Families that never volunteer - swim team

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow reading this thread - two different things jump out: lots of pride that summer swim is fully volunteer run. And that for many pools it’s not working.

For the pools where it’s not working - can’t a participation fee be charged? Similar to the fees families pay for their kids to play in a basketball or soccer league.
Then the pool hires teens/adults interested in part time work. They already hire lifeguards, gate guards, snack window kids - add Saturday/Monday timers plus set up/clean up. Maybe these are lifeguards who want more hours. Or teens who aren’t lifeguard certified but would love to earn money at the pool. Or adults who wants a part-time summer gig. The payroll system is already in place.

Just an idea.

I think outsourcing the setup and cleanup would be great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have seen dads step up to clerk of course. Mostly moms though. And moms of boys seem to be most effective. Thank you volunteer parents!

The assumption that the volunteering is all women doesn't match my pool at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow reading this thread - two different things jump out: lots of pride that summer swim is fully volunteer run. And that for many pools it’s not working.

For the pools where it’s not working - can’t a participation fee be charged? Similar to the fees families pay for their kids to play in a basketball or soccer league.
Then the pool hires teens/adults interested in part time work. They already hire lifeguards, gate guards, snack window kids - add Saturday/Monday timers plus set up/clean up. Maybe these are lifeguards who want more hours. Or teens who aren’t lifeguard certified but would love to earn money at the pool. Or adults who wants a part-time summer gig. The payroll system is already in place.

Just an idea.

I think outsourcing the setup and cleanup would be great.

Realistically, you aren't going to get people who want a job lasting an hour at 7:00 a.m. unless you pay a fortune.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The entitlement on this thread is insane. The fact remains that summer swim teams rely on many volunteers throughout the season. If everyone said f it, this team takes the volunteer commitment too seriously, then it won’t happen. The team shuts down.

What’s wrong with showing and investing in your kids’ activities? Summer swim is a community thing, invest in it or don’t participate.

Always the same parents that step up to help. It’s a shame, what are you teaching your children?

So selfish.

It's a bandwidth thing. Thankfully our team isn't run by people like you.

Your team is run by volunteers like PP and me, and we all have important jobs and a million other things to do. The difference is that we invest our time and effort in our communities and our kids, while you don’t. Maybe get off DCUM and do something productive with your time.

I can't. I literally can't. I would if I could. Does attacking a struggling person make you feel better?

Respectfully, getting out of your own head and helping others is exactly what you need.

What if it's not just in her head? You don't know.

You don't know if she has cancer, chronic daily migraines, somebody dying, a wrecking ball hit her house, divorcing, working 75 hours a week, tied up volunteering to give impoverished kids free surgeries to correct birth defects or representing battered women in court, or is some top secret CIA mixed martial arts lady in the middle of fighting some foreign adversary dude hanging off a balcony like Jason Bourne. You just don't know.

I've got one of those issues daily and have had multiple of those issues at one time and I find ways to volunteer at home. And, sure, its great to be a surgeon volunteering or a lawyer volunteering your time to help others, but that shouldn't be at the expense of your kids, who also need your attention and support and part of that is if you have them summer swim and the expectation is you help out there, since you are such a generous and giving person, no reason you cannot help out on swim team. Really, its less than two months.

Ok. Cases are in trial. Should I ask the judge for a continuance for summer swim team? Aside from death of parent, another parent just paralyzed weeks ago, my long covid, plus a wrecking ball to my house. Maybe that can get a continuance to show face to the swim mommies with nothing better to do then feign business and moral superiority?

A wrecking ball hit your house?

And you are in court on Saturday mornings?

I am very sorry about these things. I would have thought that the house hit by a wrecking ball would have made the news though.

I do pro bono on weekends, because I can't do it during my FT lawyer job hours, which also requires overtime work on yes weekends. I work days, nights, and weekends. Sorry moms like me can't tackle more urgent needs facing the swim community. Perhaps a call to your elected officials could bring about change for this important issue of absent swim moms devastating local swim teams. And 7 On Your Side.

