s/o how can swim clubs be more inlcusive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, are you referencing private summer pools or the large year-round USA Swimming clubs?

We're in Arlington and admittedly the private pools inside the beltway all came about as a way to exclude minorities. Although that has changed, people still mostly join pools where they live so if general areas are still primarily white, you're going to end up with a pool that is primarily white.

As to why they don't have sliding scales, I'd presume it's partly due to finances. Our pool's budget is built around the number of memberships, which is capped. If you decided to cut the dues of a certain segment of those memberships by a certain amount then you have to make up the difference somewhere. Do we turn to the current members and say "ok, tell us your annual income and we'll let you know if your dues are going up or down."? That's not an easy thing to do. If I'm a member selling my membership to someone at a lower income, do I lose money because they have to pay me less than I purchased my membership for?

+1

[Anonymous]

I am a person of color. Swimming just isn’t a black peoples sport. Go into the “hood” and you will see black people playing football and basketball. Turn on their tv and they are watching football and basketball. What are they wearing? Football and basketball jerseys. It’s just not a black peoples sport by interest. Call me ignorant all you want but we spend a lot of money doing braids and our hair. We aren’t getting it wet! Combine that with our kids coming out the pool looking ashy.

[Anonymous]

You could possibly get more economic diversity by helping facilitate rides to practices. Right now kids with two working parents typically can't get to practice without an au pair or nanny, which many can't afford. Helping to encourage and facilitate carpooling or shared transit (van service?) would help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could possibly get more economic diversity by helping facilitate rides to practices. Right now kids with two working parents typically can't get to practice without an au pair or nanny, which many can't afford. Helping to encourage and facilitate carpooling or shared transit (van service?) would help.

Another option would be to make it part of extended day for kids who choose that option. In Arlington, you could bus kids who want to do swim team to Long Bridge for practice with AAC coaches. Parents of higher income may elect to pay for bus service to avoid that heinous drive, offsetting the cost for lower income families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a person of color. Swimming just isn’t a black peoples sport. Go into the “hood” and you will see black people playing football and basketball. Turn on their tv and they are watching football and basketball. What are they wearing? Football and basketball jerseys. It’s just not a black peoples sport by interest. Call me ignorant all you want but we spend a lot of money doing braids and our hair. We aren’t getting it wet! Combine that with our kids coming out the pool looking ashy.

The NVSL record breaker this summer in the 13-14 year old girls backstroke is black. She also ranked first in free and fly. She’s an amazing swimmer. While I agree I don’t see many African Americans swimming, I don’t like hearing it’s not a black peoples sport. This girl is black and it IS her sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a person of color. Swimming just isn’t a black peoples sport. Go into the “hood” and you will see black people playing football and basketball. Turn on their tv and they are watching football and basketball. What are they wearing? Football and basketball jerseys. It’s just not a black peoples sport by interest. Call me ignorant all you want but we spend a lot of money doing braids and our hair. We aren’t getting it wet! Combine that with our kids coming out the pool looking ashy.

The NVSL record breaker this summer in the 13-14 year old girls backstroke is black. She also ranked first in free and fly. She’s an amazing swimmer. While I agree I don’t see many African Americans swimming, I don’t like hearing it’s not a black peoples sport. This girl is black and it IS her sport[b].

I HEART this.

[Anonymous]

"The NVSL record breaker this summer in the 13-14 year old girls backstroke is black. She also ranked first in free and fly. She’s an amazing swimmer. While I agree I don’t see many African Americans swimming, I don’t like hearing it’s not a black peoples sport. This girl is black and it IS her sport. "

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was another thread where someone mentioned Little Falls Swim Club being a clique-y pool. And a DP said maybe there's a lack of DEI, which I understand to be diversity, equity and inclusion. It's challenging because the clubs are locality based and, well, these aren't economically or racially diverse places. How can swim clubs be more inclusive?

1. Targeted marketing - most swim clubs or swim team information is word of mouth. It is very localized opportunity and minimize that, if you're really interested, would call for targeted marketing to those who otherwise aren't likely to know about the opportunity

2. A welcoming environment - NOBODY wants to be in a place where they don't feel welcome. How can you make it more welcoming?

IMO, that is it. It isn't rocket science.

However, one must also define diversity to be able to know how to target and make it welcoming. Are we talking racial, economic, geographic, etc? Either of those would need different strategies. Increasing geographic diversity may call for having more available practice times, while economic diversity may call for waiving or reducing fees based off of income. Lots of other variables are there but targeting marketing and creating a welcoming atmosphere can greatly increase your DEI efforts.

[Anonymous]

We are new this year, but Hamlet Swim and Tennis seems to be amazing at inclusion. They have a child on their team that uses a wheelchair and it’s seems like no big deal to everyone.

[Anonymous]

Pools are very expensive to maintain, operate, and staff. Private pools are funded via pricey memberships. You could set up a nonprofit aimed at giving minority families more opportunities to swim and pay for their private memberships, but unless the pool locations are convenient for those families you probably won’t find tons of interest. Engaging civically and pushing for convenient public facilities with robust programming and swim teams seems like a more realistic option than trying to essentially bus a little diversity in at a high premium.

[Anonymous]

It is so much more than swim clubs - there is a lack of swim lessons in urban areas due to everything from actual pools to accessibility, to timing and cost. Fundamentally learning how to swim is the first step and if clubs wants to see more diversity they need to offer learn to swim as a pipeline - I would include the parents as part of learning to swim as well - invite the parents and kids to meets, set up mentorships, have clinics and presentations on the opportunities available, work with HBCU's on partnerships, etc. I don't live in DC, but I do live in a very diverse, but racially divided, part of the country. Our club team does some of the above, but I think there needs to be even more.

[Anonymous]

This is a function of year round swim too. If you look at the big year round clubs - NCAP, RMSC - there are almost zero black athletes. Part of that is probably cost. The smaller less expensive clubs are much more diverse.

Kids who swim year round are much more likely to want to swim Rex swimming in the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one has mentioned this on here yet, but timing matters too. My kids have two working parents. Swim club times don't work for us at all (either too early, too late, hours not long enough, not combined with a camp afterwards so we have care until 4pm, too much on weekdays and not enough on weekends, etc). I think that's the real issue. My local swim club is cheap and I believe it's inclusive, but you need a SAHM to make it possible.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:charge on a sliding scale. If you earn 1m, you pay $10,000. You earn 100k, you pay $1000. You earn 60k, you pay $200, etc.

No one would ever agree to this. I think most have funds that can supplement someone who can’t fully pay but this doesn’t fix the problem either. Oh, and your suggestion fails to consider those who retire early, have lower earnings, but large assets. Sure the assets will produce passive income, but maybe not as much as wage earners with less assets.

A couple bringing in $1,000,000 per year would never agree to paying more than the poors on a sliding scale? Well, then you better quit private school and forget college, it's all income and needs based, but we're talking about a lot more than 10k per year for full pay families. But hey, that's not fair-rrrrr, so don't participate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a function of year round swim too. If you look at the big year round clubs - NCAP, RMSC - there are almost zero black athletes. Part of that is probably cost. The smaller less expensive clubs are much more diverse.

Kids who swim year round are much more likely to want to swim Rex swimming in the summer.

RMSC and NCAP aren't similar in pricing. RMSC is run by the county and city and their prices are uber cheap compared to smaller private clubs like Toll or SDS. that's part of why they are so competitive and have so many trying out for them.