s/o: POC and swimming - what are your experiences?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I posted early about my family. Hair care with daily or weekly swimming was a pain in the butt, but I know even my male cousins didn't learn because of other poverty barriers within the same afterschool program. Required:
True swimsuit not shorts
a combination lock
a swim cap
flip flops
Doctor's signature on form that child could participate

My aunt had six kids close together in age. She didn't drive. She worked in a factory and barely made their rent. Their dad worked in another state and sent money for basics. School clothes were always from the thrift store. Even if the thrift store sold swim trunks and flip flops that was money she'd have to take from jackets and shoes. Her kids got shots through the free clinic. I doubt they ever had a physical once.

It sounds like her problem was having six kids. Did any of them play ice hockey?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I posted early about my family. Hair care with daily or weekly swimming was a pain in the butt, but I know even my male cousins didn't learn because of other poverty barriers within the same afterschool program. Required:
True swimsuit not shorts
a combination lock
a swim cap
flip flops
Doctor's signature on form that child could participate

My aunt had six kids close together in age. She didn't drive. She worked in a factory and barely made their rent. Their dad worked in another state and sent money for basics. School clothes were always from the thrift store. Even if the thrift store sold swim trunks and flip flops that was money she'd have to take from jackets and shoes. Her kids got shots through the free clinic. I doubt they ever had a physical once.

It sounds like her problem was having six kids. Did any of them play ice hockey?

The pinnacle of Rich Brat sports. Not likely.

[Anonymous]

One of the swim teams my DC's summer team swims against is 95% black, and they're a REALLY good team. So I'm not finding that POC swim at a lesser rate than whites. Also, my DCs are mixed and their team is pretty diverse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It should get better with the current generation, given the large amount of resources the DC government has poured into public pool over the last 15 years.

But in the DC area the pools were some of the first things to be defunded after the White Flight years. All those private, exclusive pool clubs in MD and VA? They were created so the whites wouldn't have to mix at the pool with poor POC.

It all goes back to money as a proxy for racism. Amazing, right?

About this time last year, I posted asking if anyone could recommend a private swim club in MD that was relatively racially diverse. It didn't go particularly well.

Maybe because there was an insinuation on your part that white people would be nasty to you because you are black. 99% of people don't care about this crap.

Dp/ Agree. at least 2 of my kids swimming instructors have been female POC, and this is in McLean. Further, there are many, many POC at the McLean pools where they have swim meets. So I'm not seeing the evidence that POC don't swim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:According to a PP/ARTICLE black people don't swim due to violence and intimidation? Does anyone actually believe this crap?

There are news stories every few years about AA patrons or invited guests of white patrons of private pools being turned away or subjected to harassment for no other reason than being black.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It should get better with the current generation, given the large amount of resources the DC government has poured into public pool over the last 15 years.

But in the DC area the pools were some of the first things to be defunded after the White Flight years. All those private, exclusive pool clubs in MD and VA? They were created so the whites wouldn't have to mix at the pool with poor POC.

It all goes back to money as a proxy for racism. Amazing, right?

About this time last year, I posted asking if anyone could recommend a private swim club in MD that was relatively racially diverse. It didn't go particularly well.

Maybe because there was an insinuation on your part that white people would be nasty to you because you are black. 99% of people don't care about this crap.

Dp/ Agree. at least 2 of my kids swimming instructors have been female POC, and this is in McLean. Further, there are many, many POC at the McLean pools where they have swim meets. So I'm not seeing the evidence that POC don't swim.

Not all POC are black. Where these black women?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I posted early about my family. Hair care with daily or weekly swimming was a pain in the butt, but I know even my male cousins didn't learn because of other poverty barriers within the same afterschool program. Required:
True swimsuit not shorts
a combination lock
a swim cap
flip flops
Doctor's signature on form that child could participate

My aunt had six kids close together in age. She didn't drive. She worked in a factory and barely made their rent. Their dad worked in another state and sent money for basics. School clothes were always from the thrift store. Even if the thrift store sold swim trunks and flip flops that was money she'd have to take from jackets and shoes. Her kids got shots through the free clinic. I doubt they ever had a physical once.

It sounds like her problem was having six kids. Did any of them play ice hockey?

The pinnacle of Rich Brat sports. Not likely.

Go send your prized children to play Junior hockey in Canada. The "talented" brat kids of DC yuppies will get their ass kicked, GUARANTEED!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to a PP/ARTICLE black people don't swim due to violence and intimidation? Does anyone actually believe this crap?

There are news stories every few years about AA patrons or invited guests of white patrons of private pools being turned away or subjected to harassment for no other reason than being black.

WOW! Sounds like a wide spread problem.
You know the media plays the race card all the time to generate $$$$, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It should get better with the current generation, given the large amount of resources the DC government has poured into public pool over the last 15 years.

But in the DC area the pools were some of the first things to be defunded after the White Flight years. All those private, exclusive pool clubs in MD and VA? They were created so the whites wouldn't have to mix at the pool with poor POC.

It all goes back to money as a proxy for racism. Amazing, right?

About this time last year, I posted asking if anyone could recommend a private swim club in MD that was relatively racially diverse. It didn't go particularly well.

Maybe because there was an insinuation on your part that white people would be nasty to you because you are black. 99% of people don't care about this crap.

Dp/ Agree. at least 2 of my kids swimming instructors have been female POC, and this is in McLean. Further, there are many, many POC at the McLean pools where they have swim meets. So I'm not seeing the evidence that POC don't swim.

Not all POC are black. Where these black women?

One was black and one was a Latina. They were both excellent teachers, BTW. I believe the AA woman was also employed as an elementary school teacher during the day.

[Anonymous]

No one is saying that no PoC swim. BUT....research sows that BLACK people are far less likely to know how to swim than any other group. Just because there are some Indians on your swim team in McLean doesn't change those facts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one is saying that no PoC swim. BUT....research sows that BLACK people are far less likely to know how to swim than any other group. Just because there are some Indians on your swim team in McLean doesn't change those facts.

I'm snickering at people using swim meets in McLean as proof that black people swim. Honestly, this area, period. We live in a BUBBLE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think OP is using Black and PoC interchangeably here and really shouldn't be.

. . .

??? Explain.

All Black people are PoC but not all PoC are Black.

People of Color is a blanket term that includes all non-white folks. So the people coming on this thread to say "That's not true! My swim team has some Asians on it" are missing the point, but they were set up to miss the point by OP, who confused PoC (big term) with Black people (who we know have lower rates of swimming).

[Anonymous]

This thread is interesting to me. I grew up in a neighborhood where almost everyone was on the swim team (probAbly about 75% White and 25% other races). Many neighborhood adults helped coach and were always at the pool often swimming laps themselves. I went to a private school from K-12 and (ignorantly) never thought that there would be people who knew how to swim, simply because everyone I knew did. A handful of my friends in college, though, were Indian and not one of them could swim at all. Just interesting.

[Anonymous]

The issue isn't necessarily money but it's skin color. POC tend to not want to get darker, esp in earlier generations. Swimming was an outdoor activity. Every POC I know has a relative or knows someone who has a skin color issue about getting darker.

Signed,
POC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The issue isn't necessarily money but it's skin color. POC tend to not want to get darker, esp in earlier generations. Swimming was an outdoor activity. Every POC I know has a relative or knows someone who has a skin color issue about getting darker.

Signed,
POC