Cost of Club Swimming

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sure it was. Summers only. Very few lessons before switching team. College kids coaching NVSL.

It’s just another sports industrial complex now.

When was swimming summer only with college coaches? My first summer league was late ‘80s, coached by a grown-up in the swim industry. I swam winter, as did maybe 1/3rd of the summer team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, the kids are rich. Not the coaches.

Not disputing that cost has sadly become a barrier to entry to yet another youth sport. But PP said club swim coaches are getting rich from those costs; they’re definitely not.

I don't think swimming has ever been a cheap sport.

I grew up swimming club in upstate NY in the 90s. It was relatively cheap.

I think where in the country also factors in. The DC area has done a terrible job with having pools. So lane space is limited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure it was. Summers only. Very few lessons before switching team. College kids coaching NVSL.

It’s just another sports industrial complex now.

When was swimming summer only with college coaches? My first summer league was late ‘80s, coached by a grown-up in the swim industry. I swam winter, as did maybe 1/3rd of the summer team.

Hey there, youngster.

In the '70s and early '80s, summer swim only was the norm. I was one of the few on our team who swam winter and all of us who did swam in college. Our coach was a college student who also managed the pool. This was at an NVSL pool that is now perennially in Division 1. I bet no swimmer there now can swim A meets without winter swim. It's so different and not in a good way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure it was. Summers only. Very few lessons before switching team. College kids coaching NVSL.

It’s just another sports industrial complex now.

When was swimming summer only with college coaches? My first summer league was late ‘80s, coached by a grown-up in the swim industry. I swam winter, as did maybe 1/3rd of the summer team.

Hey there, youngster.

In the '70s and early '80s, summer swim only was the norm. I was one of the few on our team who swam winter and all of us who did swam in college. Our coach was a college student who also managed the pool. This was at an NVSL pool that is now perennially in Division 1. I bet no swimmer there now can swim A meets without winter swim. It's so different and not in a good way.

You don’t have to swim year round to be good, you just have to be good. My child was smoked by a 12 y/o that has no swimcloud/ USA swimming results whatsoever. So we assume just a summer swimmer. That 12 y/o would have won both events at division 1 divisionals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure it was. Summers only. Very few lessons before switching team. College kids coaching NVSL.

It’s just another sports industrial complex now.

When was swimming summer only with college coaches? My first summer league was late ‘80s, coached by a grown-up in the swim industry. I swam winter, as did maybe 1/3rd of the summer team.

Hey there, youngster.

In the '70s and early '80s, summer swim only was the norm. I was one of the few on our team who swam winter and all of us who did swam in college. Our coach was a college student who also managed the pool. This was at an NVSL pool that is now perennially in Division 1. I bet no swimmer there now can swim A meets without winter swim. It's so different and not in a good way.

You don’t have to swim year round to be good, you just have to be good. My child was smoked by a 12 y/o that has no swimcloud/ USA swimming results whatsoever. So we assume just a summer swimmer. That 12 y/o would have won both events at division 1 divisionals.

There are military family kids that sometimes seemingly appear out of nowhere and people are like this is their first year?!, and they’ve actually been swimming overseas. It’s super rare to have a 12 year old summer only swimmer that would be good enough to win events at D1 Divisionals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure it was. Summers only. Very few lessons before switching team. College kids coaching NVSL.

It’s just another sports industrial complex now.

When was swimming summer only with college coaches? My first summer league was late ‘80s, coached by a grown-up in the swim industry. I swam winter, as did maybe 1/3rd of the summer team.

Hey there, youngster.

In the '70s and early '80s, summer swim only was the norm. I was one of the few on our team who swam winter and all of us who did swam in college. Our coach was a college student who also managed the pool. This was at an NVSL pool that is now perennially in Division 1. I bet no swimmer there now can swim A meets without winter swim. It's so different and not in a good way.

You don’t have to swim year round to be good, you just have to be good. My child was smoked by a 12 y/o that has no swimcloud/ USA swimming results whatsoever. So we assume just a summer swimmer. That 12 y/o would have won both events at division 1 divisionals.

You assume.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure it was. Summers only. Very few lessons before switching team. College kids coaching NVSL.

It’s just another sports industrial complex now.

When was swimming summer only with college coaches? My first summer league was late ‘80s, coached by a grown-up in the swim industry. I swam winter, as did maybe 1/3rd of the summer team.

Hey there, youngster.

In the '70s and early '80s, summer swim only was the norm. I was one of the few on our team who swam winter and all of us who did swam in college. Our coach was a college student who also managed the pool. This was at an NVSL pool that is now perennially in Division 1. I bet no swimmer there now can swim A meets without winter swim. It's so different and not in a good way.

