Dear posters--
My boys swim on a YMCA swim team. Unfortunately the aquatics director is a clueless fool who is hostile to youth swimming. We have a great coach, but the team's ability to grow is severely handicapped because the aquatics director will only allow three lanes in the afternoon for the team. Apparently the Y has a policy to always keep lanes open for lap swimmers. Worse, the YMCA in the neighboring town had to shut down their pool, which left over a hundred boys and girls with no place to swim. Believe it or not, my YMCA (which is independent of Y national) refused to expand its team to accommodate these kids. I am working on a letter to the board of my YMCA asking them to change their policy. I'd like to bring up points related to:
--the benefits of youth swimming
--what's unique about youth swimming compared to other sports
--why a small team (25) diminishes the team experience (relays, etc.)
--any other thoughts
The whole situation is ridiculous and hopefully we can make a persuasive case to the board to change its policy. Thanks so much.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, no, my Y does not have any organized masters swimming program.
Things have changed that much since I was a kid? In what way is it expensive? My son plays travel ice hockey, so anything seems tame comparitively.
I have no idea how old you are so maybe you were a kid just a few years ago. Travel is travel, no matter the sport, so that's comparable across sports. If you are on a small team, your travel will be more to get to meets. Big clubs have more local meets, a serious advantage on cost.
If you have a 12+ kid, you have the required tech suit. Then, there's the requisite gear, meet mandated clothing, practice suits, etc. Of course, there's the $20/week for lost goggles (my all time pet peeve). There's the meet fees and club dues. There is also the "undetermined" 20%, which I cannot explain.
Having said this, it's 100% worth it. I assume that hockey, or any travel sport, is similar to swimming in that you develop good friends with like-minded people.
At least with swimming the kids come home clean.
Things have changed that much since I was a kid? In what way is it expensive? My son plays travel ice hockey, so anything seems tame comparitively.
I have no idea how old you are so maybe you were a kid just a few years ago. Travel is travel, no matter the sport, so that's comparable across sports. If you are on a small team, your travel will be more to get to meets. Big clubs have more local meets, a serious advantage on cost.
If you have a 12+ kid, you have the required tech suit. Then, there's the requisite gear, meet mandated clothing, practice suits, etc. Of course, there's the $20/week for lost goggles (my all time pet peeve). There's the meet fees and club dues. There is also the "undetermined" 20%, which I cannot explain.
Having said this, it's 100% worth it. I assume that hockey, or any travel sport, is similar to swimming in that you develop good friends with like-minded people.
At least with swimming the kids come home clean.
