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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It is absolutely wild to stumble onto this thread as a parent who is brand new to MCSL (second summer for kiddo) but very much not brand new to Swimming (both parents mediocre D1 swimmers, co-founder and manager of a 200+ swimmer USMS team, etc. etc.). A few stray observations FWIW:

1. We have now been to several away meets -- the other teams have all been gracious and welcoming hosts, and I literally cannot picture some of the animus and nonsense depicted here. Maybe we haven't been around long enough to see it or maybe it's not an MCSL thing, but if you are bringing any negativity, poor sportsmanship, or meanness to this you are doing it wrong. All of it.

2. Lineups can be tricky, feelings get involved, and I have never been around a swim team entirely devoid of politics, in-groups, etc. But my hunch is that a huge percentage of the lineup paranoia reflected on here is unwarranted. I help write relay lineups that we absolutely have to stand behind (think, 14 separate Mixed Medley Relays using FINA cumulative age groups). I can't imagine having to explain or justify that kind of lineup to some of the folks participating and/or described in this thread.

3. I am beyond impressed by the coaches and team reps who make this incredibly condensed schedule work (including all of the meets, socials, team-building events, season-end stuff). From the outside, I marvel at the organization, execution, and commitment of our coaches and team reps who are dealing with a truly breathless timeline. The communications are impossibly prompt and timely, the adjustments for weather are nimble and smart, and they are responsive at corporate speed. I don't know how they do it, and it would take something truly beyond the pale to convince me that I need to feel anything more than gratitude to these folks.[/quote]

I was you in year #2 of kid on swim team (also MCSL). Just wait. [/quote]

DP, and also an MCSL parent - I am guessing, as someone raised in MoCo, that the level of crazy and lineup shenanigans varies widely across Divisions and teams.  Teams with higher proportions of wealthy, entitled parents probably leads to more shenanigans, particularly when you're dealing with a young, inexperienced coach.  We're in our fifth year with our mid-level MCSL team, have three kids swimming, and the shenanigans have been minimal (knock wood).  There's certainly been drama here and there, but nothing like what's described here.  We're lucky to have a mostly reasonable group of parents and a strong, adult coach who works year round at a local club.  [/quote]

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