My DD had her first swim practice today in our unheated pool and it was fine. Yes, she said it took her a minute or 2 to get used to it, but then it was fine. There was no one in a wetsuit and only 1 kid pitching a tantrum about getting in the water, and even that kid overcame it when all the other kids just started telling him to jump in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it usually this cold at the start of summer swim? The water temp is probably 70 degrees, if that, with all the rain and colder weather this weekend. Do teams make younger kids jump in anyway? My daughter is in the 9-10 and hates cold water. Literally turns blue, lips chattering. I don't think she's going to be able to swim. This is our first year, so curious if this is normal.

You think it's 70, or it's been measured at 70? Big difference. Mine complained about how cold it was, but it measures at 85 (it's been heated all winter). That still feels cold when it's cold and rainy out, especially to skinny little kids. But it's good for swimming in cold weather, too warm in warm weather.

What summer swim outdoor pool is heated?!

Dominion Hills. NCAP used it all winter. Pool water was 80+

DP - Chesterbrook has heated pools now too after their renovations. The lower pool stayed open all winter for lap swimming and swim teams.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it usually this cold at the start of summer swim? The water temp is probably 70 degrees, if that, with all the rain and colder weather this weekend. Do teams make younger kids jump in anyway? My daughter is in the 9-10 and hates cold water. Literally turns blue, lips chattering. I don't think she's going to be able to swim. This is our first year, so curious if this is normal.

You think it's 70, or it's been measured at 70? Big difference. Mine complained about how cold it was, but it measures at 85 (it's been heated all winter). That still feels cold when it's cold and rainy out, especially to skinny little kids. But it's good for swimming in cold weather, too warm in warm weather.

What summer swim outdoor pool is heated?!

Tuckahoe
Chesterbrook
Poplar Heights

to name 3

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Anonymous wrote:Why did I pick that pool?

Because you join three waitlists when your kids are in diapers and pray that you get off one by the time they hit the age to do swim team. I was not evaluating the pools based on the swim team practice times at that point. And if I had the luxury of picking a pool based on how well it fit our needs for swim team, or whatever, we would! But of course then my kids would have aged out by the time we got off the waiting list...or the practice schedule would have changed.

Seriously?!

I don’t know where the original poster is from, but yes pools in Arlington have waitlists over 4yrs. Our pool is currently about 5 years to get a summer membership.

our neighborhood pool runs about 7 years. Some houses convey with memberships, but if the membership has been separated from the house, it reverts to the pool when the member sells it back and goes someone on the waitlist

Anonymous wrote:This is par for the course for most swim teams around here. Last week our pool posted it’s temperature on Twitter and it went about 1° Up per day, but once it rained and cold came it fell down 5°. It’s typically mid June before our pool is even close to warm enough for the kids not to have the blue lip/chattering.

Yes, I don't know the formula, but during the outdoor winter swims, they were comparing wind chill to water temperature to determine if there could be practice, also if it had rained or snowed, that caused drastic changes in temp. Ice on the deck was a problem too.

Anonymous wrote:Why did I pick that pool?

Because you join three waitlists when your kids are in diapers and pray that you get off one by the time they hit the age to do swim team. I was not evaluating the pools based on the swim team practice times at that point. And if I had the luxury of picking a pool based on how well it fit our needs for swim team, or whatever, we would! But of course then my kids would have aged out by the time we got off the waiting list...or the practice schedule would have changed.

Seriously?!

I don’t know where the original poster is from, but yes pools in Arlington have waitlists over 4yrs. Our pool is currently about 5 years to get a summer membership.

Why did I pick that pool?

Because you join three waitlists when your kids are in diapers and pray that you get off one by the time they hit the age to do swim team. I was not evaluating the pools based on the swim team practice times at that point. And if I had the luxury of picking a pool based on how well it fit our needs for swim team, or whatever, we would! But of course then my kids would have aged out by the time we got off the waiting list...or the practice schedule would have changed.

Seriously?!

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone clue me in on how people make swim practices from 9-10am (or even later) happen with summer camps etc?

Swim team is for SAHMs and Nannies.

Summer swim team has always been like this. The only difference from my childhood is there are SAHDs doing drop-off, too. Kids who had two working parents in the 1980s either had nannies, rode their bike to practice, or got stuck at all-day Y camps if they weren’t old enough to be latchkey kids. The only difference now is that SAHDs are also at swim practice, day camps are more interesting, and latchkey kids have to be way older.

The great news these days is WFH parents can also make the practices now. My kids don’t want to go to swim practice at 7am! What an awful way to spend summer break.

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Anonymous wrote:This is part of being a swimmer. Yes it’s cold. They get used to it. Make sure to teach them what to do if they get a muscle cramp so they don’t freak out in the water.

This is my kids 4th year of swimming (in other states) but they have never swum in an unheated/cold pool. What do you do for a muscle cramp? They love swimming and summer swim but I think they will refuse. I don’t blame them. Can they wear wet suits? What do people do?

No people don’t wear wet suits. They swim to warm up. I’m seriously shocked by this discussion. It’s cold at the beginning of baseball. Soccer plays in the pouring rain. I don’t see how a cold start to summer swim is any different.

