My three girls have been with SCAT (Southern Crescent Aquatic Team) since 1999, so I believe I can speak to the complaints that were made in last week’s Free Speech regarding the team and its practices.

We do receive weekly newsletters that include tips for parents, and most of those articles come directly from swimming publications or USS (United States Swimming), so if you feel they are demeaning, take it up with them.

Next, we have had meets not seven weeks in a row, but five, and any member of SCAT should know that no swimmer is required to go to ANY meet they don’t wish to. The coaches, however, have to go all the meets.

SCAT did host a meet this past weekend and the families were responsible for three shifts over the weekend. These were not 5-hour shifts, as each session only lasted between 2.5 and 3.5 hours.

Instead of complaining about this, you could use this time to get to know other parents and get into the spirit of the meet.

Additionally, the reason we host meets was explained in our newsletter. We host meets to keep coaching fees down. Compare what other teams charge for fees, how many meets they host, and what their volunteer requirements are, and I think you will be surprised to see that we are right in line or even a better bargain than most teams.

As for the coaches/team manager, if you have a problem with one or all of them you should be talking to them, not blasting them in the paper so they cannot defend themselves, or speak to your issues.

As I said, we have been with SCAT for a long time and the staff is more organized now than ever. Coaching swimming is a tough job, two practices a day, traveling to meets that takes away from family life, and on top of that, most coaches don’t make a lot of money.

These coaches are dedicated or they would not be there, and the team has grown in size, and I thought (until now) pretty cohesive group.

Go, SCAT!

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