prior to the pandemic. Rile said that the district could also opt for a reduction in numbers, but no word has been given on that as of yet.

At the moment, the team features 21 girls and 15 boys. It’s another strong field for Whitehall as they approach a season following a year in which both squads had winning records.

“Our numbers are very good.” said Rile. “It’s a good number to work with.”

This season they’ll face Allen, Dieruff, Parkland, Emmaus and Allentown Central Catholic.