I joined Kent Gardens Recreation Club last year, I was on the list for less then a year. Nice pool - smaller then some of the other, but heated - a plus!

My husband is being transferred to DC and we're house hunting now in North Arlington. Our Agent has shown us a few houses near Overlee and Westover, for one she said the house came with an Overlee membership, is this a scam?
Our youngest daughter (11) is on the swim team and we'd like to find a fun team for her. Is Overlee too competitive? Also, we drove by Overlee and Dominion Hills (haven't found Arlington Forest or Columbus) Overlee is a mess. Their new pools sound nice (although expensive, nothing like that in Atlanta, even country clubs) BUT will it be ready this summer? Our agent said its on track, but I can't see how they can build a new pool when they haven't started. We only have one friend in the area and they live in McLean. Looking for some advice for pools, especially if they have long wait lists. Thanks

Anonymous wrote:Have you visited them? We were fortunate enough to have friends invite us to both Overlee and Dominion Hills this year. While both were nice - of course -after going to Overlee, I thought I would never want to join a pool. It got as crowded and chaotic as the county pool. Ok, maybe not QUITE as bad, but close. And the county pool bounce pass is so much cheaper and you can go to several pools.

But, then we went to Dominion Hills. Granted we probably went on a less crowded day, but the atmosphere was so much more laid back and relaxing, we actually decided to get on the wait list. I'm not saying it is better, it just fit our personalities more. If you want a larger, more amenities atmosphere, Overlee would be good (I haven't been able to visit the others, so I can't say).

I have been to Overlee twice as a guest during the week and it was not too bad. No way I would compare it to the crazy chaos of Upton Hills on a weekend, but maybe Overlee is the same on weekends, too.

We like Overlee a lot. Our kids go to Nottingham, and it draws lots of kids from there and from Tuckahoe, and I know at least one kid who belongs who goes to Glebe. Other Nottingham kids seem to belong mostly to KOC (about an equal split) with a smaller number at Tuckahoe (mostly because it has tennis, I think). My kids (6 and 9) meet up with their friends there and we often go after work, meet our friends, and order pizza. I feel like it is very laid back and often not that crowded--just depends when you go. They are rebuilding the pool this fall so we will have a new zero entry main pool and a new club house, and there is also a lap pool and baby pool. Our kids don't belong to the swim team (they also have diving and synchro) but that is fine. It costs us a lot so we make a point to go! But really, lots of good choices so don't sweat it too much.

Have you visited them? We were fortunate enough to have friends invite us to both Overlee and Dominion Hills this year. While both were nice - of course -after going to Overlee, I thought I would never want to join a pool. It got as crowded and chaotic as the county pool. Ok, maybe not QUITE as bad, but close. And the county pool bounce pass is so much cheaper and you can go to several pools.

But, then we went to Dominion Hills. Granted we probably went on a less crowded day, but the atmosphere was so much more laid back and relaxing, we actually decided to get on the wait list. I'm not saying it is better, it just fit our personalities more. If you want a larger, more amenities atmosphere, Overlee would be good (I haven't been able to visit the others, so I can't say).

Hm, I always assumed that you could only join the pool for your neighborhood. Do you do tours of pool clubs before getting on wait lists? Naive question, but I'm serious. We missed the train this year and want to get on waitlists now for next summer, but didn't realize we had options.

Anonymous wrote:How long is the waiting list at KOC?

There isn't one - you just rejoin every year. I think they are closed for this summer. We like it there - nothing fancy, but it works for my 4 and 6 year olds.

How long is the waiting list at KOC?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your children want to do swim team, you need to match the pool with their level of interest / skill. Overlee is intense, and the swim team has mainly kids who swim year round. Other pools may be more relaxed.

OP here. Thanks for the feedback. I'm not really sure how intensely my 18-month-old and/or my 12-week-old plan to pursue swimming, but I will definitely discuss it with them before making this decision.

Not the pp and I know you were being sarcastic, but it is something to think about. Of course you don't know what they will want to do in the future, but wouldn't you think about it before plunking down $3000 to join Overlee? That's why we haven't joined a pool yet that we are locked into (my kids are 6 and 4) - we have done Upton Hills in previous years and this year we are doing KOC. Once we know who our kids' friends are and if they really want to pursue swim team, we will make a decision that "locks" us into something (probably next summer).

