NVSL “Swim Team Only” memberships — are these legal under NVSL Bylaws?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think so. Overlee would love to do this since the waitlist is so long and they can't get new swim team members.

It appears that Overlee is doing just fine.

Second place is not "fine" for Overlee's standard.

[Anonymous]

OP did not call out a team. You are nuts. The information is front and center on a team’s webpage and advertised on FB. This said, I’m not sure this membership tier breaks the rules on its face because there is a membership fee. The part that makes me wonder is the part that these families would not have any other use of the pool. But I agree with OP that — while not an issue necessarily for smaller teams/pools — it does open a door for teams and I can GUARANTEE each of you would be creating a 43 page thread if this was a strong, high division team. OP is not being a jerk, he/she is trying to point out a problem that could give rise to much, much larger problems in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Recently, I saw someone promoting their NVSL pool’s “Swim Team Only” membership. I am trying to square this with page 69 of the NVSL Bylaws, which largely exist to prevent this exact thing. Thoughts?

https://d1nmxxg9d5tdo.cloudfront.net/90357/files/Associate_Membership_Form_2025_-_Swim_Team_v.4.29.25_-_Fillable.pdf?1746066995

From this team: https://www.lhtritons.org/register/91914/main

NVSL Bylaws, page 69: https://www.mynvsl.com/advertisers.pdf

Their website says they have to be pool members. You just didn't read far enough. It says:

If you are NOT a current resident of the Laurel Hill community, you must fill out an Associate Membership form and obtain a confirmation of your pool membership before your swimmer is eligible for the swim team or for the Little Tritons program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP did not call out a team. You are nuts. The information is front and center on a team’s webpage and advertised on FB. This said, I’m not sure this membership tier breaks the rules on its face because there is a membership fee. The part that makes me wonder is the part that these families would not have any other use of the pool. But I agree with OP that — while not an issue necessarily for smaller teams/pools — it does open a door for teams and I can GUARANTEE each of you would be creating a 43 page thread if this was a strong, high division team. OP is not being a jerk, he/she is trying to point out a problem that could give rise to much, much larger problems in the future.

Linking to a specific team in the post on a message board of people, the vast majority of which don’t belong to that pool/have never heard of it, that are summer swim obsessed was absolutely a call-out and unnecessary. There is an obvious difference between a team in D14 just trying to keep their team afloat and D1, and OP could have made their point without linking to a specific team. NVSL should consider ways to deal with the issue, maybe create a caveat that after every pool submits their roster for the season, any pool that does not have more than X number of swimmers on the roster (the number needed to fill lanes at an A meet) is allowed to accept swim team only registrations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Recently, I saw someone promoting their NVSL pool’s “Swim Team Only” membership. I am trying to square this with page 69 of the NVSL Bylaws, which largely exist to prevent this exact thing. Thoughts?

https://d1nmxxg9d5tdo.cloudfront.net/90357/files/Associate_Membership_Form_2025_-_Swim_Team_v.4.29.25_-_Fillable.pdf?1746066995

From this team: https://www.lhtritons.org/register/91914/main

NVSL Bylaws, page 69: https://www.mynvsl.com/advertisers.pdf

Their website says they have to be pool members. You just didn't read far enough. It says:

If you are NOT a current resident of the Laurel Hill community, you must fill out an Associate Membership form and obtain a confirmation of your pool membership before your swimmer is eligible for the swim team or for the Little Tritons program.

I saw that, this is the way they are trying to circumvent the rule, but it’s a little dicey and I don’t think it would hold up if someone really fussed about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP did not call out a team. You are nuts. The information is front and center on a team’s webpage and advertised on FB. This said, I’m not sure this membership tier breaks the rules on its face because there is a membership fee. The part that makes me wonder is the part that these families would not have any other use of the pool. But I agree with OP that — while not an issue necessarily for smaller teams/pools — it does open a door for teams and I can GUARANTEE each of you would be creating a 43 page thread if this was a strong, high division team. OP is not being a jerk, he/she is trying to point out a problem that could give rise to much, much larger problems in the future.

This is the issue. This means they are not pool members and thus, not eligible for swim team/NVSL.

And OP should not have called out the specific pool. If OP had not done so no one would have know what pool they were talking about unless they were crazy enough, which I wouldn't doubt, to look up all 102 teams in the NVSL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP did not call out a team. You are nuts. The information is front and center on a team’s webpage and advertised on FB. This said, I’m not sure this membership tier breaks the rules on its face because there is a membership fee. The part that makes me wonder is the part that these families would not have any other use of the pool. But I agree with OP that — while not an issue necessarily for smaller teams/pools — it does open a door for teams and I can GUARANTEE each of you would be creating a 43 page thread if this was a strong, high division team. OP is not being a jerk, he/she is trying to point out a problem that could give rise to much, much larger problems in the future.

This is the issue. This means they are not pool members and thus, not eligible for swim team/NVSL.

And OP should not have called out the specific pool. If OP had not done so no one would have know what pool they were talking about unless they were crazy enough, which I wouldn't doubt, to look up all 102 teams in the NVSL.

I’m a PP, and I can say I have seen this advertised by the linked club itself in many FB groups, so likely OP wouldn’t have known about it if the club itself wasn’t putting it out there with abandon and no fear of scrutiny. Maybe it even obtained permission from NVSL. I think the issue is expansion of the option to teams who clearly would only use it to recruit.

[Anonymous]

Our team bounces between divisions ~12 and 15. This would definitely raise eyebrows.

[Anonymous]

Omg, they probably are trying to fill their team and is this the only way they can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Omg, they probably are trying to fill their team and is this the only way they can.

All fair, and perhaps NVSL should put an equitable process in place for exactly those circumstances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg, they probably are trying to fill their team and is this the only way they can.

All fair, and perhaps NVSL should put an equitable process in place for exactly those circumstances.

Agree, it should be fair and equitable across the board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg, they probably are trying to fill their team and is this the only way they can.

All fair, and perhaps NVSL should put an equitable process in place for exactly those circumstances.

That sounds complicated and would open up a can of worms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg, they probably are trying to fill their team and is this the only way they can.

All fair, and perhaps NVSL should put an equitable process in place for exactly those circumstances.

That sounds complicated and would open up a can of worms.

It really shouldn’t though. The ability to use swim team only memberships should be limited to those pools who otherwise can’t fill lanes at an A meets. Establish a threshold for roster size and all pools who can’t meet the minimum roster size are able to use swim team only members.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg, they probably are trying to fill their team and is this the only way they can.

All fair, and perhaps NVSL should put an equitable process in place for exactly those circumstances.

That sounds complicated and would open up a can of worms.

It really shouldn’t though. The ability to use swim team only memberships should be limited to those pools who otherwise can’t fill lanes at an A meets. Establish a threshold for roster size and all pools who can’t meet the minimum roster size are able to use swim team only members.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg, they probably are trying to fill their team and is this the only way they can.

All fair, and perhaps NVSL should put an equitable process in place for exactly those circumstances.

That sounds complicated and would open up a can of worms.

It really shouldn’t though. The ability to use swim team only memberships should be limited to those pools who otherwise can’t fill lanes at an A meets. Establish a threshold for roster size and all pools who can’t meet the minimum roster size are able to use swim team only members.

Except that teams that want to cheat will cheat if given any wiggle room. All of a sudden there’s now tryouts and little Larla with her legal but slow 50 free “isn’t ready” for the team. Better fill that spot instead with a year round phenom…