Does your Summer Team Charge Extra for All-Star Swimmers

[Anonymous]

The AS swimmers at our team get a lot of recognition and extras - all-star specific cap, yard sign, all-star dinner, extra practice for a week, etc. Is the team picking up these costs? Genuinely curious because I believe our team does and it seems to take away from things they could do for the entire team. For example, the dinner last year was at a nice Italian restaurant and we generally send 30 kids to all-stars. That adds up...

[Anonymous]

The families should pay for their own meals. Extra practice, team should pay.

When we go out after meets everyone pays for themselves.

[Anonymous]

No and its generally a bone of contention that some kids get a lot "more" out of swim team for the same fee as kids who get to go to 3 b meets. And the parent volunteer hours are the same. Prickly subject.

[Anonymous]

I like the idea of charging an All-Star fee just like we do when our kids make soccer or baseball all-stars. Not sure why we do it differently for swim.

[Anonymous]

Our team typically sends like 2 kids and mostly relies on their club team's long course practices to count as their practice, so...no.

[Anonymous]

Our team doesn't charge extra, but other than the last week of practices the All Star swimmers aren't getting anything extra, either. We don't do special signs, tshirts, caps, meals, etc. for them...maybe just a nice social media post (and that's run by senior swimmers). And the head/assistant coaches running practice are getting the paid the same for the season whether we have 30 AS swimmers or none, so that's not technically any additional cost.

[Anonymous]

Ours doesn't. I am annoyed that they've basically told the B meet kids that practice is over for the season whereas the divisionals and all stars kids get another 2 weeks. I don't think there's a special dinner or anything, though. They did special caps for the relay kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The AS swimmers at our team get a lot of recognition and extras - all-star specific cap, yard sign, all-star dinner, extra practice for a week, etc. Is the team picking up these costs? Genuinely curious because I believe our team does and it seems to take away from things they could do for the entire team. For example, the dinner last year was at a nice Italian restaurant and we generally send 30 kids to all-stars. That adds up...

Our team pay for all star swimmers, but for our team it is just a special breakfast out and we typically have less than 10 kids that make it.

30 kids at a mice Italian place is insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The AS swimmers at our team get a lot of recognition and extras - all-star specific cap, yard sign, all-star dinner, extra practice for a week, etc. Is the team picking up these costs? Genuinely curious because I believe our team does and it seems to take away from things they could do for the entire team. For example, the dinner last year was at a nice Italian restaurant and we generally send 30 kids to all-stars. That adds up...

Are you sure the team paid for the dinner and caps? Our IAS swimmers pay for their own caps and any extra events (dinners out, etc.). Parents of participants are expected to volunteer on top of their regular season volunteer requirements (same approach for divisionals, ASR, and relay carnival).

[Anonymous]

The fee for summer swim is so reasonable at our pool that I certainly don't begrudge the kids who get an bathing cap and some extra practices (that are open for anyone to attend). I also see some of it as motivational for younger swimmers to aspire to. The junior coaches put up the yard signs for Divisionals and All Stars and have a lot of fun doing it--it's a sweet tradition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The families should pay for their own meals. Extra practice, team should pay.

When we go out after meets everyone pays for themselves.

That's how it works on my team. Coaches are contracted through all stars.

[Anonymous]

No extra charges, and anyone can still attend practices, which I appreciate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ours doesn't. I am annoyed that they've basically told the B meet kids that practice is over for the season whereas the divisionals and all stars kids get another 2 weeks. I don't think there's a special dinner or anything, though. They did special caps for the relay kids.

Then advocate for more swim time. The problem is they have to pay the coaches and are you ok with costs increasing? Just fill in with swim lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No and its generally a bone of contention that some kids get a lot "more" out of swim team for the same fee as kids who get to go to 3 b meets. And the parent volunteer hours are the same. Prickly subject.

Agree. Our team limits practices leading up to relay swim meets to only the relay kids and limits practices the week of all stars to just the all star kids.

In general, a kid that makes all the extra meets (a lot of kids for our team) is having an entirely different experience and getting a lot more out of it. And some of those parents really don't volunteer for much at all.

Not sure there is a solution to this.

I will tell you when the constant pleas come out for volunteers, I hit delete and don't think twice about it. I feel for the team reps but think they should not send out pleas to the whole team list. Email the parents of the kids going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ours doesn't. I am annoyed that they've basically told the B meet kids that practice is over for the season whereas the divisionals and all stars kids get another 2 weeks. I don't think there's a special dinner or anything, though. They did special caps for the relay kids.

Ours lets everyone still practice but segregate the non divisional and all-stars and the other kids are pretty mean to the kids who don't qualify. They do a lot of stuff like relay exchanges and stuff and will make the other kids just stand by the blocks to watch if they do show up. It sucks.