Swim Team Volunteering - it helps if you are nice

[Anonymous]

The current gen are annoyed they can't pay people to do the work volunteers used to do. Hilarious how they want to outsource every aspect of their life...can't grill, gotta have food trucks. Can't time, need ot hire teenagers or off suty life guards. Heck they try to use on duty life guards as baby sitters.

Also, there is no need for 3 timers for 6 year olds swimming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The current gen are annoyed they can't pay people to do the work volunteers used to do. Hilarious how they want to outsource every aspect of their life...can't grill, gotta have food trucks. Can't time, need ot hire teenagers or off suty life guards. Heck they try to use on duty life guards as baby sitters.

Also, there is no need for 3 timers for 6 year olds swimming.

This, and I think it's one of the reasons kids sports in general are dying out. No one wants to be involved or make a commitment any more.

[Anonymous]

Our pool is not like that at all! I volunteer a ton for the team because I don't work during the summer and it's so fun. I feel like our pool is very welcoming. What division are you in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The current gen are annoyed they can't pay people to do the work volunteers used to do. Hilarious how they want to outsource every aspect of their life...can't grill, gotta have food trucks. Can't time, need ot hire teenagers or off suty life guards. Heck they try to use on duty life guards as baby sitters.

Also, there is no need for 3 timers for 6 year olds swimming.

This, and I think it's one of the reasons kids sports in general are dying out. No one wants to be involved or make a commitment any more.

Just an observation from a non-swimmer parent...I swam growing up- wasn't particularly good, though placed in the top 5 in a few high school events- but even in our competitive summer swim league, we didn't have 3 timers per lane. You got one and you lived with the time they clocked for you. It's been fascinating reading these swim threads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The current gen are annoyed they can't pay people to do the work volunteers used to do. Hilarious how they want to outsource every aspect of their life...can't grill, gotta have food trucks. Can't time, need ot hire teenagers or off suty life guards. Heck they try to use on duty life guards as baby sitters.

Also, there is no need for 3 timers for 6 year olds swimming.

I don't know if your last comment is serious or an example of new gen complaints you think are ridiculous, but there is absolutely no need for 3 timers per lane during summer swim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The current gen are annoyed they can't pay people to do the work volunteers used to do. Hilarious how they want to outsource every aspect of their life...can't grill, gotta have food trucks. Can't time, need ot hire teenagers or off suty life guards. Heck they try to use on duty life guards as baby sitters.
.

I’m on our club’s board, my DW has been team rep and is now a division coordinator in the NVSL. We’ve never heard anyone suggest these things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our pool is not like that at all! I volunteer a ton for the team because I don't work during the summer and it's so fun. I feel like our pool is very welcoming. What division are you in?

DP
Same. We are in NVSL Div 13, which is the highest we’ve been in the past 13 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Umm just defending volunteer coordinators here. I work full time, don't even particularly like swimming and just want people to show up and do the job they signed up for. I'm so exhausted from managing my kids, our enormous swim team and my actual job. [b]Sorry I couldn't be there to pay you on the back. Feel free to take over my role and then you all can comment[b].

Thanks for being Exhibit A for what OP was talking about.

Volunteering isn't the welcome committee. There are certain people who are in charge of social events and those are mainly for the kids but also include the parents. We have family relays and things like this. I just don't really understand the issue that this mom has. If she just stays on the team for 2-3 years and is nice and hangs out at the pool regularly she will have a ton of friends. She needs to stop trying to make friendships happen like the adults are going to create some swim buddy system for her and just let them happen organically.

[Anonymous]

Also this mom signed up for one event and then went on here to complain about how awful swim team is when she's volunteered for what 90 minutes? Wow. Sounds very high maintenance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The current gen are annoyed they can't pay people to do the work volunteers used to do. Hilarious how they want to outsource every aspect of their life...can't grill, gotta have food trucks. Can't time, need ot hire teenagers or off suty life guards. Heck they try to use on duty life guards as baby sitters.

Also, there is no need for 3 timers for 6 year olds swimming.

This, and I think it's one of the reasons kids sports in general are dying out. No one wants to be involved or make a commitment any more.

Just an observation from a non-swimmer parent...I swam growing up- wasn't particularly good, though placed in the top 5 in a few high school events- but even in our competitive summer swim league, we didn't have 3 timers per lane. You got one and you lived with the time they clocked for you. It's been fascinating reading these swim threads.

Did you have touch pads though? High schools when I grew up had a touch pad and one timer as a backup. Most summer pools rely solely on timers, and that's why there are 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also this mom signed up for one event and then went on here to complain about how awful swim team is when she's volunteered for what 90 minutes? Wow. Sounds very high maintenance.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The current gen are annoyed they can't pay people to do the work volunteers used to do. Hilarious how they want to outsource every aspect of their life...can't grill, gotta have food trucks. Can't time, need ot hire teenagers or off suty life guards. Heck they try to use on duty life guards as baby sitters.

