If you are even thinking about spending $500/ mo on swimming, you aren't middle class.

Anonymous wrote:Ncap Burke owns their pool though, don’t they?

No. We practice at Burke Racquet and Swim Club where we rent lanes. While we are the exclusive club team renting the facilities, NCAP Burke does not own BRSC. (It does mean that NCAP can run two of each Bronze I, II, and III groups in both morning and afternoon, a luxury not available at many other pools.) The 12U coach is the aquatics director at the club. I believe Steve Curtis and Jimmy Davis own the club (and they are not affiliated with NCAP).

Ncap Burke owns their pool though, don’t they?

Not sure if someone’s already mentioned it, but as a dive family we are very familiar with Mission Viejo and you can’t compare any club in America to their pricing structure. They own their pool complex and have for decades. They have some of the most affordable swim and dive in the country by far.

The price of club swimming here is ridiculous. It’s such a shame because it’s just not doable for many families, which hurts the kids. The teams/owners are making an insane profit, even after lane fees and coaching salary and other expenses. I’m all for capitalism, but come on. At least one of my kids will have to quit club swim because of the prices, not that the “teams” (aka businesses) will even care. The owners are to blame, and they all do it.

Sorry OP, $6100 in dmv is expensive. We paid $5.5k in ny for our 10 year old, and that was in 2015. Cannot imagine what it costs now.

You can complain about the cost, but as long as people are willing to pay for it, they won’t miss your son. I appreciate that he is a top swimmer, but unless he is Luka Mijatovic caliber, he is just one swimmer out of hundreds. And your argument that top swimmers are being priced out doesn’t make sense - all swimmers who can’t afford $6k a year are being priced out, and no club is going to charge less for groups that practice more than others.

Older swimmers and swimmers in top groups are already being subsidized by younger swimmer and lower groups, anyway. You can fit more 9-10 year olds swimmers in a lane than 15-16 year olds, so the groups can be bigger. The travel fees for the coaches to go to sectionals, futures, jr nationals etc, are borne by the entire team, not just by the kids who qualify. Much of the equipment that the team buys - backstroke wedges, wearable swim data monitors, tethers, drag socks, dryland equipment, are mostly used by older swimmers. The younger swimmers are the engine that keep the club running.

Have you thought about substituting? There's always a need, it's flexible and could easily make you that $6k, without totally commuting to a 40 hr wk sked

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I fully appreciate your plight, but as a dual income family busting our butt so our kids can do these things in this area, I have little sympathy for a family where one person, whose youngest child is in middle school, is choosing not to work.

This.

This x 100 (NCAP-Burke parent)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I fully appreciate your plight, but as a dual income family busting our butt so our kids can do these things in this area, I have little sympathy for a family where one person, whose youngest child is in middle school, is choosing not to work.

I am not OP, but you don't know why they are not working and it may not be a choice, such as taking care of elderly parents, sick child at home, whatever. Or maybe, they just lost their job. Give them a break.

I don’t think this was called for. OP made some points about pricing and others made more nuanced and thoughtful arguments about relative comparisons which I found helpful.

Anonymous wrote:I fully appreciate your plight, but as a dual income family busting our butt so our kids can do these things in this area, I have little sympathy for a family where one person, whose youngest child is in middle school, is choosing not to work.

I am not OP, but you don't know why they are not working and it may not be a choice, such as taking care of elderly parents, sick child at home, whatever. Or maybe, they just lost their job. Give them a break.

Anonymous wrote:I fully appreciate your plight, but as a dual income family busting our butt so our kids can do these things in this area, I have little sympathy for a family where one person, whose youngest child is in middle school, is choosing not to work.

This.

I fully appreciate your plight, but as a dual income family busting our butt so our kids can do these things in this area, I have little sympathy for a family where one person, whose youngest child is in middle school, is choosing not to work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Potomac Marlins did not raise their fees this year and they start their coaches at $10 more than NCAP does.

NCAP always been money hungry

Potomac Marlins does not have coaches on salary with benefits (health insurance, 401k, etc) most of NCAP and Machine coaches are full time professional coaches with benefits.

The NCAP Burke site is a franchise. Pete Morgan sets those prices. Not Tom Ugast.

They have coaches on salary, no benefits, that being said they still start their hourly coaches at a higher rate.

Who is they?

If comparing pricing of Marlins vs NCAP, Potomac Marlins doesn’t include any dryland training in their program/fees. NCAP does.

and they also charge all 12 months even though no august practice. My kid was there in younger years.

So the $ is x 12, if you are comparing to other club yearly cost.