This is a developing story so bear with me as the details are likely to evolve.
In short, the Baker administration is looking to increase fines/encorcement for swimming “outside of designated areas” at all state managed property including parks and beaches. **This effectively bans OWS at a majority of locations in the state popular with triathletes. **This is in response to several recent drownings in the state, some of which occured on state property. It remains unclear if any of the victims were experienced swimmers, but it doesn’t seem likely that this was the case. Obviously this remains a tragedy - but I believe the actions taken by the state to “prevent it” are both short-sighted and misdirected.
DCR, who manages Walden Pond, one of the (most famous) and most popular OWS destinations in New England, implemented an immediate and indefinite ban on OWS starting today. Reportedly, swimmers were turned away at the gates, and park hours were also updated to reflect the change, as there was a large contingent of swimmers who would arrive in the early morning. Other locations such as Pleasure Bay, Carson Beach, Mystic Lakes, and Nahant, would also be included in the legislation.
This will undoubtedly have a immediate and negative impact on the triathlon community in the state. As a personal anecdote, I would swim at one of these locations (Walden, Pleasure Bay, Mystic Lakes) at least once or twice a week throughout the season. As I have no access to a pool, and public pools have discontinued lap swim, this was really my only option for swim training, along with many others in the same boat. Without access to these water bodies for training, I would feel nowhere near as safe or comfortable in the water at races as I do today.
An amendment suggested by many local swimmers would be to allow swimming ONLY with a swim buoy, or administer some form of swim test.
I’m really at a loss for what to do now… and am both saddened and frustrated by the short-sighted and passive response to a much larger issue around safety in the Commonwealth.
Hope this sparks some discussion and ideas on how to reach out to legislators and elected officials to voice concerns over the impact of the proposed and immediate changes.
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