Summer swim brings out the crazy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We belong to a double digit division pool and the people who want this job are crazy, in my opinion. They want the control of sitting in the seeding meetings, having power, and bossing people around.

They forget that summer swim is supposed to be fun and honestly make it the very opposite of fun. To the point where good people no longer want to participate in the club because of the crazy drama!

I agree. People don’t want to volunteer in the key roles anymore because of drama and uncivilized behavior from other key volunteers who are on power trips. On the other end, we don’t want the clueless parents who have no understanding about swimming to serve as team reps either. Our pools team reps do not have club swimmers, A meet swimmers, and were never swimmers. They really don’t know what they are doing, or truly care. But they are friends with the other key volunteers and leadership and so that’s why they got the position. Summer swim has become a miserable experience because of so many horrible parents in the DMV.

This sounds like our pool. There are two team reps and one is awful and only in the position because they are friends with several key volunteers. Our team has a very large 11-12 age group. This past A-meet several kids at the top of the 11-12 ladder were pushed up to the 13-14 group so that a kid at the bottom of the 11-12 ladder could make the meet. It seems like we missed out on opportunities to earn points all so that one of the influential parents could get their kid in the meet. Not fair to any of the other kids who had to swim outside of their age group when they earned a spot on the ladder or other kids who were left out on other strokes in order to get this one kid in the meet. I'm sure that it will continue for the rest of the summer as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We belong to a double digit division pool and the people who want this job are crazy, in my opinion. They want the control of sitting in the seeding meetings, having power, and bossing people around.

They forget that summer swim is supposed to be fun and honestly make it the very opposite of fun. To the point where good people no longer want to participate in the club because of the crazy drama!

I agree. People don’t want to volunteer in the key roles anymore because of drama and uncivilized behavior from other key volunteers who are on power trips. On the other end, we don’t want the clueless parents who have no understanding about swimming to serve as team reps either. Our pools team reps do not have club swimmers, A meet swimmers, and were never swimmers. They really don’t know what they are doing, or truly care. But they are friends with the other key volunteers and leadership and so that’s why they got the position. Summer swim has become a miserable experience because of so many horrible parents in the DMV.

This sounds like our pool. There are two team reps and one is awful and only in the position because they are friends with several key volunteers. Our team has a very large 11-12 age group. This past A-meet several kids at the top of the 11-12 ladder were pushed up to the 13-14 group so that a kid at the bottom of the 11-12 ladder could make the meet. It seems like we missed out on opportunities to earn points all so that one of the influential parents could get their kid in the meet. Not fair to any of the other kids who had to swim outside of their age group when they earned a spot on the ladder or other kids who were left out on other strokes in order to get this one kid in the meet. I'm sure that it will continue for the rest of the summer as well.

Did it win you the meet? And are you sure the kids are swimming because of their parents? Swim teams often target parents with fast swimmers to work the A meets because *news alert* their kids will swim in A meets. Parents are not going to attend a meet and work it if their kid is not in it.

You could always make yourself a ref and do a great job if you think that is how you think your team is selecting swimmers. But I am guessing it is not and that is why you have not done so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We belong to a double digit division pool and the people who want this job are crazy, in my opinion. They want the control of sitting in the seeding meetings, having power, and bossing people around.

They forget that summer swim is supposed to be fun and honestly make it the very opposite of fun. To the point where good people no longer want to participate in the club because of the crazy drama!

I agree. People don’t want to volunteer in the key roles anymore because of drama and uncivilized behavior from other key volunteers who are on power trips. On the other end, we don’t want the clueless parents who have no understanding about swimming to serve as team reps either. Our pools team reps do not have club swimmers, A meet swimmers, and were never swimmers. They really don’t know what they are doing, or truly care. But they are friends with the other key volunteers and leadership and so that’s why they got the position. Summer swim has become a miserable experience because of so many horrible parents in the DMV.

