Arcadia Riptides Swim Club

I am one of the parents who «jumped ship» from ARSC and I can tell you why. I do not want to be involved in the drama or historical issues. I politely spoke with one of the board members and we had a good, decent grown up discussion where we could agree to disagree and part ways smoothly.
I did realize that the vibe at the pool the first day back from swimming (Sept. 3) was a bit off, I didn’t recognize anyone, and we had been swimming there since Jan. ’13. We walked in and were told that we had to re-​register and pay a hefty amount of dues within the week. I was upset at the lack of communication and organization regarding this «event.» I feel that when you ask people for money in that amount, you should forewarn them and notify them of the changes to the team ahead of time, not the day of.
The change in coaching staff (multiple times, some for good reason) was hard on the kids as each coach has a different coaching style and different expectations. The kids were not able to «get into a groove» with a coach before a change was made and they had to adapt, yet again, which can prove to be difficult with some children.
Use of the pool and the constant changes were difficult, which I understand that is not at fault of the club, but I found it a tough pill to swallow when we had to pay a full months dues for a SWIM club and our children were asked to run around Arcadia County park for dryland or practice cancelled all together for at least ½ of the month. As of January, the ARSC team will not have use of the AHS pool due to construction and will be relocated to a new location, not yet disclosed. It will mean extra travel and costlier dues for members.
I know that there was a disagreement between Board members and some parents over the summer… that doesn’t bother me. I was highly offended that there was a meeting between the Board members and parents, but over ¹⁄₃ of PAYING MEMBERS of this team were not included, I was told that is was because they didn’t have all of the email addresses. An administrator of the team should manage a complete email list/​roster for communications it should be used for people who pay to be part of this team. I was offended that I didn’t even have an opportunity to understand or provide any concerns I may have had on ANY topic.
The new coaches that were hired (please note all 3 coaches on deck are brand new to the team as of 09 – 2013) seem to know their stuff and the kids appear to be happy with the workouts provided. It is a good team to start on as it is smaller population. Do your homework and choose the team that works best for you and your child (ren).

the so called Board runs this club like a king in a kingdom. You must not talk badly about anyone in the board. Board members are hand picked and not voted by parents. Parents are treated as second class citizens. One time, husband of a board member fired the best coach ever for personal reasons. It could have been a great club with wonderful JO swimmers but due to selfish board, swimmers suffer. how sad.