I would like to address the criticisms made by the anonymous Free Speech writer regarding the Southern Crescent Aquatic Team (SCAT). I have a 16-year-old daughter who is a very dedicated swimmer (one of the athletes attending 2-a-day practices) on the SCAT swim team.

When my family moved to the Atlanta area two years ago, we chose PTC due to the fine reputation of the schools and in order to have access to the recreational activities our two children were interested in. We have had no cause to regret our decision to settle here on either account.

The coaches of SCAT send out weekly newsletters per email to keep the team and their families updated on practice schedules, upcoming meets, accomplishments of the swimmers, etc. They also include tips on how parents can be more supportive for their competitive athlete.

Contrary to the anonymous writer’s claim, these tips are not “belittling” or “demeaning” towards the parents. They do reinforce the idea that coaches should be allowed to coach the athlete, as that is what they are trained to do. Parents should fill the role of cheerleader and encourager for their swimmer. This is not demeaning; it is good advice.

The writer also complained about the number of swim meets. What he failed to mention was that NO swimmer is EVER required to attend a meet. The swimmer or his parent must sign up for each meet; if you do not sign up, you do not attend the meet. Meets are strictly voluntary.

The SCAT families are required to work at the SCAT-hosted meets, which are money-makers for the team and help keep the fees down for the families.

For those of us whose children have chosen swimming as their sport, working two to five hours per day for a three-day meet three times a year is not a hardship. It is part of what we do to help support our swimmer and her team.

The general manager whom the writer accuses of “brow-beating” has the difficult job of keeping a swim team of 150-plus swimmers running smoothly. While, hopefully, most families are good about following the payment and volunteer outlines very carefully explained when joining the team, I’m sure there are those who make her job unpleasant and require a firmer approach to encourage them to meet the obligations they agreed to.

The coaches of SCAT care deeply for their swimmers, doing all they can to help each swimmer to meet his own personal goals. During the two years my daughter has been with the team, we have seen several high school seniors attend college on swim scholarships and have even seen two team members qualify to compete at the Olympic Trials for the 2008 Olympic team. I have seen my daughter’s swimming improve significantly since joining the team.

While it is almost impossible for everyone within a group to be happy with everything all the time, it is unfortunate when one member of the group choses to air his complaints in a public forum without first addressing them with the coaches and manager of the team.

Lucky for our anonymous writer, there is another swim team just down the road in Clayton County. Maybe he will find a perfect world there.

Not an anonymous writer,

Mary Lynn Haycraft

Peachtree City, Ga.