Anonymous
Post 06/01/2025 16:12     Subject: Summer swim brings out the crazy

Anonymous wrote:The whole system is offensive. Mine were A meet kids and year round swimmers. But if they are all on the same team, they should all be able to swim at the same meet. Otherwise, why pay 200-300$ (or more ?) over your membership to have your kid attend packed, chaotic practices? Then get sent to the "B Meet" if your team is even "lucky" enough to have any.


I agree, they just need lane timers. The stratified practices are pretty annoying. Our club sets aside a couple lanes for the faster kids. Thirteen to eighteen kids per lanes in some instances or age groups.

I am ready for summer league to be over.
Anonymous
Post 06/01/2025 11:42     Subject: Summer swim brings out the crazy

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ugh I felt this yesterday. Another mom
Pointing out that her daughter moved up a lane. Just have fun it’s just summer swim.


This....why is nothing fun for kids anymore.


Northern VA is not a fun place every one is living through their kids and in constant competition mode. Sad.


No doubt it is highly competitive, but the most competitive parents are not necessarily living vicariously through their kids, but expecting the same level of excellence they achieved. This is a highly educated, top-of-the-class professional area. I have to check myself from time to time on expectations because I was fortunate to come from nothing, work really hard, and reach goals. We also have a diverse area, with many Asian and Indian families, and African families, bringing the overachiever/high expectations culture as well. Think Mommy Dearest without the wire hangers, not Mama Rose.
Anonymous
Post 06/01/2025 11:14     Subject: Summer swim brings out the crazy

Anonymous wrote:I find our pool takes this whole summer swim way too seriously. The vibe from the team reps and coach is very elitist and not inclusive. They have very high standards for the littles being able to join the team well beyond the supposed safety concerns.


I’d switch pools if I were in this situation.
Anonymous
Post 06/01/2025 11:11     Subject: Summer swim brings out the crazy

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ugh I felt this yesterday. Another mom
Pointing out that her daughter moved up a lane. Just have fun it’s just summer swim.


This....why is nothing fun for kids anymore.


Northern VA is not a fun place every one is living through their kids and in constant competition mode. Sad.
Anonymous
Post 06/01/2025 08:51     Subject: Summer swim brings out the crazy

Anonymous wrote:I find our pool takes this whole summer swim way too seriously. The vibe from the team reps and coach is very elitist and not inclusive. They have very high standards for the littles being able to join the team well beyond the supposed safety concerns.


What is the standard at your pool? Ours is across the dive well with no help or kickboard for mini developmental team. For regular team, 25 straight across, but also have to be able to make it through a practice.
Anonymous
Post 06/01/2025 08:14     Subject: Summer swim brings out the crazy

I find our pool takes this whole summer swim way too seriously. The vibe from the team reps and coach is very elitist and not inclusive. They have very high standards for the littles being able to join the team well beyond the supposed safety concerns.
Anonymous
Post 06/01/2025 07:00     Subject: Summer swim brings out the crazy

Anonymous wrote:The whole system is offensive. Mine were A meet kids and year round swimmers. But if they are all on the same team, they should all be able to swim at the same meet. Otherwise, why pay 200-300$ (or more ?) over your membership to have your kid attend packed, chaotic practices? Then get sent to the "B Meet" if your team is even "lucky" enough to have any.


I can’t tell if you are being sarcastic. Summer swim is incredibly cheap - weeks of instruction and fun for less than a week of day camp.
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2025 22:20     Subject: Summer swim brings out the crazy

The whole system is offensive. Mine were A meet kids and year round swimmers. But if they are all on the same team, they should all be able to swim at the same meet. Otherwise, why pay 200-300$ (or more ?) over your membership to have your kid attend packed, chaotic practices? Then get sent to the "B Meet" if your team is even "lucky" enough to have any.
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2025 21:06     Subject: Summer swim brings out the crazy

There are always cliques in swim teams. It’s mini version of the school (thinking mostly in ES).
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2025 15:06     Subject: Summer swim brings out the crazy

It's so crazy reading these stories. We have never experienced any of this in our neighborhood swim team. My kids are B meet swimmers, so maybe it's more laid back, but the B meets are basically a party for the kids. There is a bit of a clique with the more experienced swim families, and it took us a couple years to really figure things out, but we have never noticed any of this madness.
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2025 14:32     Subject: Summer swim brings out the crazy

We had a kid tell my son “my mom says you’re my competition.”

We laughed and reminded him that the only thing you should ever focus on is beating your former self. Don’t engage in the craziness
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2025 14:30     Subject: Summer swim brings out the crazy

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What’s the OSRC vibe? New swim parent here and this thread has me nervous of what I may have gotten into!


Never heard of OSRC. Is it in NVSL?


Yep Oakton
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2025 10:39     Subject: Summer swim brings out the crazy

Anonymous wrote:What’s the OSRC vibe? New swim parent here and this thread has me nervous of what I may have gotten into!


Never heard of OSRC. Is it in NVSL?
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2025 10:11     Subject: Re:Summer swim brings out the crazy

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our B meets are so big that we don’t really sees the kids. We mix them up so it’s not all the same kids from the same team but it is totally random which heat or lane they end up in!


We don't typically seed B meets. I think the main reason is because it makes clerk of course easier when you just throw 6 kids in the same age group together. People also tend to flake out more and not show up to B meets and not seeding allows all lanes to be filled. Kids also like to swim with their friends at B meets especially if its against a team we don't swim against on Saturdays.


All of this!


Agreed a lot of of no shows and time is of the essence at B meets . It’s just annoying when your kid is .20 from making a mixed aged relay , and the powers to be will utilize the “ randomness “ to their advantage. They will stack some heats and soften others .


One option to push a kid would be to have them swim up at a B meet. Still it’s tough to get best time to make a relay on a Monday night.


I think that was kind of their point. Team rep kid is put in a lane swimming up (or a girl with the boys) while their kid is in a slow heat.


why does everyone think there are so many conspiracies happening in summer swim? At our pool kids are just thrown in by whomever shows up in clerk of course at the same time. This is typically with their friends. The volunteers aren't picking out "special" kids to give an advantage or disadvantage.



It’s always a conspiracy if there’s no touch pads, ladder, meet mobile, psych sheets with times, streaming, etc


It’s really not at most pools.
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2025 07:22     Subject: Summer swim brings out the crazy

What’s the OSRC vibe? New swim parent here and this thread has me nervous of what I may have gotten into!