Does your Summer Team Charge Extra for All-Star Swimmers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every club sports team (and I’m lumping in dvm summer swim with club teams because kids tend to stick with their teams over many years, and because of how much brain space and energy is devoted by the families) is based on a pyramid.

The top of the pyramid attracts new members with their success. The bottom of the pyramid generates income, volunteering might, and feeds the middle and top with talent. The top gets more resources than the bottom - longer practices, more practices, better quality coaching, swag, more coaching time when qualifying for end of season meets. They will be charged more, but they disproportionately cost the team more than the beginners.

Except this generalization doesn't hold. At the 13 and Over level, many of your top swimmers are also club swimmers; im sure there are exceptions across all of NVSL, but what I'm saying holds up well. These 13O swimmers are more often than not going to their club over rec practices and therefore are not taking up lane or coaching space. The teens I've observed over the years who are club swimmers, however, are involved with the team in other ways like being mini volunteers and or coaches, helping with spirit rallies, chalking the night before the meets. The parents of those teens tend (not always) to have parents who are involved in other ways like officials.

By your logic, the team owes this group a kids a refund.

I don’t think anyone owes anyone a refund. I think that the system is working as it should. The club swimmers get the glory of winning for their summer team while not derailing their rigorous club training. The B swimmers get to be inspired by faster teammates and be a part of the team victories. It’s similar to the way many (not all) high school swim teams are set up - club kids don’t have to go to high school practice, and they usually dominate the non club kids, who do have to go to high school practice. The club kids are the ones who qualify for regionals and state, and get extra gear, extra coaching time, and extra practices.

The club swimmers who don’t attend summer swim practice are opting out of practices which already exist for everyone else. The lanes are more empty when they aren’t there, but those practices are happening whether or not they show up. The coaches are getting paid whether or not the club swimmers show up.

The all star swimmers are using resources to go to special meets or dinners or whatever that only they can go to. The coaches are being paid through the end of all stars and coach only those swimmers in that period.

Just out of curiosity, have folks ever seen a conflict between what summer teach coaches are teaching and what club kids are learning? I've heard stories about summer coaches trying to make adjustments to their club kids' strokes, flip turns, etc... and the club coaches basically telling their swimmers to ignore the summer coach.

Our summer and high school coaches know better! They would never give corrective feedback.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every club sports team (and I’m lumping in dvm summer swim with club teams because kids tend to stick with their teams over many years, and because of how much brain space and energy is devoted by the families) is based on a pyramid.

The top of the pyramid attracts new members with their success. The bottom of the pyramid generates income, volunteering might, and feeds the middle and top with talent. The top gets more resources than the bottom - longer practices, more practices, better quality coaching, swag, more coaching time when qualifying for end of season meets. They will be charged more, but they disproportionately cost the team more than the beginners.

Except this generalization doesn't hold. At the 13 and Over level, many of your top swimmers are also club swimmers; im sure there are exceptions across all of NVSL, but what I'm saying holds up well. These 13O swimmers are more often than not going to their club over rec practices and therefore are not taking up lane or coaching space. The teens I've observed over the years who are club swimmers, however, are involved with the team in other ways like being mini volunteers and or coaches, helping with spirit rallies, chalking the night before the meets. The parents of those teens tend (not always) to have parents who are involved in other ways like officials.

By your logic, the team owes this group a kids a refund.

I don’t think anyone owes anyone a refund. I think that the system is working as it should. The club swimmers get the glory of winning for their summer team while not derailing their rigorous club training. The B swimmers get to be inspired by faster teammates and be a part of the team victories. It’s similar to the way many (not all) high school swim teams are set up - club kids don’t have to go to high school practice, and they usually dominate the non club kids, who do have to go to high school practice. The club kids are the ones who qualify for regionals and state, and get extra gear, extra coaching time, and extra practices.

The club swimmers who don’t attend summer swim practice are opting out of practices which already exist for everyone else. The lanes are more empty when they aren’t there, but those practices are happening whether or not they show up. The coaches are getting paid whether or not the club swimmers show up.

The all star swimmers are using resources to go to special meets or dinners or whatever that only they can go to. The coaches are being paid through the end of all stars and coach only those swimmers in that period.

Just out of curiosity, have folks ever seen a conflict between what summer teach coaches are teaching and what club kids are learning? I've heard stories about summer coaches trying to make adjustments to their club kids' strokes, flip turns, etc... and the club coaches basically telling their swimmers to ignore the summer coach.

Our summer and high school coaches know better! They would never give corrective feedback.

Generally swimmers see their club coach before and after a swim, if their club coach is there. Mostly at all stars & Coaches LC.

[Anonymous]

D2 team. There is no extra charge if your swimmer makes it to All Stars -but the team does not pay for the AS merch (families pay NVSL), the custom AS shirt ($15-20), Happy Ad (split by families), or the Friday lunch (Chipotle). The team pays for the coaches' Chipotle. Does your team treasurer post the expense report? That might help anyone who is concerned they're not getting value from summer swim team.