Swim Team Volunteering - it helps if you are nice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes - new to swim and am so confused about everything. Would be nice if there was some introductions or something.
Also maybe leave some easy volunteering jobs for the new parents!

All the SAHMs take the easy food jobs at our pool, like serving nachos, bringing soda or ice cream versus working a full B meet. I always thought volunteering should be per child. These families with 3 kids should have to more than I do for my 1 kid.

Managing three kids at a swim meet is kind of hard.

That said, we do both volunteer.

If they're all swimming, they should be with their coaches and teammates.

Have you been to a swim meet? They swim for literally 45-60 seconds out of four hours.

So? They’re still supposed to hang in the team area. During Covid parents weren’t even allowed in the building for winter meets. 8 and unders had to go in and manage on their own. It’s good for kids to develop some independence. They don’t need to be hanging all over mom and dad at meets. Unless your children have special needs or behavior challenges they can handle this.

You sound really clueless about how this works at a lot of pools. At our pool, kids are supposed to stay with their parents (unless their parent is a timer) until the announcer tells them it's time to check in with the clerk of course. So parents have to be managing their kids and listening to make sure they get into their events.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes - new to swim and am so confused about everything. Would be nice if there was some introductions or something.
Also maybe leave some easy volunteering jobs for the new parents!

All the SAHMs take the easy food jobs at our pool, like serving nachos, bringing soda or ice cream versus working a full B meet. I always thought volunteering should be per child. These families with 3 kids should have to more than I do for my 1 kid.

Managing three kids at a swim meet is kind of hard.

That said, we do both volunteer.

Yep.
In addition to above, the under 8s swim first so they're done with their portion early on and will definitely wander off to be with mom, want food from the snack bar, etc. They're not going to sit with the team for 4 hrs.

If they're all swimming, they should be with their coaches and teammates.

Have you been to a swim meet? They swim for literally 45-60 seconds out of four hours.

So? They’re still supposed to hang in the team area. During Covid parents weren’t even allowed in the building for winter meets. 8 and unders had to go in and manage on their own. It’s good for kids to develop some independence. They don’t need to be hanging all over mom and dad at meets. Unless your children have special needs or behavior challenges they can handle this.

NP. Have you met children before? Some of these kids are 5/6/7. They're not going to hang out with their coaches for four hours when their parents are 6 feet away. Nor do their coaches want to have to be supervising a gigantic herd of little kids. Do you even do summer swim?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After so, so many emails about volunteering, the message on the team website about volunteer opportunities, the Welcome to Swim Zoom call, and then listening to our team’s parent reps stand behind me at practice and loudly complain about the lack of volunteers and how they should just cancel socials and all fun things to “show the parents not to take it for granted”, I signed up for a volunteer spot for the Saturday social. It’s our first year on swim team and my kid is a “mini” who didn’t even go to the social.

I showed up 5 min before my assigned time, dressed appropriately to help. I introduced myself to the lead of the activity and was told “well the real work was the set up.” I then stood around for 90 minutes trying to make myself useful and then cleaned up, took out trash, and carried tables. The lifeguards said hi to me because they know my kids. The neighborhood kids said hi to me and thanked me for helping them. No adults spoke to me except to point where to put the tables at the end of the event. No adults assisted the little kids - only me and the lifeguards/HS age coaches. The “experienced” swim team parents just talked among themselves.

So if you want volunteers for your team, maybe try being nice to the people who volunteer or at least not talking smack about parents in front of the parents of 5-6 yr olds who are learning how everything works. 3 weeks into practice and 1 home meet we cheered for, swim is feeling really cliquish. I was hoping to learn the major volunteer roles this year while my kid is not in meets, but I’m feeling pretty discouraged.

We experienced this at swim team too-it's not ok. Sorry OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swim teams are generally run by power hungry swim moms that have nothing else in their lives. Just keep your head low and stay out of their way.

+1. And the ones at our pool also all have their kids in year round swim at the same place. They are only halfway nice to you if your kid is fast and even then its pretty fake. I think it was the very end of our first season or maybe even our second season when some nice mom (not in leadership) showed me where "the ladder" was on the website and explained how things worked. Otherwise no one explained ANYTHING.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swim teams are generally run by power hungry swim moms that have nothing else in their lives. Just keep your head low and stay out of their way.

+1. And the ones at our pool also all have their kids in year round swim at the same place. They are only halfway nice to you if your kid is fast and even then its pretty fake. I think it was the very end of our first season or maybe even our second season when some nice mom (not in leadership) showed me where "the ladder" was on the website and explained how things worked. Otherwise no one explained ANYTHING.

WTF is the ladder?

Signed,
Year round swim mom

[Anonymous]

I think your expectations are a little high about feeling welcomed. I get that you may feel like an outsider the first time because you are. I felt this way too. Of course the parents whose kids swim together in the winter are more friendly. It is because they KNOW each other and not because of your child’s swim times. It takes a season or so to meet people. I don’t think it’s unusual of any activity.
Did you go up and try to start a conversation with these groups of people? Try to keep the expectation that you show up and do your job and check that off. Don’t come in with the expectation that it’s socializing for you. You do sound like you wanted lots of kudos for just showing up. And the comment about people not volunteering isn’t “talking smack”. It is what happens on 99% of swim teams…it is always the same parents stepping up. Keep showing up and give it some time. One interaction shouldn’t be enough for you to come to this conclusion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swim teams are generally run by power hungry swim moms that have nothing else in their lives. Just keep your head low and stay out of their way.

