s/o What's with all of the swim teams around here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know it's unfair of me, but I resent the major focus on swim teams around here. Most of the teams meet in the morning (and most mornings of the week) so my young kids can't be on the team since it conflicts with the camps they attend while I'm at work. Anyway, my complaint is that at our pool and the others near here it's hard for kids to make friends and not feel like an outsider if they're not on the swim team.

Last night we enjoyed hanging at the pool but it was dominated by a big group of probably 20 kids swimming and goofing off together and it was obvious by their jokes and conversations that they all know each other from the team. I wish there were more social events at our pool for kids that didn't revolve around the team. We all pay the same amount to enjoy the pool and it's atmosphere.

My friend brags that at her pool, the swim team kids act like a fraternity & sorority. She thinks that's fun. I think that's unfortunate.

Have you thought about volunteering to organize said social activity? Maybe recruiting some other parents to help? Plenty of pools host bingo nights, dance parties, dive-in movies and other events for kids.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I'm actually kind of amazed at how un-diverse swimming is. Only sport I've seen this so far.

Hello, basketball? Or "undiverse" only goes one-way?

Very true.

I think that it has more to do with SES than race or neighborhood (although those things are often intertwined). Parents who work multiple jobs or long hours to cover the basics are less likely to participate in things that require a lot of time or extra money.

Do you mean like in AAU basketball where the fees are hundreds of dollars per season plus tournament fees?

THis is almost funny to me. Both of mine play competitive sports where the fees are thousands of dollars, per sport per kid per season. Plus equipment, tournament fees, travel costs, etc. I have no idea how people making a normal living have their kids playing. It's outrageous.

They don't. Many of our "great" athletes only get to be that way because they come from families that can afford it. I know. As a child, I was a very young competitive swimmer but had to give it up when my family's economic circumstances changed. In hindsight, I realize my mother could have applied for aid at the Y, but I think she had too much else going on. It still makes me sad to think about though, and is one reason I worked my schedule this summer so I could be sure my kids got to participate on a team for the first time.

In addition to the Y, the public pools in MoCo and DC have teams too, at low cost and likely with scholarships. I know US Swimming is hiring a Spanish speaking outreach person and is really trying to ramp up what they do to reach more kids from needier families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it weird to resent swim teams as well...

It isn't fair to begrudge people who have different interests/priorities than you do. You value camps for your kids. Some of us value swim team. Do you resent tennis teams as well? They usually meet in the mornings. What about t-ball? For some of us, it is really hard to make 5:30 practice and games during the work week?

My point is that these sports/clubs/teams try to accommodate the most number of children, but not everybody will be able to participate due to scheduling conflicts. That is just life...

I love summer swim team. At our pool, they do have evening practice but it is certainly easier to participate in the morning rather than going to camp all day and then come to practice. Many of the families that are very invested in swim team are with young kids and SAHMs that love the structure swim team imposes on an otherwise unstructured summer. I personally love the balance. I like my kids to have a lot of unstructured time and they get this during swim season along with lots of social and swim team commitments. It is also fabulous for the kids that are 13 and up and can be home by themselves rather than at camp. My absolutely favorite thing is that relationships are built between 7 yr olds and 15 yr olds. The younger kids really look up the older ones and get to interact in a way they really don't in any other sport.

Yes. It is really lovely. Like having a bunch of big brothers and big sisters!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the people who said it's weird that I resent swim teams... First of all, I didn't use that word. I admit it's a little bit of sour grapes because the one pool around here that has evening practices is way too expensive for us.

But the pool in the summer is an odd situation in that it'd be like paying to play on a grassy field but having the field over run with a big soccer team that's taking up tons of space, chanting, cheering, etc. I pay a lot to use the pool but in June and July the pool is often closed for meets or half the pool is closed to non-team members in case the tesm kids want to practice.

I like that there are teams but I don't have to watch and be right next to other team's practices, rallies and parties. One reason we chose our pool is because there's a big area with other things to do like a playground and volleyball court. But during swim team season that area is roped off on a night every weekend for loud swim team dinners and parties so my kids can't use it. That's annoying.

Have you taken your concerns to the Board of Directors? If not, let us know which pool - they'll get the message via DCUM!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was at teh Coaches Long course meet last night-the top8 in the county for each stroke. It was as diverse as it could be

black, white, asian hispanic, midlde eastern it had it all. Open your eyes if you think it is a white persons sport.

