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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Just caught up on this thread and wow, it’s been a wild ride. I live on the west coast and we had much longer restrictions in my state that in the dmv. I am pretty tied in to our local swim gossip and I so wish I lived in the DMV still so I could hear the coaches’ and pool’s version of this. I will say that there are still some parents like OP out here that don’t take responsibility for their kids’ development and are coming in to things like gymnastics or swim and mad that their kid is 9 and being treated as a beginner.

Here’s the thing: before DD was born, we were already on two pool waitlists because swimming is important to me. I researched it carefully even though I grew up somewhere with easy pool access and think fighting for swim access is insane. We’re still on one wait list and drive 30 minutes to get to the pool we were able to join. During Covid when lessons were suspended and pools were closed, I was in a cold lake every day with my just-turned-5 year old kid with both of us in wetsuits making sure she was still on track with learning to swim. When our pools reopened, I was setting an alarm for 12 am and 6 am to reserve open swim time slots in an outdoor pool in November. DH would be on another laptop in case one of ours froze during signups. When mini swim team restarted with restricted spots, I was there on day 1 of signups with my deposit so she could start at the youngest age with the most intake spots. And yes, our team had kids go off blocks for the first time, all of the kids did what they could (countless jumps with streamline arms), and no one saw it as weird. When our gymnastics program folded, I started driving 45 minutes each way so DD could join another team.

What I did was pretty mild and I know parents who worked way harder to keep their kids on track. This is just part of life and you can’t be mad that other people are more on top of it and willing to be more cold or wet or tired than you are. When I hear parents out here whine that their kids can’t do swim because lessons are inconvenient or can’t do gym because it’s too far, I don’t have a lot of sympathy. Rec soccer is close and easy. Try that.[/quote]

I don't want to do that; I would rather pull the plug on RSFC, if they can't run fair tryouts, maybe make a civilized lottery system or something, have yearly tryouts.  That is what I did in basketball every year we had tryouts.

BTW Congratulations you ruined a kids sport.
[/quote]

No one ruined a kids sport except maybe every voter who has ever voted against increasing taxes to fund more pools, more gyms, more community centers, and more, smaller high schools. Even when I was a kid in the late 80s it wasn’t necessarily easy to join a club swim team or other sports if you wanted to do anything beyond lessons or rec.

The US population has grown massively in the past 40 years and it’s the rare state or municipality which has increased resources and facilities for recreation and childrens’ sports to match that increase. I live in a municipality with one outdoor pool per 400,000 residents. This is a great article to show how lucky people in the DMV are when it comes to swimming:

https://swimply.com/blog/post/cities-with-the-fewest-community-pools-per-capita#:~:text=Cleveland%20topped%20the%20list%20for,have%20access%20to%20privatized%20facilities.[/quote]

I just think these non-for-profit teams that optimize the public resources then pretend like they are private and only provide services to elites (elites that don't even live in this city) don't really deserve more pools.  I have to go private, and I pay $12000 in taxes to the city.

The basic mechanism of why the public doesn't want to fund these is pretty clear and defunding RSFC is a totally attainable goal.[/quote]

I don’t think you pay that much in city taxes. I don’t live in Rockville. I’m more of an elite who don’t deserve more pools. But for a million dollar house in my neighborhood you pay $10-11k in county property taxes. No way Rockville residents also pay an additional 5 figure tax. If so they should have 7 nice indoor swim centers. [/quote]

https://www.rockvillemd.gov/1016/Taxes
It appears to be a 17% premium on county taxes.

What I don't understand is why all these die-hard swimming parents:  "Drive 30minutes", "Swim in wet suits."  can claim to be all that dedicated to swimming.  I bought a house conveniently near a pool and pay taxes, how is that for supporting swimming? How about that eh?  [b]I even put up with poor neighbors and mediocre schools.[/b]

People who live out where the sidewalks end, and the good school areas start are they really that loyal to swimming.  I think they just want the elite gold star without paying for it.

Why not move to a good pool area?  Where you can have the privilege of ponying up extra money for a pool.[/quote]

You sound charming.  I feel sorry for your neighbors.  [/quote]

The one that illegally sublets and sleeps in the hammock?  You can have him. He just needs two trees, he'll be your friend forever.

I figure I pay much more than six dollars for RSFC per year in taxes.  That was a gross analysis assuming each person pays the same taxes including kids etc.[/quote]

Given how rich you are you can afford private lessons and a private team till your kid can get into RMSC.  Simple.  [/quote]

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