OP here. I was being sarcastic I suppose, but from my end it was coming out with a smile. It's a valid point of course, but we feel like we can't wait to make a decision because then it will be another 3-5 years before we get in. I'm so excited to move to Arlington from DC and I love living in this area, but it does sometimes feel like everything is already packed before you get there: daycare, schools, pediatricians, pools, roads... It can be a little stressful.

We've pretty much ruled out Overlee anyway, as it is the one place that really does feel like we are locked in as the 3K is non-refundable. If my kids turn out to be swim freaks we'll cross that bridge, but I just can't justify THAT much more money when people seem to be just as happy with the other pools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your children want to do swim team, you need to match the pool with their level of interest / skill. Overlee is intense, and the swim team has mainly kids who swim year round. Other pools may be more relaxed.

OP here. Thanks for the feedback. I'm not really sure how intensely my 18-month-old and/or my 12-week-old plan to pursue swimming, but I will definitely discuss it with them before making this decision.

Not the pp and I know you were being sarcastic, but it is something to think about. Of course you don't know what they will want to do in the future, but wouldn't you think about it before plunking down $3000 to join Overlee? That's why we haven't joined a pool yet that we are locked into (my kids are 6 and 4) - we have done Upton Hills in previous years and this year we are doing KOC. Once we know who our kids' friends are and if they really want to pursue swim team, we will make a decision that "locks" us into something (probably next summer).

Anonymous wrote:If your children want to do swim team, you need to match the pool with their level of interest / skill. Overlee is intense, and the swim team has mainly kids who swim year round. Other pools may be more relaxed.

OP here. Thanks for the feedback. I'm not really sure how intensely my 18-month-old and/or my 12-week-old plan to pursue swimming, but I will definitely discuss it with them before making this decision.

If your children want to do swim team, you need to match the pool with their level of interest / skill. Overlee is intense, and the swim team has mainly kids who swim year round. Other pools may be more relaxed.

Anonymous wrote:I know they all have long waiting lists, but assuming you could walk into any one of them and sign up tomorrow, which one would it be and why?

How important is it to belong to the pool that is closest to your house? None of them are really walkable for us, so I'm more concerned about the social aspects. If we ended up at a pool a couple of miles away rather than right in our neighborhood, does that mean my kids would never run into any of their school friends there, or that all of the kids at the other pool would know each other and my kids would be left out?

Also, there seems to be a HUGE cost discrepancy between the pools, and Overlee is by far the most expensive. Is it that much better?

Anything else I should keep in mind?

Thanks!

Actually, my friend got off the waitlist this year at Overlee after only putting it on in January. Maybe because it is so much more expensive, people are not able to afford it anymore. We go to KOC pool so I can't respond to your questions really, but I have heard that the Overlee swim team is pretty intense so if that is something you are interested in, you might want to look into that.

Can anyone say what schools Overlee draws from? We are at Glebe which is not really close to any of those pools, but I guess Overlee would be the closest.

We belong to dominion hills. I do think it's best to belong to the pool closest to you because it has more of a neighborhood feel. Also waits are generally shorter if you are in the boundary for the pool. Some pools do capital improvements (new bathhouse etc) that can really increase the cost of buying in.
We got in after two years which was pretty short but our pool will onlylet you transfer ownership with a house sale or to
o someone on the wait list. Arlington Forest lets their members sell their shares on the open market so it takes literally forever to get in there.

I know they all have long waiting lists, but assuming you could walk into any one of them and sign up tomorrow, which one would it be and why?

How important is it to belong to the pool that is closest to your house? None of them are really walkable for us, so I'm more concerned about the social aspects. If we ended up at a pool a couple of miles away rather than right in our neighborhood, does that mean my kids would never run into any of their school friends there, or that all of the kids at the other pool would know each other and my kids would be left out?

Also, there seems to be a HUGE cost discrepancy between the pools, and Overlee is by far the most expensive. Is it that much better?

Anything else I should keep in mind?

Thanks!