+1. And the ones at our pool also all have their kids in year round swim at the same place. They are only halfway nice to you if your kid is fast and even then its pretty fake. I think it was the very end of our first season or maybe even our second season when some nice mom (not in leadership) showed me where "the ladder" was on the website and explained how things worked. Otherwise no one explained ANYTHING.

WTF is the ladder?

Signed,
Year round swim mom

+1
Never heard of it and we’ve been at it for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swim teams are generally run by power hungry swim moms that have nothing else in their lives. Just keep your head low and stay out of their way.

+1. And the ones at our pool also all have their kids in year round swim at the same place. They are only halfway nice to you if your kid is fast and even then its pretty fake. I think it was the very end of our first season or maybe even our second season when some nice mom (not in leadership) showed me where "the ladder" was on the website and explained how things worked. Otherwise no one explained ANYTHING.

I don’t understand why you expect all these volunteers to hand hold and explain everything to you. That’s normally done in a team meeting and then the burden is on you to ask questions!!

[Anonymous]

Its the top ten times in each age group per stroke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swim teams are generally run by power hungry swim moms that have nothing else in their lives. Just keep your head low and stay out of their way.

+1. And the ones at our pool also all have their kids in year round swim at the same place. They are only halfway nice to you if your kid is fast and even then its pretty fake. I think it was the very end of our first season or maybe even our second season when some nice mom (not in leadership) showed me where "the ladder" was on the website and explained how things worked. Otherwise no one explained ANYTHING.

What is there to explain? The meet times are all public, if your kid is fast, they get invited to A meets.

[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. 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.

Feel free to drop the rope on this one then, because you sound like the exact person that makes new swim families uncomfortable. I’m guessing you like playing martyr though.

Np but I’m guessing you are the type who does nothing and criticizes everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swim teams are generally run by power hungry swim moms that have nothing else in their lives. Just keep your head low and stay out of their way.

+1. And the ones at our pool also all have their kids in year round swim at the same place. They are only halfway nice to you if your kid is fast and even then its pretty fake. I think it was the very end of our first season or maybe even our second season when some nice mom (not in leadership) showed me where "the ladder" was on the website and explained how things worked. Otherwise no one explained ANYTHING.

WTF is the ladder?

Signed,
Year round swim mom

+1
Never heard of it and we’ve been at it for years.

Pools that are transparent about A meets post times and kids can either move up when they post faster times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes - new to swim and am so confused about everything. Would be nice if there was some introductions or something.
Also maybe leave some easy volunteering jobs for the new parents!

All the SAHMs take the easy food jobs at our pool, like serving nachos, bringing soda or ice cream versus working a full B meet. I always thought volunteering should be per child. These families with 3 kids should have to more than I do for my 1 kid.

Managing three kids at a swim meet is kind of hard.

That said, we do both volunteer.

If they're all swimming, they should be with their coaches and teammates.

Have you been to a swim meet? They swim for literally 45-60 seconds out of four hours.

So? They’re still supposed to hang in the team area. During Covid parents weren’t even allowed in the building for winter meets. 8 and unders had to go in and manage on their own. It’s good for kids to develop some independence. They don’t need to be hanging all over mom and dad at meets. Unless your children have special needs or behavior challenges they can handle this.

NP. Have you met children before? Some of these kids are 5/6/7. They're not going to hang out with their coaches for four hours when their parents are 6 feet away. Nor do their coaches want to have to be supervising a gigantic herd of little kids. Do you even do summer swim?

+1
coaches aren’t babysitters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swim teams are generally run by power hungry swim moms that have nothing else in their lives. Just keep your head low and stay out of their way.

+1. And the ones at our pool also all have their kids in year round swim at the same place. They are only halfway nice to you if your kid is fast and even then its pretty fake. I think it was the very end of our first season or maybe even our second season when some nice mom (not in leadership) showed me where "the ladder" was on the website and explained how things worked. Otherwise no one explained ANYTHING.

WTF is the ladder?

Signed,
Year round swim mom

+1
Never heard of it and we’ve been at it for years.

Pools that are transparent about A meets post times and kids can either move up when they post faster times.

I think this is a term unique to either your team or division.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes - new to swim and am so confused about everything. Would be nice if there was some introductions or something.
Also maybe leave some easy volunteering jobs for the new parents!

All the SAHMs take the easy food jobs at our pool, like serving nachos, bringing soda or ice cream versus working a full B meet. I always thought volunteering should be per child. These families with 3 kids should have to more than I do for my 1 kid.

Managing three kids at a swim meet is kind of hard.

That said, we do both volunteer.

If they're all swimming, they should be with their coaches and teammates.

Have you been to a swim meet? They swim for literally 45-60 seconds out of four hours.

So? They’re still supposed to hang in the team area. During Covid parents weren’t even allowed in the building for winter meets. 8 and unders had to go in and manage on their own. It’s good for kids to develop some independence. They don’t need to be hanging all over mom and dad at meets. Unless your children have special needs or behavior challenges they can handle this.

NP. Have you met children before? Some of these kids are 5/6/7. They're not going to hang out with their coaches for four hours when their parents are 6 feet away. Nor do their coaches want to have to be supervising a gigantic herd of little kids. Do you even do summer swim?

+1
coaches aren’t babysitters.

what pool lets 5 year olds race? 6 and 7 year olds can absolutely hang out with their teammates in a giant herd. That's part of the fun of summer swim