Why exactly are you doing pro bono work when you are already stretched so thin? Your kids should be taking priority over pro bono work. Oh wait, you like to
play martyr 🙄

Sounds like they need to spend more time supporting their kids vs strangers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow reading this thread - two different things jump out: lots of pride that summer swim is fully volunteer run. And that for many pools it’s not working.

For the pools where it’s not working - can’t a participation fee be charged? Similar to the fees families pay for their kids to play in a basketball or soccer league.
Then the pool hires teens/adults interested in part time work. They already hire lifeguards, gate guards, snack window kids - add Saturday/Monday timers plus set up/clean up. Maybe these are lifeguards who want more hours. Or teens who aren’t lifeguard certified but would love to earn money at the pool. Or adults who wants a part-time summer gig. The payroll system is already in place.

Just an idea.

I think there are a few issues here.

One is that the kids who want to be at the pool early Saturday morning are swimming and volunteer coaching. Pools already struggle to fill lifeguard shifts, so finding these people is going to be hard.

The other is that there are tons of sports and camps that are out of reach for middle class families. Making this one more expensive, so that it's one more option for the rich people, seems unfair.

But it sounds like there are pools that do allow people to buy their way out, and most pools will allow people to hire their own replacements.

These Families are not middle class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow reading this thread - two different things jump out: lots of pride that summer swim is fully volunteer run. And that for many pools it’s not working.

For the pools where it’s not working - can’t a participation fee be charged? Similar to the fees families pay for their kids to play in a basketball or soccer league.
Then the pool hires teens/adults interested in part time work. They already hire lifeguards, gate guards, snack window kids - add Saturday/Monday timers plus set up/clean up. Maybe these are lifeguards who want more hours. Or teens who aren’t lifeguard certified but would love to earn money at the pool. Or adults who wants a part-time summer gig. The payroll system is already in place.

Just an idea.

I think there are a few issues here.

One is that the kids who want to be at the pool early Saturday morning are swimming and volunteer coaching. Pools already struggle to fill lifeguard shifts, so finding these people is going to be hard.

The other is that there are tons of sports and camps that are out of reach for middle class families. Making this one more expensive, so that it's one more option for the rich people, seems unfair.

But it sounds like there are pools that do allow people to buy their way out, and most pools will allow people to hire their own replacements.

These Families are not middle class.

Maybe at your pool, my family and plenty of others at our pool are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No activity should need 30+ volunteers

Sure. If we install touch pad sensors, we eliminates 20 jobs (18 timers + 2 head timers).

Good luck getting 102 teams to pay for that and the software to run it.

We have touch pads for our summer league in a different region (26 teams, 5 divisions). Touch pads add additional volunteers- people have to install them and we still need 2 backup timers per lane, and a head timer, plus people to run the computers.

[Anonymous]

PP and want to add that in our league we don’t have clerks of course. If you’re trying to eliminate volunteers and decide to start there, don’t. As bad as that job is, imagine being a kid or a coach or a parent at a meet where every kid is expected to magically hear event numbers and get to their blocks in time. It’s like a bad recurring anxiety dream that takes place on a pool deck, except it’s real life!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow reading this thread - two different things jump out: lots of pride that summer swim is fully volunteer run. And that for many pools it’s not working.

For the pools where it’s not working - can’t a participation fee be charged? Similar to the fees families pay for their kids to play in a basketball or soccer league.
Then the pool hires teens/adults interested in part time work. They already hire lifeguards, gate guards, snack window kids - add Saturday/Monday timers plus set up/clean up. Maybe these are lifeguards who want more hours. Or teens who aren’t lifeguard certified but would love to earn money at the pool. Or adults who wants a part-time summer gig. The payroll system is already in place.

Just an idea.

I think outsourcing the setup and cleanup would be great.

Realistically, you aren't going to get people who want a job lasting an hour at 7:00 a.m. unless you pay a fortune.

