If you were going to jump clubs...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would sell York in a minute as a great club if the pool works. They have Matt Wolf and he is amazing. Loves the kids, positive, super energy. York does some great travel meet and team building retreats for its teenagers. The whole team is not just about swim, but about community.

Excellent coaching and just an amazing club. No drama either. Our big drama was last year and that was not York, that was an internal member making external drama.

York parent here who would have left in HS if the old coach was still there. Sticking around with Matt. Can't wait for my swimmer to join him next season.

[Anonymous]

York parent here. My swimmer has had an incredible run overall and this year with Matt Wolff at Yorktown was the best yet.

York as an organization values community, the person behind the swimmer and a balance of the athlete and developing a human being. Retreats (Senior Retreat for 13+ in the Spring), social events (Lock Ins), "fun" meets (Swim and Rock and Senior Relays) and Senior-focused recognition series (Senior Dinner, Senior Speeches, etc) even out the hard work they do in the pool.

You'll see York kids at meets talking, laughing, cheering and supporting each other which matters to me as a parent, and I think means more long term success in the long run.

Swimming is an absolute grind. Go where you feel supported, where you can be your best and where the coaches will help you meet your own goals.

[Anonymous]

What groups does Matt Wolfe coach?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a HS swimmer and I have very little substantive interaction with their coach. What exactly are you trying to discuss with them that they are not responsive to? If you have a D1 prospect swimmer, I would say your options are limited to NCAP and AAC. If your kid isn’t looking swimming past HS, the range of options is larger.

I would say that York and Hydra are also options for D1 swimmers. I think on reputation I would choose York and the new coach there, coached for years at AAC but he has done some amazing things with the group this past year. They had some boys make some great commitments and overall did well over AAC and Hydra.

NCAP will always be in a league of its own and makes it hard for any Virginia club to compete with them.

Hydra for D1? No. Unless you mean D1 in NVSL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAC is an excellent club. There is a parent on this thread and the other one whose kid probably didn’t get the recommendation they wanted and is now making it their mission to sully the name of AAC. But it’s an excellent club with very good coaches that prioritizes the right things. The only thing I’ll give that PP is that there have been a couple of surprising choices for next year’s groups that overlap with some board members’ children. But children of other board members were appropriately placed so the board membership overlap may be a coincidence.

I love the AAC Coaches and have no complaints. But the Boosters Board and their kid placements are very well known and an inside joke which is sad. There have been Booster Boards member kids in the Senior and Senior Prep that should be in Excel and Challenge and everyone knows it. They are given preferential treatment. Because their kids are not placed in the correct groups, these groups (even though they have outstanding coaching) are not treated the same by the Boosters in benefits extended. They should all get travel opportunities and great meets to attend.

How does that play out put when the kid is placed in a high-performing group that they can't keep up with? Does the kid know that? At the teen stage, kids know who the imposters are, including if it's themselves.

I would assume that the kids would know they are imposters. It just is messy because the other kids literally name these kids by name as to the floor to times for the group. No one is slower than X. They also frequently say they are only in that group because of their parent. These kids would be much better off in the appropriate group. They end up never making the cut times etc. so they are swimming in other meets without the group.

[Anonymous]

Over the next few weeks you will see a lot of unattached swimmers to teams at meets. If you pull them up on meet mobile as they move clubs.

[Anonymous]

Our program is losing their head coach and my children, along with many of their peers, are leaving.

We are lucky in that there is another team with great coaches that practices at the same time/place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our program is losing their head coach and my children, along with many of their peers, are leaving.

We are lucky in that there is another team with great coaches that practices at the same time/place.

Which program is losing their coach?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAC is an excellent club. There is a parent on this thread and the other one whose kid probably didn’t get the recommendation they wanted and is now making it their mission to sully the name of AAC. But it’s an excellent club with very good coaches that prioritizes the right things. The only thing I’ll give that PP is that there have been a couple of surprising choices for next year’s groups that overlap with some board members’ children. But children of other board members were appropriately placed so the board membership overlap may be a coincidence.

I love the AAC Coaches and have no complaints. But the Boosters Board and their kid placements are very well known and an inside joke which is sad. There have been Booster Boards member kids in the Senior and Senior Prep that should be in Excel and Challenge and everyone knows it. They are given preferential treatment. Because their kids are not placed in the correct groups, these groups (even though they have outstanding coaching) are not treated the same by the Boosters in benefits extended. They should all get travel opportunities and great meets to attend.

How does that play out put when the kid is placed in a high-performing group that they can't keep up with? Does the kid know that? At the teen stage, kids know who the imposters are, including if it's themselves.

I would assume that the kids would know they are imposters. It just is messy because the other kids literally name these kids by name as to the floor to times for the group. No one is slower than X. They also frequently say they are only in that group because of their parent. These kids would be much better off in the appropriate group. They end up never making the cut times etc. so they are swimming in other meets without the group.

That is insane. What type of parent would want to do that. I feel bad for the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our program is losing their head coach and my children, along with many of their peers, are leaving.

We are lucky in that there is another team with great coaches that practices at the same time/place.

Which program is losing their coach?

I've heard VLAC and STJ are merging. Not sure of the details but they practice at the same place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our program is losing their head coach and my children, along with many of their peers, are leaving.

We are lucky in that there is another team with great coaches that practices at the same time/place.

Which program is losing their coach?

I've heard VLAC and STJ are merging. Not sure of the details but they practice at the same place.

Is it really merging when the place they practice is fully owned and controlled by one of those teams?

[Anonymous]

Jessie is leaving STJ. A lot of the top kids are jumping ship to avoid whatever merger remains.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jessie is leaving STJ. A lot of the top kids are jumping ship to avoid whatever merger remains.

I am not sure who is taking the program. We were told that a certain coach was interviewing and my swimmers will not stay if that is the case.

[Anonymous]

I would recommend Machine and think it meets your requirements. Your swimmer would likely be at Chesterbrook and/or Oakmont.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would recommend Machine and think it meets your requirements. Your swimmer would likely be at Chesterbrook and/or Oakmont.

Oakmont and Chesterbrook are not close to Arlington. Maybe if you are really far north in Arlington - CB is a possiblity.