How much do you pay to swim?

I have experience with two different masters groups in our area. One is run by the municipalitycosts $4.50 per session inclusive of pool time. During the indoor season, we have three coached sessions per week on Tues/Thurs/Sat. In the summer, we have access to an outdoor pool and have 5 coached sessions (Mon-Fri). I have also swum with group in the area. Total fees are $6.00 with $3 going to the municipality for the pool and $3 to the coach. We have three coached sessions per week (Tues/Thurs/Sat). Lap swimming runs between $3 and $5 dollars at local municipal pools. The Y runs about $54 per month with two facilities in the area and pretty good hours Mon - Sunday.

First - I think you need to cut it to 60 min workouts. Will not add any members by offering a 90 min workout and it's obviously cheaper. I don't think an hour is long enough, but this is certainly an option if that's the only way to make the $ numbers work, I suppose. I agree with what you said about membership. In the past the number of swimmers we've had in the pool can vary widely from day-to-day. On Mondays we'd sometimes have six to a lane, then later in the week it could be two per lane. If people are paying a flat rate per month this variation doesn't matter. In our discussions someone suggested having a punch card option where you pay, say, $50 for a ten workout card. I think this is a good idea to get some people who might not attend enough workouts per month to want to pony up the full membership amount, but, on the other hand, the punch card should be expensive enough to discourage the regulars from choosing this option. Thanks for all the responses so far, everyone. This is good info!

You might be surprised to hear that there are many masters swim clubs out there - and very large clubs, who do not pay a cent for pool or lane rental. I am surprised, especially in this economic climate. Pool are just giving away time? In this area we are struggling to even keep the pools open due to budget crunches. Municipalities are definitely doing everything they can to bring cashflow in to run the pools. It must be a difficult balance. Pools need money to run, but they have to charge a price that groups are willing to pay. The pool sitting there with the pumps and heater running, but no one swimming, isn't doing anyone any good.

I currently pay about $50 a month for a full membership to the pool that I swim at. It's a bit higher because I don't live in the town it is in. I am looking to start practicing with a team as well and the one I am going to check out first charges $200 for a semester, $60 for 4 weeks, or $10 for drop in and they offer 5 practices a week.

Annual masters swim pass is $375. One workout per day 7 days a week (mornings only). The coaches swim with us, but are pretty attentive to technique especially with the less experienced swimmers. I think you can also get a annual pass to the recreation centers for our district for $350 per year and then pay another $100 on top of that and get masters too. The swim facility is only about 7 or 8 years old. Pretty good deal for $375 or $450 per year and we never or very rarely have more than 2 or 3 swimmers to a lane. USMS membership is not required since facility has insurance and it is a facility sponsored team. We have lots of triathletes and open water swimmers. Tim

Yeah, MVN is a great deal and it's a nice pool. Maybe I should just move to Orange County :) We're looking at paying around $80/hour just to rent the pool then we'll need to pay a coach on top of that. So for a 90 minute workout the total cost will be somewhere around $150. It's a six-lane pool, so with four to a lane that's $6.25 per person. Based on this I'm concluding that many teams must pay much, much less to rent their pools!

The swim facility is only about 7 or 8 years old. Ours is 70 years old!

I don't think an hour is long enough, but this is certainly an option if that's the only way to make the $ numbers work, I suppose. I agree with what you said about membership. In the past the number of swimmers we've had in the pool can vary widely from day-to-day. On Mondays we'd sometimes have six to a lane, then later in the week it could be two per lane. If people are paying a flat rate per month this variation doesn't matter. In our discussions someone suggested having a punch card option where you pay, say, $50 for a ten workout card. I think this is a good idea to get some people who might not attend enough workouts per month to want to pony up the full membership amount, but, on the other hand, the punch card should be expensive enough to discourage the regulars from choosing this option. Thanks for all the responses so far, everyone. This is good info! Kirk, you are trying to save your masters swim club. Your swimmers need to understand they are supporting this effort and unite to make it happen. Perhaps once you establish the club again and start building the numbers, you can offer something back to these original members for their initial investment. Lots of clubs rely on and are profitable due to what we call "sponsor swimmers" - they pay dues but don't swim much or at all. Similar to most health club memberships. Personally, I am against this practice and remind a swimmer of their sponsor status when I see them on deck! The coaches swim with us, but are pretty attentive to technique especially with the less experienced swimmers.(Tim L) It does seem that this is an arrangement by necessity for some clubs but it is not ideal for safety, actual coaching or team building. Questionaires, feedback, and actual experience show that the efforts of the coach and namely the coach on deck drives the energy and success of the program. Get creative and try to keep an enthusiastic coach on deck if at all possible.

Were at $48 per month, $460 annually. We have 10 coached workouts and 3 non coached workout times per week. This price has been steady for around 9 or 10 years however we have been reduced from 15 to 10 coached workouts per week. And recently the varsity swim team went to closed practices, in the past there were always a couple of lap lanes available even during there workouts which allowed a extended warm down etc., which for many workouts we can no longer do. We do have a professional paid coaching staff. recreation.du.edu/.../

Here 150 a year, swim as much as you want if there is room... Not the best pool though but it does fine.