Clubs/Drop In Fees

Now, if I visit Swimmac in Charlotte, they can be a hassle. After a meet there last Dec., I was told that for any future visits that I would have to shave my fur as it clogged their pumps. :lmao: Make 'Geek do it! :afraid:

If you are member of USMS, that means you are paying fees to your club and any visit to another USMS club will be covered by their liability insurance. Another club asking you to pay for a visit is rude. I have traveled a lot and swum with other USMS teams. I have only been asked to pay once (and that fee went directly in the coach's pocket). Bottom line, if you are on a USMS team, almost every other team will welcome you as a visitor without any fee. This is not correct. Most clubs actually do have drop in fees, although many don't charge. I am fine with $5-$10 but cringe over that amount. Drop in fees have nothing to do with liability insurance. It's not like USMS subsidizes the club you are visiting and takes away from your home club when you aren't there. It is a courtesy to pay for coaching at another club and utilize their services.

I wouldn't mind driving to Knoxville to be able to swim long course on the weekends. There's an outdoor 50 meter pool in Maryville that offers an hour of uncoached lap swimming on Saturday mornings in the summer. I swam there this summer & really liked it. The pool is nearly empty; maybe 4-6 people show up. There are no lane ropes or backstroke flags, so for backstroke it's awful, but it's fine for free, fly, and ***. I bring my own pace clock. They charge $4 per session.

I've travelled to Ann Arbor several times this year & have practiced with the Ann Arbor Masters. They've been very welcoming! The drop-in fee is $6.50 for a 1.5 hour coached workout. I'm happy with that. In the meantime, my local club, in addition to charging an outrageous monthly fee for workouts offered on a completely ridiculous schedule, charges $15 for drop-ins. Yes, the facility is magnificent, but IMHO the costs are out of line and push people away rather than drawing them in. A $15 drop-in fee says to me, "We really don't want you here." That's ashame too. I wouldn't mind driving to Knoxville to be able to swim long course on the weekends. I don't think the university really wants to grow the program, as the fees are set toward people associated with the school.

In my experience, You don't happen to have any documented proof that you've had experiences at different club or teams, do you? :D

I train alone and race unattached because $47 a month for practicing with a masters team doesn't fit my budget at all

I wish I could pay $47/month. Since we don't have a masters team in our city, I swim with the age-groupers & the coach does give me a sort of discount, as I usually swim with them only 4 out of 11 possible workouts/week - I pay the "pre-senior" rate ($70/mo) vs. the "seniors" rate ($125/mo), PLUS if I opt to swim at a time when the team isn't practicing, I must pay the $3.25 entry fee (per visit). HOWEVER, visitors to our team swim for free, as long as it is for no longer than a week or two - and I have had the privilege of swimming with a couple of other teams around the country and have NEVER been charged a fee by the team. The YMCA's charge a $10 facility fee, but the teams, nothing. I just flash them my USMS card & we're good to go. I think the general feeling is that they offer free workouts for out of town visitors & know that other coaches will do the same for our swimmers. Kind of like a professional courtesy.

We don't offer a drop in fee but we do have a 1 week trial for $20.. That's four sessions and we offer full masters( four days a week) and a Saturday only option. Drop ins are available for out of town swimmers.

I've travelled to Ann Arbor several times this year & have practiced with the Ann Arbor Masters. They've been very welcoming! The drop-in fee is $6.50 for a 1.5 hour coached workout. I'm happy with that. In the meantime, my local club, in addition to charging an outrageous monthly fee for workouts offered on a completely ridiculous schedule, charges $15 for drop-ins. Yes, the facility is magnificent, but IMHO the costs are out of line and push people away rather than drawing them in. A $15 drop-in fee says to me, "We really don't want you here."

I don't mind paying $5-$15(esp. if the facility is really nice) fee. The teams don't have to allow visitors and if charging a small fee is what they ask to take-up a spot in the pool, I see nothing wrong there. Now, if I visit Swimmac in Charlotte, they can be a hassle. After a meet there last Dec., I was told that for any future visits that I would have to shave my fur as it clogged their pumps.