so last year i wanted to learn to swim and learn to even compete. so i emailed the gay dc swim club and asked about that and was kurtly told they dont teach people to swim and i should go elsewhere. well i also want to learn to wrestle too. i aint even gonna go into the drama thats causing. what irks me esp with the dc swim club is umm hello,i'm gay, youre gay, we are all a minority .. arent we supposed to help each other out? i guess not...guess i was wrong.

I guess it depends on what the organization's goals are, as well as who they have participating, their skill level, how much time they have to participate, etc. I just finished reading "Jocks 2" by Dan Woog and one of the stories is about a cofounder of the Boston Strikers Soccer Club. It talks about how one of their goals was to get participation from people who didn't play sports in school for various reasons (like feeling intimidated by the typical straight-jock atmosphere), so they devised a weekly session for newcomers that included lessons on the game itself, rules, etc. but even something like how to stretch before working out. More experienced players would help teach the newbies. It helped expand the club tremendously.

I'm only speculating here, but perhaps the gay DC swim club may not have a large enough membership, or maybe they only have a certain amount of time alloted them at whatever pool(s) they use, so they may not be able to take on something like teaching people to swim. It's too bad they weren't particularly encouraging to you when you asked about it.

My advice to you would be to find a facility that offers swimming lessons to the general public (YMCA or some public pool) and learn to swim. Then as you get better at it, go back to the DC gay club and join, and perhaps you can be the one to help newbies in the future.

I don't know anything about wrestling, so I can't offer any advice for you there. But I wish you luck.

I am sorry to hear that you are had such a response from the DC swim team. However I can see where the team is coming from... This team is a highly competitive team and their pool time and space is probably limited, so the coaches have to optimize the time they have on deck. This means that they do not have the quality time to give beginner swimmers the attention that they require, just to learn the basics. I have swam for most of my life,and I cannot stress enough how important the basics are.

Just my .02 worth

thanks foryour replies.. i should have guessed that posting the comments about dc gay swim team on a gay e-borad you all would have stuck up for them.

Not really sticking up for them. Just trying to convey a reason as to why they would give you the response that they did.

well the san fran gay wrestling club, which is prolly equally competitive (theyve won at gay games etc) has a beginner nite either every week or a couple times a month... no reason why dc swim cant do that... whatever happend to fostering a love for the sport and meeting ppl.

I think it depends on the goals of the league/organization/club and whether or not there are people who want to foster new membership and teach new people new skills. Some groups/leagues are competitive and some are educational. If all the members are of the same skill level, they may not want to spend time with newbies.

I was briefly in a gay basketball league that welcomed participation from beginners... but really there was no instruction available for novices--just games. Now I'm practising on my own and hoping to re-join next year.

I'm also hoping to join the gay softball league this spring... not sure if there'll be any instruction in that league or not.

But I don't think we should necessarily blame gay groups... I mean, straight groups likely do the same thing.

well either way its wrong... we were all new once. its too bad theyve forgotten whats its like to be new and dont wan tto give other ppl the same opportunity.

I'll teach you to swim! Come on out to San Diego! There is a good team here, but you will need initial instruction to get started. DC's Team? Odd they didn't help you with finding a local instructor. Bet that will change with these posts. Do you have roots in Cincinnati? The old LeBlond machine milling company? Just curious.

god dcadidas, stop complaining and just get out there and do something. Every post I've seen you post is negative and mean spirtied. get over yourself already and get on with your life.

TRL: sorry no roots in SD or Cincin...thx anyway.

Shore: dude i'm trying to--thats kind of the point.

The YMCA offers swimming lessons. I go to the Silver Spring branch when I'm in the Washington area. Here is a listing of their adult aquatic classes. http://www.ymcawashdc.com/publications/pdf...t%20Fitness.pdf
The main site is www.ymcawashdc.com.

Give them a try and in no time at all you will be good enough to swim with DCAC.

It is a common misconception that Swim Teams are also Learn to swim programs. This is not the case, in most cases, swim teams are there to increase fitness levels, improve health, and for those that compete, give the training that will enable them to give 100 % during a race.

Now if you have the basics and can swim 4 lengths and have some rudimentry skills at the 4 strokes, a coach could probably work with you, depending on the teams criteria.

The coach is there for all the swimmers and cannot devote 100% of their time to teaching a person to swim, and if you want to swim properly, you do need someone's undivided attention to critique and correct.

I am surprised also, that the DC team did not at least direct you in the direction of a learn to swim program in the area.

