Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate how the average swimmers have to sit around and listen to the names of the star swimmers and the advice to the star swimmers at the daily practices. It is not a team sport but they call it a team. I am new to this whole swim team thing so didn't appreciate this in advance.

Should everyone get a trophy instead? Or perhaps they could pretend that the best kids don't matter? This sounds like real life. Do you hate how the average kids have to sit around and listen to the names of the star students? If you or your kids don't like it you should definitely find something else for them to do, but as a mom whose kids have played every sport under the sun, I've found the camaraderie of the swim team refreshing.

At the other extreme, the new coach at our pool this year makes all the kids do the same workout, so it is tailored to the occasional swimmer. Kids who swim year round have stopped coming to practice because it is a waste of time if they have a hard workout with their year round teams in the morning. In the past the coach would send experienced swimmers off to practice deck starts and other things particular to summer swimming so they would get something out of practice. It has really killed team cohesion.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also dislike the culture among the parents. It feels a lot like a fraternity and sorority.

+ 1

I didn't realize joining a community pool was going to be like going back to high school, and that my perfectly nice non-team member child would be on the social dud list. This is just so fucking weird and cliched. Can't wait to get away from this $700 summer of watching a bunch of little snots and their nasty parents hang out together.

Oh no what pool is this? We are new to suburbs and new to community pools. Is this what happens?

Anonymous wrote:I hate how the average swimmers have to sit around and listen to the names of the star swimmers and the advice to the star swimmers at the daily practices. It is not a team sport but they call it a team. I am new to this whole swim team thing so didn't appreciate this in advance.

Should everyone get a trophy instead? Or perhaps they could pretend that the best kids don't matter? This sounds like real life. Do you hate how the average kids have to sit around and listen to the names of the star students? If you or your kids don't like it you should definitely find something else for them to do, but as a mom whose kids have played every sport under the sun, I've found the camaraderie of the swim team refreshing.

Anonymous wrote:I also dislike the culture among the parents. It feels a lot like a fraternity and sorority.

+ 1

I didn't realize joining a community pool was going to be like going back to high school, and that my perfectly nice non-team member child would be on the social dud list. This is just so fucking weird and cliched. Can't wait to get away from this $700 summer of watching a bunch of little snots and their nasty parents hang out together.

I also dislike the culture among the parents. It feels a lot like a fraternity and sorority.

Anonymous wrote:We love our NVSL team. Coach would care about having swimmers there Saturdays but otherwise I don't see what you're saying at our pool at all. But, swimming is a huge commitment that largely falls on parents so if you hate it, those things would make it worse. Your husband should step up if it's his passion.

Exactly.

I hate how the average swimmers have to sit around and listen to the names of the star swimmers and the advice to the star swimmers at the daily practices. It is not a team sport but they call it a team. I am new to this whole swim team thing so didn't appreciate this in advance.

We love our NVSL team. Coach would care about having swimmers there Saturdays but otherwise I don't see what you're saying at our pool at all. But, swimming is a huge commitment that largely falls on parents so if you hate it, those things would make it worse. Your husband should step up if it's his passion.

Moco, currently in MCSL but open to prnce-mont teams.

Where in MD are you, are you in Moco?

We are in MD. Would love recommendations for teams that are good for kids of all levels. I have one AAA swimmer, one BB swimmer, and one reluctant swimmer that we make swim because of his boundless energy.

You are on the wrong team. Ours is nothing like that- other than the coach would want the fast kids there on Saturdays.

Everything is electronic- you know who has the fastest times and they swim onSats.

Our team has we some high school coaches who encourage and interact with the kids.

But yes- the rain has sucked a lot of fun out of this year.

Are you in MD or VA.

Ha! Try dive team - much shorter meets

I hate:

-standing in the rain timing for 4 hours. Though not timing is even worse.
-that we catch endless grief if we miss meets because one of my kids is fast
-that it overlaps with spring activities for 2 weekends
-that my husband has idyllic memories of his swim team so he pushes me to find a driver to take them to the pool after school evey day starting after memorial day
-that the coach doesn't swim the fastest swimmers because she is too lazy to actually look at the results
-that the teenagers mock the younger kids that are faster than them
-that the B meets start an hour or more late because they are so disorganized
-that despite this disorganization, they refuse help because "that is just the way we have always done things"

I need a full time driver next year so i never have to set foot on the pool deck. Or switch to a more organized team.