It’s hard to believe it’s that time of year already, when swim teams are having signups for this summer. I’m a huge fan of swim teams. We signed up our reluctant daughter Zoe for the Livorna Swim Team when she was only 4, saying she had to try it for two weeks, then it would be her choice whether to continue or not. We believed it was great exercise, would perfect a lifetime skill and give her a wonderful summer activity. Oh, and we also wanted the social life it brought to the parents. The two weeks went by and she was hooked for the next few years until we moved away. We enjoyed the meets, “shepherding” the 6-and-unders, manning the snack bar and bringing Rice Krispies treats on our assigned day. And, yes, we also valued the camaraderie of the other parents as we fundraised, managed our kids, and did the myriad volunteer jobs that go into running a team.
That’s why it made me so sad to sit last week with some parents from the Sycamore Stingrays. They have an exciting season planned with 200 swimmers. But underlying this enthusiasm is a deep sadness because this may be their last season. Since its inception, the Sycamore team has welcomed members outside the neighborhood since they were needed to make the 200-member team necessary to compete with others in the Valley Swim Association, they told me. But recently the homeowners elected new board members who want to close the swim team to “outsiders,” as well as clubhouse rentals. This would be the end of the swim team, said its president, Mark Thornton, since usually 70 to 100 swimmers come from the neighborhood. Unless they can somehow save the team, it will disband after the 2006 season.
I had been through the Sycamore neighborhood many times but until last week had never walked along its paths or taken a look at its swimming facilities. The 649 homes are spread over 250 acres, including 10 acres of lovely parkland, with a large hilly open space behind the main clubhouse and swimming pool. It’s easy to see why the neighborhood draws new families. The Stingrays supporters told me that over the years the board had made many concessions to the few who objected to the swim team. Even during swim team practice, after school in the spring and in the mornings once summer vacation begins, one lane is available for other people to swim laps, and more would be opened if necessary. The neighborhood also has another swimming pool a few blocks away, which the swim team never uses. Only four or five home meets are held per season, they also said. The swim team raises $12,000 per year, some of it from the higher fees charged the outside members. This helps to keep down homeowners fees, as does rental of the clubhouses.
I also met Madison White, 11, and her brother Forrest, 8, who got their start as Sycamore Stingrays before they moved to Blackhawk and joined its team. They are well-known in the swimming world with her rated 12th in the nation and him 10th. Their family credits the Stingrays with giving them their love of the sport and kicking off their skills, and they are continuing the friendships begun in Sycamore.
As the families in my neighborhood matured, Livorna Swim Team needed more swimmers and so it was opened to outsiders. This was considered to be a good step, since it meant more children, more friends and expanding our community. Although my children are grown, I still consider our swim team an asset both to our immediate neighborhood and the greater community. A few years ago I went to ClubSport with Zoe, now 26, where she swam lap after lap of freestyle. I listened proudly when a mother near me pointed to Zoe and told her two young sons, “Look at her swim. That’s the correct way.” I managed not to speak up and say she was my daughter. But I was sure happy our neighborhood had had a swim team for her.