You don’t have to swim year round to be good, you just have to be good. My child was smoked by a 12 y/o that has no swimcloud/ USA swimming results whatsoever. So we assume just a summer swimmer. That 12 y/o would have won both events at division 1 divisionals.

Kudos to the kid, but he is an outlier, not the norm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure it was. Summers only. Very few lessons before switching team. College kids coaching NVSL.

It’s just another sports industrial complex now.

When was swimming summer only with college coaches? My first summer league was late ‘80s, coached by a grown-up in the swim industry. I swam winter, as did maybe 1/3rd of the summer team.

Hey there, youngster.

In the '70s and early '80s, summer swim only was the norm. I was one of the few on our team who swam winter and all of us who did swam in college. Our coach was a college student who also managed the pool. This was at an NVSL pool that is now perennially in Division 1. I bet no swimmer there now can swim A meets without winter swim. It's so different and not in a good way.

You don’t have to swim year round to be good, you just have to be good. My child was smoked by a 12 y/o that has no swimcloud/ USA swimming results whatsoever. So we assume just a summer swimmer. That 12 y/o would have won both events at division 1 divisionals.

Kudos to the kid, but he is an outlier, not the norm.

Agree. If indeed true, it’s an outlier.
At younger ages, pure athleticism and/or size can put non club swimmers at the top of the ladder on teams/divisions/league. Past a certain age, however, it becomes harder for those kids to compete with the fast club swimmers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tollefson also gives a substantial discount if you become an official

Tollefson is average at best. Pay the extra for better coaches. You get what you pay for.

Maybe in the past this was true but I think their program has really improved. The last few seasons they seem to be producing better and faster kids. And we are not a TOLL family, just an observation from meets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure it was. Summers only. Very few lessons before switching team. College kids coaching NVSL.

It’s just another sports industrial complex now.

When was swimming summer only with college coaches? My first summer league was late ‘80s, coached by a grown-up in the swim industry. I swam winter, as did maybe 1/3rd of the summer team.

DP - Same time frame in nvsl - our coaches were all college age. There was only one family on the whole team who swam club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tollefson also gives a substantial discount if you become an official

Tollefson is average at best. Pay the extra for better coaches. You get what you pay for.

Maybe in the past this was true but I think their program has really improved. The last few seasons they seem to be producing better and faster kids. And we are not a TOLL family, just an observation from meets.

They have quite the range of swimmers from starting out to fast. I know several happy TOLL families and I think the coaches are generally well liked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cost of pool rental and insurance for starters is very $$$

Came here to say the same. Clubs rent space per lane per hour, which isn’t cheap given the high cost to operate an aquatic facility. Then there’s coach and any other employee compensation. Then whatever fees the club I assume has to pay to the LSC and USA Swimming. Then insurance (which is high for anything pool-related), technology platforms, etc.

It doesn't add up though, compared to what you pay to use lap lanes there are way more kids per lane. Usually, six to eight but way more if it's a popular summer league. Even crowded public lap lanes are seldom that full and general admission is way cheaper per person the expensive private pools usually just one or two people per lane.

I think it is more driven by the cost of the meets and swim coaches.

IMO, they should make it way cheaper for kids to swim together on swim teams so as to keep the kids from splashing the old ladies in deep-water running lanes.

People take that sport way too seriously for what it is and what the kids get out of it.

Well what you “think” isn’t actually true and it very much comes down to the cost of lane space.

I used this is example in another thread but the cost to rent a lane in Fairfax County is $29.87/hour so an 11 month group that practices 5x/week for 2hrs and has 8 lanes of space has a lane rental cost of ~$115,000 for the season which means you need 29 swimmers paying $4000 a year just to cover pool rental costs and not even coaching.

It may very well be $30 an hour for a lane, my observation is that at many pools I pay ~$6 an hour to use the lane and never have five people in the lane, especially at 6:00am. So, it is five times as expensive to use the lane, which is 8times as crowded. Doesn't add up. Especially if you consider a membership(family) is even cheaper per lane hour.

The deep water running ladies should pay up so they don't get splashed, because that is a bad deal for kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cost of pool rental and insurance for starters is very $$$

Came here to say the same. Clubs rent space per lane per hour, which isn’t cheap given the high cost to operate an aquatic facility. Then there’s coach and any other employee compensation. Then whatever fees the club I assume has to pay to the LSC and USA Swimming. Then insurance (which is high for anything pool-related), technology platforms, etc.

It doesn't add up though, compared to what you pay to use lap lanes there are way more kids per lane. Usually, six to eight but way more if it's a popular summer league. Even crowded public lap lanes are seldom that full and general admission is way cheaper per person the expensive private pools usually just one or two people per lane.