This sounds like our pool. There are two team reps and one is awful and only in the position because they are friends with several key volunteers. Our team has a very large 11-12 age group. This past A-meet several kids at the top of the 11-12 ladder were pushed up to the 13-14 group so that a kid at the bottom of the 11-12 ladder could make the meet. It seems like we missed out on opportunities to earn points all so that one of the influential parents could get their kid in the meet. Not fair to any of the other kids who had to swim outside of their age group when they earned a spot on the ladder or other kids who were left out on other strokes in order to get this one kid in the meet. I'm sure that it will continue for the rest of the summer as well.

Or were those kids swum up because they are faster than the available 13-14s? Our pool (non NVSL, non MCSL) has 4-5 fast girls in the 13-14 girls age group, and the top 2 girls are easily better than any of our 15-18s, so swimming them up to maximize points would make total sense. Our league doesn’t allow swimming up unless there is no one available in older age group so it hasn’t happened, but it would definitely score us more points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a seeding meeting every week…before the A Meet to decide on the swimmers and what events they are swimming.

That is bizarre! I’ve been the data coordinator for our (very large) NVSL team for many years and the head coach has always been the one and only person deciding who swims what in A-meets, and as far as I’ve been able to tell he always goes strictly off the ladder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re in D1 and I love that the most about our pool. The coaches make the choices. Not the reps and they are unapologetic about it.

Less drama with the goal being to win the meet. Sometimes your kid swims an event they love, sometimes not but the goal is the most points so the team can win as a team.

That’s how it should be. Head coach should be the only one seeding the A meet no parents should involved, because the parents aren’t qualified, it’s not their place, and because of favoritism or personal bias.

Also pointing out that seeding the A meet is done weekly by the team (should be done only by the coach), with the goal to win the meet and using the fastest times of available swimmers. That is different than the “seeding” that the league does each year to determine what division a team should be in. There is a seeding committee in each league, usually made up of team reps and other league volunteers.

Our pool operates this way and it's a godsend. There is one kid who is a few hundredths away from breaking the club record in free. The coach put him for breast and back, and the kid's parents freaked out. Coach shrugged his shoulders and said "so sad, too bad." They ended up winning the meet by a couple of points.

[Anonymous]

I have never heard of a summer team where anyone but the coaches did the meet lineup. Just wild!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a seeding meeting every week…before the A Meet to decide on the swimmers and what events they are swimming.

What pool should do is allow the events to be selected by the coach(es), but at many pools the team reps get their tentacles into the seeding to favor their own kids.

this is insane and not true.

There is no seeding meeting every week. Monday night after the B meet a new ladder is created. As team rep I then tell the coaches who is and isn't available to swim the following Saturday. On Tuesday the coaches get together to make the lineup with is 99% based on the ladder and swimmer availability. I say 99% because we have had instances where a kid got a fast time at time trials but never shows up a practice or B meets, and, no it's not because they swim club. So the coach will give the kids who may be one spot down the 3 slot at a Saturday meet because they show up.

Now I am a team rep and my kids do swim in every A meet, but that is because they are top swimmers, hence, how I got roped into being a team rep. Never once have I had a say in which events my kids swim on Saturdays. That is entirely on the coaches.

coaches and team want to win. They are not choosing slower kids over faster ones who can win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have never heard of a summer team where anyone but the coaches did the meet lineup. Just wild!!

people make up conspiracy theories just because their kids are slow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a seeding meeting every week…before the A Meet to decide on the swimmers and what events they are swimming.

What pool should do is allow the events to be selected by the coach(es), but at many pools the team reps get their tentacles into the seeding to favor their own kids.

this is insane and not true.

There is no seeding meeting every week. Monday night after the B meet a new ladder is created. As team rep I then tell the coaches who is and isn't available to swim the following Saturday. On Tuesday the coaches get together to make the lineup with is 99% based on the ladder and swimmer availability. I say 99% because we have had instances where a kid got a fast time at time trials but never shows up a practice or B meets, and, no it's not because they swim club. So the coach will give the kids who may be one spot down the 3 slot at a Saturday meet because they show up.