The younger ones do, especially new to swimming. Older don't Soccer and swimming are very different.

I have a baseball player and a soccer player who both do summer swim. They both put on extra clothes when it's really cold on the diamond or pitch.

Also, little kids don't play soccer in the pouring rain. They don't start playign in the pouring rain till they're old enough to be prioritized for the turf fields, but which point they are running most of the game (and wearing something warm in between).

Is not comparable. Kids swim in the rain.

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Anonymous wrote:Our pool only has morning practices and the middle age group swims from 10-11. Its not for people who need group childcare/"camp" during the workday. People will miss certain weeks to do a camp here and there, though.

Why did you pick that pool then?

I agree that there are certain programs are not for working parents who need childcare. My kids are doing some 1/2 day sports camps. Same thing. it works for us, because I've got a grandparent willing to pick up. But I wouldn't say that "soccer camp" isn't for people work working parents. I'd just pick a different soccer camp.

It’s our HOA pool. I’m fine with the hours, but they don’t really work for parents who work full time.

It’s usually that way due to pool hours. They hold team before pool opens. Some pools have evening team practices.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it usually this cold at the start of summer swim? The water temp is probably 70 degrees, if that, with all the rain and colder weather this weekend. Do teams make younger kids jump in anyway? My daughter is in the 9-10 and hates cold water. Literally turns blue, lips chattering. I don't think she's going to be able to swim. This is our first year, so curious if this is normal.

You think it's 70, or it's been measured at 70? Big difference. Mine complained about how cold it was, but it measures at 85 (it's been heated all winter). That still feels cold when it's cold and rainy out, especially to skinny little kids. But it's good for swimming in cold weather, too warm in warm weather.

It was upper 50s for two days, with rain and overcast. Today is mid 70s. Tomorrow will start to heat up, with overcast and rain though. There's no way an unheated outdoor pool can be warmer than 70-75 degrees, and probably on the lower end of that. That's freaking cold.

Ours is heated, that's why I asked, and for those that can actually read: it's heated.

Funny thing, um, yeah... we weren't talking about you and your pool. You asked ME whether I knew the pool temp or was guessing. Why don't you try reading more carefully yourself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our pool only has morning practices and the middle age group swims from 10-11. Its not for people who need group childcare/"camp" during the workday. People will miss certain weeks to do a camp here and there, though.

Why did you pick that pool then?

I agree that there are certain programs are not for working parents who need childcare. My kids are doing some 1/2 day sports camps. Same thing. it works for us, because I've got a grandparent willing to pick up. But I wouldn't say that "soccer camp" isn't for people work working parents. I'd just pick a different soccer camp.

It’s our HOA pool. I’m fine with the hours, but they don’t really work for parents who work full time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone clue me in on how people make swim practices from 9-10am (or even later) happen with summer camps etc?

Swim team is for SAHMs and Nannies.

Summer swim team has always been like this. The only difference from my childhood is there are SAHDs doing drop-off, too. Kids who had two working parents in the 1980s either had nannies, rode their bike to practice, or got stuck at all-day Y camps if they weren’t old enough to be latchkey kids. The only difference now is that SAHDs are also at swim practice, day camps are more interesting, and latchkey kids have to be way older.

Anonymous wrote:Our pool only has morning practices and the middle age group swims from 10-11. Its not for people who need group childcare/"camp" during the workday. People will miss certain weeks to do a camp here and there, though.

Why did you pick that pool then?

I agree that there are certain programs are not for working parents who need childcare. My kids are doing some 1/2 day sports camps. Same thing. it works for us, because I've got a grandparent willing to pick up. But I wouldn't say that "soccer camp" isn't for people work working parents. I'd just pick a different soccer camp.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone clue me in on how people make swim practices from 9-10am (or even later) happen with summer camps etc?

We get a summer babysitter and miss one week of swim and diving team for a camp. This year it’s soccer. Our swim team ends the 3rd week of July so that leaves one more July week for a different camp. When my kid is old enough for sleepaway camp, they will do second session of camp and miss swim championships, but they’re ok with that.

Thanks... So if swim team is only one hour mid day and both parents work, you get a babysitter to drive to swim practice and then deliver to camp late? Or just a full season babysitter? I was expecting team practice to be from 7-8 or 8-9am, not in the middle of the day.

No, my kid doesn’t go to camp except for a week during swim season. Usually we get a high school senior or college freshman/sophomore. They cover the morning dropoff at the pool, eat lunch with the kids, then get them ready for diving and tennis at the same place. Our swim/tennis club does have an all-day day camp that takes care of getting the kids to swim/dive/tennis, but we don’t need 9-6 care.. The sitter typically handles ~5 hours/day. Depending on the day, they either drive them to a late-afternoon sport from which we pick the kid up or bring them home. Some nights the babysitter might stay until dinner but usually we finish by 2-3 pm and take over.

My friends who work 2 full-time in-person jobs and have kids in summer sports usually have full-time nannies or au pairs. I don’t know a good way to make sports work with day camp.