[ March 02, 2003, 05:49 PM: Message edited by: rickinto ]

DCADIDAS88 - the DC Swim Team is not the only place where you can learn how to swim. Being a swim program, they have limited access to facilities (competitive sized pools are not common at all parks). Now, you mentioned SF Wrestling having a novice night. That is much easier for them to provide because they have significantly more options for practice facilities (gymnasiums are much more common than competitive swimming pools).

You really should pursue other avenues in order to learn how to swim competitively instead of being upset that the DC swim team won't teach you. It will be better for you in the long run (and btw...I'm not taking DC's side in this matter...simply stating reality).

Here are my two cents. I swam with the Philly FINS for over 10 years. When the team was first organized it was not very competitive. There were a lot of begginers so some instruction was offered. As the team has matured it has both grown and become more skilled. The time for beginner swim instruction is limited.

There are 6 lanes broken down by speed/and or skill level. In the most novice lane most people have a rudimentary idea of how to swim at least one stroke. The coaches do work with the lane on improving skill but because every lane has as many 6-7 people time is at a premium.

The FINS refuse no one based on skill but does ask that lane etiqutte is maintained. What that means is if you can only do one or two lengths then you allow the others in your lane to complete their set until your rested enough to do some more. That way you do not disrupt the set.

If you could take just a few lessons on basic freestyle you will feel more confident entering the novice lane in DC.

k so lets say hypothetically speaking i went to the loca ymca, what lessons do i take,...like the brand new swimmer ones (beginer) or like an intermdieate?

Sounds like you should probably take the beginner lessons. They will focus on teaching correct breathing and floating techniques so you feel comfortable with the water. Later basic stroke mechanics should be covered. BTW in another thread you wanted to know about freestyle. Basically it is the front crawl which is the most popular stroke in this country.

I learned to swim at a very young age (like age 5), because my grandparents owned a house on a river ,and my parents didn't want me to drown. However, I never turned out to be a great swimmer, and was not good enough to compete. But still, I'd suggest that you take the beginner class.

Now, DCAddias, there are a couple of things I'd like to explain that one person here tried to, but maybe they weren't clear (and no, I am not affiliated with DCAC or any of it's memebers). The DCAC is extremely competitive, and they have very limited pool time. They really don't have the facilities to have time to teach new people AND be competitive.

Yes, The Golden Gate Wrestling Club DOES have beginner night (and since I wrestle, I at least know more about this). But they have far more access to their mats than DCAC does to a pool. And, honestly, a resulite mat (I think I spelled it correctly, but not sure) can be rolled up and put in someone's basement if necessary. It is an easier sport when it comes to finding space.

It is a shame that DCAC can't teach people to play, but when I used to play gay hockey, the DC team was the same way. Ice time was hard enough to get for a practice, much less to try to teach new people.

Trevor

Hello there,

I used to be on the DCAC team, and yes they are incredibly competetive.
I have had to stay off the team for almost a year now due to a move and extensive home renovations.
However I do plan on joining back up with them.
I do not know who would have told you that they do not have the time or the facilities to train you, but it can be difficult for the team to secure water time.
However, there are some people on the team who I think would be very willing to help you learn to swim and compete.
If you would like to contact me, please do.
I have a place to swim, except it is in the burbs.
You might also want to look into going to Marie Reed in Adams Morgan. It is a free pool with lap swim on the weekdays.
Hopefully I can help.

Cheers,
MDSwimmer

and PS -
I will not stick up for them (DCAC) in this situation.
I feel at the very least they should have made an attempt to point you in the right direction.....

The elitism comes partly from the straight intercollegiate athletic culture and relates to the tension between athletics and phys ed. It is also exacerbated in non-team sports where the type A competitiveness and the social ineptitude of non-team athletes makes for the kind of greeting dcadidas got from the swim team. In swimming, there is also the tension between swimming and water polo. Swimmers tend to have more of an attitude problem in their culture than any other sport. Tennis comes next - lol!

Softball is a sport which also struggles with elitism. NAAGA even has rating rules which force better players to move up from recreational teams, despite their preferences. I know a wonderful guy who had been an A player that wanted to play with and coach a C-Competitive team. He was rated too high to play with that team without forcing the team to play at the B level, which would not have been much fun! Another team - D rated - took on a B player and played at the C level.

This is all silly and counter-productive, and has tended to hold back participation in the older bar-and-bath leagues begun in the late 1970's. Newer programs like San Jose, and reformed programs like San Diego and San Francisco, have successfully broken down barriers - including the gender barrier - and encouraged more people to play more softball. Softball can be played at an extremely high level, but it also can be played by almost anyone!!

Elitism hurts our community and needs to be fought wherever it develops. Everybody is "good enough" to play sports!