I think it is more driven by the cost of the meets and swim coaches.

IMO, they should make it way cheaper for kids to swim together on swim teams so as to keep the kids from splashing the old ladies in deep-water running lanes.

People take that sport way too seriously for what it is and what the kids get out of it.

Well what you “think” isn’t actually true and it very much comes down to the cost of lane space.

I used this is example in another thread but the cost to rent a lane in Fairfax County is $29.87/hour so an 11 month group that practices 5x/week for 2hrs and has 8 lanes of space has a lane rental cost of ~$115,000 for the season which means you need 29 swimmers paying $4000 a year just to cover pool rental costs and not even coaching.

It may very well be $30 an hour for a lane, my observation is that at many pools I pay ~$6 an hour to use the lane and never have five people in the lane, especially at 6:00am. So, it is five times as expensive to use the lane, which is 8times as crowded. Doesn't add up. Especially if you consider a membership(family) is even cheaper per lane hour.

The deep water running ladies should pay up so they don't get splashed, because that is a bad deal for kids.

What do you mean by “it doesn’t add up”? That’s what they charge clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cost of pool rental and insurance for starters is very $$$

Came here to say the same. Clubs rent space per lane per hour, which isn’t cheap given the high cost to operate an aquatic facility. Then there’s coach and any other employee compensation. Then whatever fees the club I assume has to pay to the LSC and USA Swimming. Then insurance (which is high for anything pool-related), technology platforms, etc.

It doesn't add up though, compared to what you pay to use lap lanes there are way more kids per lane. Usually, six to eight but way more if it's a popular summer league. Even crowded public lap lanes are seldom that full and general admission is way cheaper per person the expensive private pools usually just one or two people per lane.

I think it is more driven by the cost of the meets and swim coaches.

IMO, they should make it way cheaper for kids to swim together on swim teams so as to keep the kids from splashing the old ladies in deep-water running lanes.

People take that sport way too seriously for what it is and what the kids get out of it.

Well what you “think” isn’t actually true and it very much comes down to the cost of lane space.

I used this is example in another thread but the cost to rent a lane in Fairfax County is $29.87/hour so an 11 month group that practices 5x/week for 2hrs and has 8 lanes of space has a lane rental cost of ~$115,000 for the season which means you need 29 swimmers paying $4000 a year just to cover pool rental costs and not even coaching.

It may very well be $30 an hour for a lane, my observation is that at many pools I pay ~$6 an hour to use the lane and never have five people in the lane, especially at 6:00am. So, it is five times as expensive to use the lane, which is 8times as crowded. Doesn't add up. Especially if you consider a membership(family) is even cheaper per lane hour.

The deep water running ladies should pay up so they don't get splashed, because that is a bad deal for kids.

What do you mean by “it doesn’t add up”? That’s what they charge clubs.

I think they over charge the clubs, as compared to general admission or memberships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cost of pool rental and insurance for starters is very $$$

Came here to say the same. Clubs rent space per lane per hour, which isn’t cheap given the high cost to operate an aquatic facility. Then there’s coach and any other employee compensation. Then whatever fees the club I assume has to pay to the LSC and USA Swimming. Then insurance (which is high for anything pool-related), technology platforms, etc.

It doesn't add up though, compared to what you pay to use lap lanes there are way more kids per lane. Usually, six to eight but way more if it's a popular summer league. Even crowded public lap lanes are seldom that full and general admission is way cheaper per person the expensive private pools usually just one or two people per lane.

I think it is more driven by the cost of the meets and swim coaches.

IMO, they should make it way cheaper for kids to swim together on swim teams so as to keep the kids from splashing the old ladies in deep-water running lanes.

People take that sport way too seriously for what it is and what the kids get out of it.

Well what you “think” isn’t actually true and it very much comes down to the cost of lane space.

I used this is example in another thread but the cost to rent a lane in Fairfax County is $29.87/hour so an 11 month group that practices 5x/week for 2hrs and has 8 lanes of space has a lane rental cost of ~$115,000 for the season which means you need 29 swimmers paying $4000 a year just to cover pool rental costs and not even coaching.

It may very well be $30 an hour for a lane, my observation is that at many pools I pay ~$6 an hour to use the lane and never have five people in the lane, especially at 6:00am. So, it is five times as expensive to use the lane, which is 8times as crowded. Doesn't add up. Especially if you consider a membership(family) is even cheaper per lane hour.

The deep water running ladies should pay up so they don't get splashed, because that is a bad deal for kids.

What do you mean doesn’t add up? You can look it up and it’s literally public knowledge posted here: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/pool-rentals/rates