Venting again

RE: Venting again

Former Member — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:54:13 GMT

The HS the grandchildren attend has a magnet program that is one of the best in the state and one of the hardest to get into. Both grandchildren are in the magnet program. I don't see either of them going to another school. Everyone is happy with the USA team and coach granddaughter swims with. I guess that is part of the frustration. We know what a good team should be.

RE: Venting again

Former Member — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 10:08:08 GMT

She probably will not swim for her HS next year which is sad. She set the backstroke goal herself. The booster club tried to address these issues with the coach to no avail. My daughter did have a private conversation with the coach and later at multiple meets because after the first conference he never returned calls or emails. Pretty much fell on deaf ears with a few exceptions. He did put her in the 100 back a couple of times. If my daughter wanted to be pushy she could certainly go to administration with valid complaints about these issues and complaints about how he bends the truth, not just to the swimmers but to parents as well (Example: "I don't have anyone else who can swim fly at race pace without getting DQed." Not true, there are three senior girls who can swim fly without getting DQed. He is the HS football coach and gets a 300.00 stipence for being the swim coach. There is one more sanctioned event that DGD could swim in I think, but she would have to be accompanied by someone from her HS. When the coach cancelled the Athens meet my daughter tried to get someone from the school to accompany DGD to the meet. The coach said he would go if the booster club paid his way. Then he said the booster club turned him down (we don't know if he actually asked or not and my daughter is not going to pursue it). Daughter offered to pay coach a per diem that would cover all of his expenses. Then all of a suddend he had other plans. Last time I will post about this. It is just a very sad situation for all the swimmers involved.

RE: Venting again

Celestial — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:03:46 GMT

We didn't really enjoy our high school swimming experience either. We made the decision, as a family, that there was more to life than swimming, and more to school than swimming. Of course, we also had a MALE swimmer, and as you know, there are very few MALE college swim teams, let alone scholarships. I have watched what other families have done, and am sharing this info - not encouraging you or suggesting anything - just sharing. In our city we have one HS that has an amazing, stellar, group of swimmers. The coach was a swimmer herself, and loves to rest on the work of the age group coach, basking in the light of the swimmers successes. She knows who is good at what, and the best way to win dual meets, and the best way to win State - and has done so for several years in a row, now. The other HS in the city don't fare so well - we have tennis coaches for swim coaches, previous HS swimmers for swim coaches, parents of kids on the team, because there wasn't a coach. . . you get the idea. Some parents have chosen, like we did, to keep their kids at the school they were zoned for (in other words, the school with the less stellar swim team), and let their kids make the most of it. Some have pulled strings, rented houses in other districts, even relocated, to get their children into different schools, so their child could swim for the "best" HS swim team. We even have a parent who lives across the state line who has rented a house in our state for more than a year before the child is even to enter HS!! We have a couple of young kids further down in the state who are from several states away, who have farmed their children out to relatives so that their children could swim for certain high schools. High School swimming can be a lot of fun. It can also be quite a headache. We have several "success" stories in our city who came from actually really crappy HS programs & went on to swim for Indian River, Florida State, UF, Univ of Arizona and Stanford - in SPITE of the interference from the swim coach & the prejudiced (against the faster kids) booster club. Choose wisely. There really is more to life than swimming. Best wishes.

RE: Venting again

Allen Stark — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 07:01:26 GMT

He is the HS football coach and gets a 300.00 stipence for being the swim coach. That explains alot!!!

RE: Venting again

Rob Copeland — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 04:33:06 GMT

This coming weekend there are probably a zillion USAS meets. I'd see what the Georgia rules are in regards to getting an approved time submitted from a USAS meet to qualify her for the HS state meetTimes for GA High School must be swum at GHSA sanctioned events, not USA Swimming sanctioned meets. The proof of performance deadline is January 31st. The HS state meet is next weekend. I understand that as parents or in your case grandparents, we want the best for our kids. But before I’d offer any advice, I guess I would want to hear from your granddaughter in her own words, how she feels about the situation, what her goals are and what she thinks she needs help with in attaining the goals.

RE: Venting again

aquageek — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 02:18:38 GMT

Sounds like a bad relationship between the swimmer, the coach, and a pushy parent culminating in bad communication. I'm not sure why any of this would take place at a meet versus in a private meeting with the coach to go over goals at the beginning of the season. The athlete should drive these discussions, not a parent, strike one. The coach should have a goal sheet for every athlete and review it with them periodically, strike two. And, how in the world is a high school team allowed to swim in a non-sanctioned meet (strike three)? I'm sure the coach and other swimmers have a differing view. Maybe they can use our forum also to tell their side of the story. This coming weekend there are probably a zillion USAS meets. I'd see what the Georgia rules are in regards to getting an approved time submitted from a USAS meet to qualify her for the HS state meet

RE: Venting again

Former Member — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 13:27:05 GMT

Unfortunately the Friday night meet wasn't a sanctioned meet so times wouldn't count. I don't know if they count split times. I will find out for next year. Saturday's meet was the last chance meet before State. Thanks for the suggestion. Lainey

RE: Venting again

Allen Stark — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 07:57:08 GMT

Don't they count split times for State cuts? There was a recent article in the ASCA magazine saying basically that if a swimmer makes cuts they should go to the meet for experience with big meets.In the first thread I had some respect for his egalitarian position,but not after his comments about state cuts.