Also, there is no need for 3 timers for 6 year olds swimming.

This, and I think it's one of the reasons kids sports in general are dying out. No one wants to be involved or make a commitment any more.

Just an observation from a non-swimmer parent...I swam growing up- wasn't particularly good, though placed in the top 5 in a few high school events- but even in our competitive summer swim league, we didn't have 3 timers per lane. You got one and you lived with the time they clocked for you. It's been fascinating reading these swim threads.

Did you have touch pads though? High schools when I grew up had a touch pad and one timer as a backup. Most summer pools rely solely on timers, and that's why there are 3.

Wouldn’t that mean maybe having 2 timers max? Honestly 3 adults crouched over a lane as a 6 year old struggles to the finish is such a ridiculous sight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The current gen are annoyed they can't pay people to do the work volunteers used to do. Hilarious how they want to outsource every aspect of their life...can't grill, gotta have food trucks. Can't time, need ot hire teenagers or off suty life guards. Heck they try to use on duty life guards as baby sitters.

Also, there is no need for 3 timers for 6 year olds swimming.

This, and I think it's one of the reasons kids sports in general are dying out. No one wants to be involved or make a commitment any more.

Just an observation from a non-swimmer parent...I swam growing up- wasn't particularly good, though placed in the top 5 in a few high school events- but even in our competitive summer swim league, we didn't have 3 timers per lane. You got one and you lived with the time they clocked for you. It's been fascinating reading these swim threads.

Did you have touch pads though? High schools when I grew up had a touch pad and one timer as a backup. Most summer pools rely solely on timers, and that's why there are 3.

Wouldn’t that mean maybe having 2 timers max? Honestly 3 adults crouched over a lane as a 6 year old struggles to the finish is such a ridiculous sight.

Two timers slows the meet. With three timers they take the time in the middle. With two timers you would have to average, which is slower. That is why three is preferable. You could do two, but not ideal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The current gen are annoyed they can't pay people to do the work volunteers used to do. Hilarious how they want to outsource every aspect of their life...can't grill, gotta have food trucks. Can't time, need ot hire teenagers or off suty life guards. Heck they try to use on duty life guards as baby sitters.

Also, there is no need for 3 timers for 6 year olds swimming.

This, and I think it's one of the reasons kids sports in general are dying out. No one wants to be involved or make a commitment any more.

Just an observation from a non-swimmer parent...I swam growing up- wasn't particularly good, though placed in the top 5 in a few high school events- but even in our competitive summer swim league, we didn't have 3 timers per lane. You got one and you lived with the time they clocked for you. It's been fascinating reading these swim threads.

Did you have touch pads though? High schools when I grew up had a touch pad and one timer as a backup. Most summer pools rely solely on timers, and that's why there are 3.

No, our summer league pools didn’t have touch pads- they had ONE mom or dad holding a stop watch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The current gen are annoyed they can't pay people to do the work volunteers used to do. Hilarious how they want to outsource every aspect of their life...can't grill, gotta have food trucks. Can't time, need ot hire teenagers or off suty life guards. Heck they try to use on duty life guards as baby sitters.

Also, there is no need for 3 timers for 6 year olds swimming.

This, and I think it's one of the reasons kids sports in general are dying out. No one wants to be involved or make a commitment any more.

Just an observation from a non-swimmer parent...I swam growing up- wasn't particularly good, though placed in the top 5 in a few high school events- but even in our competitive summer swim league, we didn't have 3 timers per lane. You got one and you lived with the time they clocked for you. It's been fascinating reading these swim threads.

Did you have touch pads though? High schools when I grew up had a touch pad and one timer as a backup. Most summer pools rely solely on timers, and that's why there are 3.

No, our summer league pools didn’t have touch pads- they had ONE mom or dad holding a stop watch.

I don't know if rules have changed but I'm pretty sure at least two are currently required in order for the time to "count" for placing at A meets, individual standings, etc. Of course this is irrelevant for most 6 year olds, but some are really fast. You can't just randomly change the policies for the 6 and under heats because 1) you never know if a 6 year old will have a fast swim that needs to "count", and 2) the heats before and after will need 2-3 timers per lane anyway.

Swimming has always required a high level of parent commitment. I remember the signup posters at my pool growing up in the 80s and 90s (ah, the good old pre-Internet days). It takes a lot of people to run a swim meet and there are a lot of them in a short season. Honestly if you can't commit to helping out you shouldn't sign your kids up for summer swim. I know plenty of parents who don't because they are realistic about their time while working full time. There are plenty of other activities that don't require so much from parents.