Great input!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FYI who do you think pays a lot of money to keep these pools running? It is the swim team fees............

without swim teams your pool would be closed. If you don't believe it, look how empty the pool wil be in two weeks once swimming si over. It wouldn't survive without a swim team.

I'm not sure it's the fees of the swim team but the fees of the parents paying to be members of that pool so their child can join a swim team. Most swim teams are not open to the public. You also have to be a member of the pool.

Y? Public?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I'm actually kind of amazed at how un-diverse swimming is. Only sport I've seen this so far.

Well, I dont know where you are swimming but some of the very best teams in the area are primarily black. Takoma Park has an absolutely amazing team that is at least 75-80% black. Several community pools in PG County and Montgomery Co have phenomemal swim teams that are at least 50% if not more like 99%, black. One of the best area summer leagues is the Prince-Mont league. It has a few DC clubs and then the rest are in PG and MoCo. You may need to get out more.

You left out Kingfish and Theresa Banks, primarily African American but many Hispanic and white swimmers, along with Takoma Park (TPDC), which dominate Division A of the Prince Mont Swim League. I agree, the swimmers are phenomenal to watch. Their swim meets have a family, party like atmosphere and the swimming is top notch. I only wish more media attention would be given to these teams.

Summer competitive swimming remains a very segregated experience in this area.

The Prince Mont Swim League has many African American and Hispanic swimmers, with member clubs consisting of many public swimming facilities. The Montgomery County and Northern Virginia Swiiming Leagues are dominated by the Caucasian and also Asian swimmers, mainly from private area summer swim clubs.

It would be healthy for the sport to translate the Prince Mont League's success into more area participation by minority swimmers in the year-round, competitive club teams.

I agree 100%.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm actually kind of amazed at how un-diverse swimming is. Only sport I've seen this so far.

I don't have swim team experience yet (son will try out next year), but 95% of our local pool swim team is Asian. I just figured it was a reflection of where you live.

Where do YOU live?

Still no answer/follow-up. Can I call BS now?

I'm not the PP, but our MCSL team swam against a team last summer that was probably 95% Asian. It was somewhere near the Soccerplex if I'm remembering correctly, and there was also a public indoor pool nearby, so many of the kids were year-round swimmers. I figured that the neighborhood had many Asian families. Anyway, it was a very strong team and they did a great job of hosting the meet. (They might also have hosted our divisional championship meet.)

Overall, though, I would agree that swimming is not as diverse as some other sports. In fact, this is a public health issue in terms of the relatively low number of African-Americans and Latinos who can swim. There are groups out there trying to change this, however; one is Nadar Por Vida, which has made a big impact in Arlington. PP, you might want to look into that if this is an issue you care about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm actually kind of amazed at how un-diverse swimming is. Only sport I've seen this so far.

I don't have swim team experience yet (son will try out next year), but 95% of our local pool swim team is Asian. I just figured it was a reflection of where you live.

Where do YOU live?

Still no answer/follow-up. Can I call BS now?

I'm not the PP, but our MCSL team swam against a team last summer that was probably 95% Asian. It was somewhere near the Soccerplex if I'm remembering correctly, and there was also a public indoor pool nearby, so many of the kids were year-round swimmers. I figured that the neighborhood had many Asian families. Anyway, it was a very strong team and they did a great job of hosting the meet. (They might also have hosted our divisional championship meet.)

Overall, though, I would agree that swimming is not as diverse as some other sports. In fact, this is a public health issue in terms of the relatively low number of African-Americans and Latinos who can swim. There are groups out there trying to change this, however; one is Nadar Por Vida, which has made a big impact in Arlington. PP, you might want to look into that if this is an issue you care about.

Many public pools weren't integrated until the 50s or 60s and AAs and Hispanics weren't allowed to use them or their use was restricted to one day a week. That means that a lot of AA grandparents didn't learn to swim and didn't teach their kids to swim and those kids didn't teach their kids to swim. When public pools integrated, lots of white families stopped using them and opened private swim clubs to keep AA people out. Those clubs often had teams, and the public pools didn't. That kept swimming pretty white as a sport for a long time.

USA Swimming is doing outreach to change that. They have organized "learn to swim" programs and had Cullen Jones do a lot PR work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm actually kind of amazed at how un-diverse swimming is. Only sport I've seen this so far.