We had a brilliant system for something similar when I was in med school. Everyone got assigned to transcribe lectures and if anyone didn’t show, their slot was auctioned off. And the no show had to pay, no matter how high the price was. I made a lot of money that way. Classes that required a lot of drawings/diagrams went especially high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow reading this thread - two different things jump out: lots of pride that summer swim is fully volunteer run. And that for many pools it’s not working.

For the pools where it’s not working - can’t a participation fee be charged? Similar to the fees families pay for their kids to play in a basketball or soccer league.
Then the pool hires teens/adults interested in part time work. They already hire lifeguards, gate guards, snack window kids - add Saturday/Monday timers plus set up/clean up. Maybe these are lifeguards who want more hours. Or teens who aren’t lifeguard certified but would love to earn money at the pool. Or adults who wants a part-time summer gig. The payroll system is already in place.

Just an idea.

I think there are a few issues here.

One is that the kids who want to be at the pool early Saturday morning are swimming and volunteer coaching. Pools already struggle to fill lifeguard shifts, so finding these people is going to be hard.

The other is that there are tons of sports and camps that are out of reach for middle class families. Making this one more expensive, so that it's one more option for the rich people, seems unfair.

But it sounds like there are pools that do allow people to buy their way out, and most pools will allow people to hire their own replacements.

These Families are not middle class.

Maybe at your pool, my family and plenty of others at our pool are.

We aren't at a fancy and one of the cheaper pools. You clearly are misrepresenting middle class or at a county pool. Most families who swim are not middle class in this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow reading this thread - two different things jump out: lots of pride that summer swim is fully volunteer run. And that for many pools it’s not working.

For the pools where it’s not working - can’t a participation fee be charged? Similar to the fees families pay for their kids to play in a basketball or soccer league.
Then the pool hires teens/adults interested in part time work. They already hire lifeguards, gate guards, snack window kids - add Saturday/Monday timers plus set up/clean up. Maybe these are lifeguards who want more hours. Or teens who aren’t lifeguard certified but would love to earn money at the pool. Or adults who wants a part-time summer gig. The payroll system is already in place.

Just an idea.

I think there are a few issues here.

One is that the kids who want to be at the pool early Saturday morning are swimming and volunteer coaching. Pools already struggle to fill lifeguard shifts, so finding these people is going to be hard.

The other is that there are tons of sports and camps that are out of reach for middle class families. Making this one more expensive, so that it's one more option for the rich people, seems unfair.

But it sounds like there are pools that do allow people to buy their way out, and most pools will allow people to hire their own replacements.

These Families are not middle class.

Maybe at your pool, my family and plenty of others at our pool are.

What income do you consider middle class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The entitlement on this thread is insane. The fact remains that summer swim teams rely on many volunteers throughout the season. If everyone said f it, this team takes the volunteer commitment too seriously, then it won’t happen. The team shuts down.

What’s wrong with showing and investing in your kids’ activities? Summer swim is a community thing, invest in it or don’t participate.

Always the same parents that step up to help. It’s a shame, what are you teaching your children?

So selfish.

It's a bandwidth thing. Thankfully our team isn't run by people like you.

Your team is run by volunteers like PP and me, and we all have important jobs and a million other things to do. The difference is that we invest our time and effort in our communities and our kids, while you don’t. Maybe get off DCUM and do something productive with your time.

I can't. I literally can't. I would if I could. Does attacking a struggling person make you feel better?

Respectfully, getting out of your own head and helping others is exactly what you need.

What if it's not just in her head? You don't know.

You don't know if she has cancer, chronic daily migraines, somebody dying, a wrecking ball hit her house, divorcing, working 75 hours a week, tied up volunteering to give impoverished kids free surgeries to correct birth defects or representing battered women in court, or is some top secret CIA mixed martial arts lady in the middle of fighting some foreign adversary dude hanging off a balcony like Jason Bourne. You just don't know.

I've got one of those issues daily and have had multiple of those issues at one time and I find ways to volunteer at home. And, sure, its great to be a surgeon volunteering or a lawyer volunteering your time to help others, but that shouldn't be at the expense of your kids, who also need your attention and support and part of that is if you have them summer swim and the expectation is you help out there, since you are such a generous and giving person, no reason you cannot help out on swim team. Really, its less than two months.

