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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I get why this topic comes up every year—it can look messy from the outside. But I do think it’s worth being careful about assuming intent or favoritism without seeing the full picture.

In many cases (mine included), parents don’t get involved to get their kids hired—they get involved because their kids are already deeply invested in the team. Those kids often grow up volunteering, helping at practices, assisting younger swimmers, and building relationships with coaches over several years. By the time they apply for a coaching role, they may genuinely be some of the strongest candidates—not because of who their parents are, but because of their experience, commitment, and familiarity with the program.

It’s also important to recognize that a lot of the hiring process happens behind the scenes. Unless you’ve stepped into those roles, you may not realize how many safeguards are already in place to keep things fair. Many teams use structured scoring systems or rubrics—evaluating things like leadership, reliability, communication, and interaction with younger swimmers—and once candidates are scored, decisions are often made in a way that’s effectively blind to who their parents are. Add in conflict-of-interest practices (like people stepping out of decisions involving their own kids), and there’s usually more intentionality than it might appear from the outside.

On the swimming piece—yes, by the time someone is a teen applying to coach, they should be legal in all four strokes. They don’t need to be fast, but being able to swim all four is a pretty basic expectation and usually reflects a level of engagement with the sport. That said, coaching ability is about much more than speed—some of the best teen coaches are the ones who connect with kids, bring energy, and show up consistently.

I’ll also add—having been on the other side of this—it can be tough when your child does earn a role and people assume it was handed to them. [b]Sometimes the “favored” kid is actually just the one who’s been putting in the work for years.[/b]

Totally fair to want a fair and transparent process. But I’d focus less on who someone’s parent is and more on whether the team has a thoughtful, consistent approach to evaluating and selecting coaches.[/quote]

Its also possible that your bias in favor of your own child colors your viewpoint on this. [/quote]

That’s a fair point—and I don’t think anyone would claim these systems are completely free of bias. In a fully volunteer-run activity, that’s just the reality. The people stepping into these roles are usually parents whose kids have been in the program for years and are now at or near coaching age.

That said, I'll push back on the assumption of motive. These roles are a ton of work—far more than most people realize—and in my experience, the people stepping up to do them are doing it for the good of the team as a whole, not just to benefit their own child. Could bias creep in? Sure. But the default assumption shouldn’t be that’s why they’re doing it.

There’s no perfect system here—but there is a lot of effort behind the scenes to make it as fair and balanced as possible.[/quote]

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