I don't have swim team experience yet (son will try out next year), but 95% of our local pool swim team is Asian. I just figured it was a reflection of where you live.

Where do YOU live?

Still no answer/follow-up. Can I call BS now?

I'm not the PP, but our MCSL team swam against a team last summer that was probably 95% Asian. It was somewhere near the Soccerplex if I'm remembering correctly, and there was also a public indoor pool nearby, so many of the kids were year-round swimmers. I figured that the neighborhood had many Asian families. Anyway, it was a very strong team and they did a great job of hosting the meet. (They might also have hosted our divisional championship meet.)

Overall, though, I would agree that swimming is not as diverse as some other sports. In fact, this is a public health issue in terms of the relatively low number of African-Americans and Latinos who can swim. There are groups out there trying to change this, however; one is Nadar Por Vida, which has made a big impact in Arlington. PP, you might want to look into that if this is an issue you care about.

Many public pools weren't integrated until the 50s or 60s and AAs and Hispanics weren't allowed to use them or their use was restricted to one day a week. That means that a lot of AA grandparents didn't learn to swim and didn't teach their kids to swim and those kids didn't teach their kids to swim. When public pools integrated, lots of white families stopped using them and opened private swim clubs to keep AA people out. Those clubs often had teams, and the public pools didn't. That kept swimming pretty white as a sport for a long time.

USA Swimming is doing outreach to change that. They have organized "learn to swim" programs and had Cullen Jones do a lot PR work.

Thank you for the history lesson. Makes sense but feel ashamed I didn't realize this.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the history lesson. Makes sense but feel ashamed I didn't realize this

.

My boss (AA) grew up in the same neighborhood that I live in now, and often mentions local landmarks fondly. Our membership-only neighborhood pool is a big social hub and I once asked him if he had belonged to the pool - he told me he couldn't. It was segregated then. Our neighborhood itself has always been diverse. Ashamed to say, but I have to admit it didn't even occur to me when I asked the question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Thank you for the history lesson. Makes sense but feel ashamed I didn't realize this

.

My boss (AA) grew up in the same neighborhood that I live in now, and often mentions local landmarks fondly. Our membership-only neighborhood pool is a big social hub and I once asked him if he had belonged to the pool - he told me he couldn't. It was segregated then. Our neighborhood itself has always been diverse. Ashamed to say, but I have to admit it didn't even occur to me when I asked the question.

The positive way of looking at that is you do not think in a racist way. My elderly mother would probably remember segregation fondly.

I was raised to be afraid of blacks (primarily due to my mom's experience with the '68 riots). I knew I had overcome that fear years later when I realized I was sitting on a crowded metro platform and was the only white there - and I felt surprise to recognize it and note that I didn't feel afraid at all, I just felt like a Washingtonian at L'Enfant Plaza!!

[Anonymous]

Re diversity in swimming . . . check out this recent article re top swimmers in MoCo Swim League. Looks pretty diverse to me!

http://reachforthewall.com/2013/07/10/fast-swimming-and-fun-mark-mid-summer-long-course-championship/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know it's unfair of me, but I resent the major focus on swim teams around here. Most of the teams meet in the morning (and most mornings of the week) so my young kids can't be on the team since it conflicts with the camps they attend while I'm at work. Anyway, my complaint is that at our pool and the others near here it's hard for kids to make friends and not feel like an outsider if they're not on the swim team.

Last night we enjoyed hanging at the pool but it was dominated by a big group of probably 20 kids swimming and goofing off together and it was obvious by their jokes and conversations that they all know each other from the team. I wish there were more social events at our pool for kids that didn't revolve around the team. We all pay the same amount to enjoy the pool and it's atmosphere.

My friend brags that at her pool, the swim team kids act like a fraternity & sorority. She thinks that's fun. I think that's unfortunate.

Had no idea this was such a big issue -- thought it was only "our" pool and it's had me thinking about looking elsewhere to get on a waitlist and move in a few years. Now I realize grass in not greener. My kid is not a team/large group kind of kid. Unfortunately that leaves him sidelined when it seems almost everyone else knows everyone else. We don't attend to nearby local school, which only compounds matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When our pool is closed for meets or social events we are allowed to use 2 other local pools. They have the same reciprocity when they have meets.

DD is too young for swim team but when she is old enough I plan on having her swim. I have good memories of summer swim team and I want the same for her.

That is a nice and thoughtful accommodation! When ours is closed you are sol.