Ok. Cases are in trial. Should I ask the judge for a continuance for summer swim team? Aside from death of parent, another parent just paralyzed weeks ago, my long covid, plus a wrecking ball to my house. Maybe that can get a continuance to show face to the swim mommies with nothing better to do than feign business and moral superiority?

You aren't any more important than anyone else. Newsflash! You either have your spouse do it or your nanny. Half the swim meets are on weekends. I've never seen a court case happen on Saturday or Sunday. You need to make your kids a priority as well as your clients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The entitlement on this thread is insane. The fact remains that summer swim teams rely on many volunteers throughout the season. If everyone said f it, this team takes the volunteer commitment too seriously, then it won’t happen. The team shuts down.

What’s wrong with showing and investing in your kids’ activities? Summer swim is a community thing, invest in it or don’t participate.

Always the same parents that step up to help. It’s a shame, what are you teaching your children?

So selfish.

It's a bandwidth thing. Thankfully our team isn't run by people like you.

Your team is run by volunteers like PP and me, and we all have important jobs and a million other things to do. The difference is that we invest our time and effort in our communities and our kids, while you don’t. Maybe get off DCUM and do something productive with your time.

I can't. I literally can't. I would if I could. Does attacking a struggling person make you feel better?

Respectfully, getting out of your own head and helping others is exactly what you need.

What if it's not just in her head? You don't know.

You don't know if she has cancer, chronic daily migraines, somebody dying, a wrecking ball hit her house, divorcing, working 75 hours a week, tied up volunteering to give impoverished kids free surgeries to correct birth defects or representing battered women in court, or is some top secret CIA mixed martial arts lady in the middle of fighting some foreign adversary dude hanging off a balcony like Jason Bourne. You just don't know.

I've got one of those issues daily and have had multiple of those issues at one time and I find ways to volunteer at home. And, sure, its great to be a surgeon volunteering or a lawyer volunteering your time to help others, but that shouldn't be at the expense of your kids, who also need your attention and support and part of that is if you have them summer swim and the expectation is you help out there, since you are such a generous and giving person, no reason you cannot help out on swim team. Really, its less than two months.

Ok. Cases are in trial. Should I ask the judge for a continuance for summer swim team? Aside from death of parent, another parent just paralyzed weeks ago, my long covid, plus a wrecking ball to my house. Maybe that can get a continuance to show face to the swim mommies with nothing better to do then feign business and moral superiority?

So then your kids don’t do swim team.

I don’t understand what you don’t understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The entitlement on this thread is insane. The fact remains that summer swim teams rely on many volunteers throughout the season. If everyone said f it, this team takes the volunteer commitment too seriously, then it won’t happen. The team shuts down.

What’s wrong with showing and investing in your kids’ activities? Summer swim is a community thing, invest in it or don’t participate.

Always the same parents that step up to help. It’s a shame, what are you teaching your children?

So selfish.

It's a bandwidth thing. Thankfully our team isn't run by people like you.

Your team is run by volunteers like PP and me, and we all have important jobs and a million other things to do. The difference is that we invest our time and effort in our communities and our kids, while you don’t. Maybe get off DCUM and do something productive with your time.

I can't. I literally can't. I would if I could. Does attacking a struggling person make you feel better?

Respectfully, getting out of your own head and helping others is exactly what you need.

What if it's not just in her head? You don't know.

You don't know if she has cancer, chronic daily migraines, somebody dying, a wrecking ball hit her house, divorcing, working 75 hours a week, tied up volunteering to give impoverished kids free surgeries to correct birth defects or representing battered women in court, or is some top secret CIA mixed martial arts lady in the middle of fighting some foreign adversary dude hanging off a balcony like Jason Bourne. You just don't know.

I've got one of those issues daily and have had multiple of those issues at one time and I find ways to volunteer at home. And, sure, its great to be a surgeon volunteering or a lawyer volunteering your time to help others, but that shouldn't be at the expense of your kids, who also need your attention and support and part of that is if you have them summer swim and the expectation is you help out there, since you are such a generous and giving person, no reason you cannot help out on swim team. Really, its less than two months.

