I remember P Mulins the author maybe I missed spelled his name talking about swimming being a white upper-middle class sport and the country club set. I guess he had not met Shirley Bashashoff that came from a blue collar background. Anyway, swimmers in elite circles tend to be more from upper-middle families than the non-elite. In high school programs, their are plenty of them from the barrio and the ghetto. Also, he seems to think swimming is divided between whites and blacks. In his state, both Latinos and Asians outnumber blacks. And Latinos are the group lowest on the income level in that state and Arizona mainly done to immirgation. I think the swimming world is seeing that in the states, its not a black and white world anymore,even in the south asians and latins have increase.
Parents
Former Member
Lack of facilities is a big deal. It is easy to find a basketball court or field to play football or soccer.
My kids' team practices outdoors in a 50 meter park district pool in the summer. This pool is 40 years old and failing. The park district is in the process of planning a new facility. This new facility in all likelyhood will not include a 50 meter pool. They are planning a water park, with slides and lazy river. That is where the money is. There will be a small 6 or 8 lane 25 yard lap pool, but gone will be the opportunity to train long course.
I do think that once they try to put the programs they had in the long course pool into the short course pool(lessons, aerobics, swimteam practice, lap swimming) they will find that they cannot fit it all, and things will get cut.
Water parks, the way of the world these days.
Lack of facilities is a big deal. It is easy to find a basketball court or field to play football or soccer.
My kids' team practices outdoors in a 50 meter park district pool in the summer. This pool is 40 years old and failing. The park district is in the process of planning a new facility. This new facility in all likelyhood will not include a 50 meter pool. They are planning a water park, with slides and lazy river. That is where the money is. There will be a small 6 or 8 lane 25 yard lap pool, but gone will be the opportunity to train long course.
I do think that once they try to put the programs they had in the long course pool into the short course pool(lessons, aerobics, swimteam practice, lap swimming) they will find that they cannot fit it all, and things will get cut.
Water parks, the way of the world these days.