Now I am a team rep and my kids do swim in every A meet, but that is because they are top swimmers, hence, how I got roped into being a team rep. Never once have I had a say in which events my kids swim on Saturdays. That is entirely on the coaches.

coaches and team want to win. They are not choosing slower kids over faster ones who can win.

I think that’s what the pp meant by “seeding meeting”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re in D1 and I love that the most about our pool. The coaches make the choices. Not the reps and they are unapologetic about it.

Less drama with the goal being to win the meet. Sometimes your kid swims an event they love, sometimes not but the goal is the most points so the team can win as a team.

That’s how it should be. Head coach should be the only one seeding the A meet no parents should involved, because the parents aren’t qualified, it’s not their place, and because of favoritism or personal bias.

Also pointing out that seeding the A meet is done weekly by the team (should be done only by the coach), with the goal to win the meet and using the fastest times of available swimmers. That is different than the “seeding” that the league does each year to determine what division a team should be in. There is a seeding committee in each league, usually made up of team reps and other league volunteers.

Our pool operates this way and it's a godsend. There is one kid who is a few hundredths away from breaking the club record in free. The coach put him for breast and back, and the kid's parents freaked out. Coach shrugged his shoulders and said "so sad, too bad." They ended up winning the meet by a couple of points.

These kinds of parents drive me nuts, the ones that don’t understand that summer swim is about the team and not the individual. It’s part of what makes it so fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re in D1 and I love that the most about our pool. The coaches make the choices. Not the reps and they are unapologetic about it.

Less drama with the goal being to win the meet. Sometimes your kid swims an event they love, sometimes not but the goal is the most points so the team can win as a team.

That’s how it should be. Head coach should be the only one seeding the A meet no parents should involved, because the parents aren’t qualified, it’s not their place, and because of favoritism or personal bias.

Also pointing out that seeding the A meet is done weekly by the team (should be done only by the coach), with the goal to win the meet and using the fastest times of available swimmers. That is different than the “seeding” that the league does each year to determine what division a team should be in. There is a seeding committee in each league, usually made up of team reps and other league volunteers.

Generally the rep is involved and working with the coach to seed. They are calling people and updating the coach on availability of swimmers. Ours will discuss things as well, but I am under the impression the head coach has final say. I have been told that the meetings last a while going over various options. The team rep then works with data to input the events and make sure there are no errors, etc.

I did hear that several reps ago we had a team rep who would input different seeding than what the head coach wanted. This happened on several occasions and benefitted the reps kids. We used to have a high point trophy and the rep wanted he kids to get it, but the coach seeded to win the meet which helped the team but hurt the points her kids were earn for that trophy. So she changed it. Apparently she also lied about some records too that involved her kid and would seed kids based on families she liked.

I am happy with how we run now. It is pretty fair. The coaches and reps are responsive and I don't always agree with our team rep but everything is spelled out and equitable. It is a lot of work and no idea how they do it or manage so many people/personalities.

[Anonymous]

It does bring out crazy. Does anyone really think it’s that necessary to hold a B meet tonight? Haha

[Anonymous]

I hear some teams in NVSL are canceling for tonight

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It does bring out crazy. Does anyone really think it’s that necessary to hold a B meet tonight? Haha

None of this is ever necessary, but I don't think there's any explicit harm in letting those who wish to participate go on with a B meet, as long as it is fully understood that people are responsible for their own well-being and that instant air-conditioning for those who might need it might not be available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It does bring out crazy. Does anyone really think it’s that necessary to hold a B meet tonight? Haha

None of this is ever necessary, but I don't think there's any explicit harm in letting those who wish to participate go on with a B meet, as long as it is fully understood that people are responsible for their own well-being and that instant air-conditioning for those who might need it might not be available.

And that if you are in attendance you will be expected to fill the volunteer slots of those who decided it was not worth attending. Someone posted in the other thread that they had to fill their volunteer slots because otherwise their kid would be pulled from the A meet. That is ludicrous, you feel like it’s worth it to be there then you are going to be holding the stopwatch.