Ok. Cases are in trial. Should I ask the judge for a continuance for summer swim team? Aside from death of parent, another parent just paralyzed weeks ago, my long covid, plus a wrecking ball to my house. Maybe that can get a continuance to show face to the swim mommies with nothing better to do then feign business and moral superiority?

A wrecking ball hit your house?

And you are in court on Saturday mornings?

I am very sorry about these things. I would have thought that the house hit by a wrecking ball would have made the news though.

I do pro bono on weekends, because I can't do it during my FT lawyer job hours, which also requires overtime work on yes weekends. I work days, nights, and weekends. Sorry moms like me can't tackle more urgent needs facing the swim community. Perhaps a call to your elected officials could bring about change for this important issue of absent swim moms devastating local swim teams. And 7 On Your Side.

So.
Then.
Your.
Kids.
Don’t.
Do.
Swim.
Team.
If.
You.
And/Or.
Their.
Other.
Parent.
Or.
Other.
Family.
Member.
Can’t.
Or.
Won’t.
Meet.
The.
Volunteer.
Requirements.

I’m so glad I could help clear this up for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The entitlement on this thread is insane. The fact remains that summer swim teams rely on many volunteers throughout the season. If everyone said f it, this team takes the volunteer commitment too seriously, then it won’t happen. The team shuts down.

What’s wrong with showing and investing in your kids’ activities? Summer swim is a community thing, invest in it or don’t participate.

Always the same parents that step up to help. It’s a shame, what are you teaching your children?

So selfish.

It's a bandwidth thing. Thankfully our team isn't run by people like you.

Your team is run by volunteers like PP and me, and we all have important jobs and a million other things to do. The difference is that we invest our time and effort in our communities and our kids, while you don’t. Maybe get off DCUM and do something productive with your time.

I can't. I literally can't. I would if I could. Does attacking a struggling person make you feel better?

Respectfully, getting out of your own head and helping others is exactly what you need.

What if it's not just in her head? You don't know.

You don't know if she has cancer, chronic daily migraines, somebody dying, a wrecking ball hit her house, divorcing, working 75 hours a week, tied up volunteering to give impoverished kids free surgeries to correct birth defects or representing battered women in court, or is some top secret CIA mixed martial arts lady in the middle of fighting some foreign adversary dude hanging off a balcony like Jason Bourne. You just don't know.

I've got one of those issues daily and have had multiple of those issues at one time and I find ways to volunteer at home. And, sure, its great to be a surgeon volunteering or a lawyer volunteering your time to help others, but that shouldn't be at the expense of your kids, who also need your attention and support and part of that is if you have them summer swim and the expectation is you help out there, since you are such a generous and giving person, no reason you cannot help out on swim team. Really, its less than two months.

Ok. Cases are in trial. Should I ask the judge for a continuance for summer swim team? Aside from death of parent, another parent just paralyzed weeks ago, my long covid, plus a wrecking ball to my house. Maybe that can get a continuance to show face to the swim mommies with nothing better to do then feign business and moral superiority?

A wrecking ball hit your house?

And you are in court on Saturday mornings?

I am very sorry about these things. I would have thought that the house hit by a wrecking ball would have made the news though.

I do pro bono on weekends, because I can't do it during my FT lawyer job hours, which also requires overtime work on yes weekends. I work days, nights, and weekends. Sorry moms like me can't tackle more urgent needs facing the swim community. Perhaps a call to your elected officials could bring about change for this important issue of absent swim moms devastating local swim teams. And 7 On Your Side.

So.
Then.
Your.
Kids.
Don’t.
Do.
Swim.
Team.
If.
You.
And/Or.
Their.
Other.
Parent.
Or.
Other.
Family.
Member.
Can’t.
Or.
Won’t.
Meet.
The.
Volunteer.
Requirements.

I’m so glad I could help clear this up for you.

If you are working, all day, all evening and all weekend, who is caring for your kids?