We ask the Adirondack Board of Directors and the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Piranhas swim club to include USAM swimmers in the December Distance and Pentathlon swim meets and to use fair, transparent participation criteria for future meets.
Swim meets give young athletes a chance to compete, grow, work as a team, and build confidence. They are also an important part of training and community life. Historically, the USA-Swimming sanctioned December Distance and Pentathlon meets hosted by the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Piranhas swim club have been open to all Adirondack LSC swim clubs. USAM swimmers recently learned they are no longer invited to take part, and that change has raised real concern among families.
When a local meet that has been open to everyone becomes closed without a clear explanation, it sends the wrong message. It can leave smaller clubs and their swimmers with fewer chances to compete, especially when larger clubs have more resources and volunteers to host events. It also creates uncertainty about whether access to local meets will stay fair from season to season.
This issue matters beyond one meet. If swimmers can be excluded from opportunities that were once open to all Adirondack LSC clubs, families may be pushed to seek meets farther away, with more travel, more expense, and more frustration. That is not the kind of environment that supports equal opportunity, equity, and inclusion.
I plan to attend the Adirondack Board of Directors meeting in November to advocate for the inclusion of USAM swimmers. All are welcome to join quietly with questions.
We support a unified, constructive voice that protects access for smaller clubs and keeps local swimming open, fair, and welcoming for all swimmers, not just our own.
7 Comments
We have always participated and enjoyed the Distance/ Pentathlon meets (as members of the Piranhas) and would like to continue, having switched club should not matter.
These meets give Adirondack LSC swimmers opportunities not available at other meets. It is extremely important to all Adirondack swimmers that we have an inclusive and unified LSC. The comraderie that exists among the kids and the encouragement they provide to one another makes them better swimmers, but more importantly, better people, and only increases their love of swimming. The entire LSC is better for it.
My son has been swimming in the LSC for 5 seasons, with the Sharks, Piranhas, and USAM. We have enjoyed each experience, and especially enjoyed Coach Todd (Piranhas), Coach Alicia (Sharks), and Coach Rob (USAM). My son is better thanks to so many people in our LSC. We live 10min from the Shen Pool & would appreciate the opportunity to swim at Shen vs traveling out of State. It's good for our kids and good for our LSC to have an inclusive, not exclusive approach to meets in our LSC. Go ADK!
Access to local swim meets, consistent with the access available to other children in the LSC, is essential to ensuring my two 8u kids get to experience racing in a wide variety of events, gain confidence, establish the times required to race their peers in LSC championships, and continue to build their emerging love for the sport.
We would like the equal opportunity to all the swimmers!
As stated in the petition, the meet should be accessible to all young swimmers, as it was before.
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We ask the Adirondack Board of Directors and the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Piranhas swim club to include USAM swimmers in the December Distance and Pentathlon swim meets and to use fair, transparent participation criteria for future meets.
Swim meets give young athletes a chance to compete, grow, work as a team, and build confidence. They are also an important part of training and community life. Historically, the USA-Swimming sanctioned December Distance and Pentathlon meets hosted by the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Piranhas swim club have been open to all Adirondack LSC swim clubs. USAM swimmers recently learned they are no longer invited to take part, and that change has raised real concern among families.
When a local meet that has been open to everyone becomes closed without a clear explanation, it sends the wrong message. It can leave smaller clubs and their swimmers with fewer chances to compete, especially when larger clubs have more resources and volunteers to host events. It also creates uncertainty about whether access to local meets will stay fair from season to season.
This issue matters beyond one meet. If swimmers can be excluded from opportunities that were once open to all Adirondack LSC clubs, families may be pushed to seek meets farther away, with more travel, more expense, and more frustration. That is not the kind of environment that supports equal opportunity, equity, and inclusion.
I plan to attend the Adirondack Board of Directors meeting in November to advocate for the inclusion of USAM swimmers. All are welcome to join quietly with questions.
We support a unified, constructive voice that protects access for smaller clubs and keeps local swimming open, fair, and welcoming for all swimmers, not just our own.
7 Comments
I have been swimming in the LSC my whole life, the fact that we want to take away the athletes opportunies is heartbreaking. The mission statement for Adirondack is "Athletes are our focus. Providing opportunities to succeed in life through swimming is our passion." I think we need to focus on the statement and ensure we focus on our athletes and opportunities. Let's put our differences aside and focus on the athletes.
We have always participated and enjoyed the Distance/ Pentathlon meets (as members of the Piranhas) and would like to continue, having switched club should not matter.
These meets give Adirondack LSC swimmers opportunities not available at other meets. It is extremely important to all Adirondack swimmers that we have an inclusive and unified LSC. The comraderie that exists among the kids and the encouragement they provide to one another makes them better swimmers, but more importantly, better people, and only increases their love of swimming. The entire LSC is better for it.
My son has been swimming in the LSC for 5 seasons, with the Sharks, Piranhas, and USAM. We have enjoyed each experience, and especially enjoyed Coach Todd (Piranhas), Coach Alicia (Sharks), and Coach Rob (USAM). My son is better thanks to so many people in our LSC. We live 10min from the Shen Pool & would appreciate the opportunity to swim at Shen vs traveling out of State. It's good for our kids and good for our LSC to have an inclusive, not exclusive approach to meets in our LSC. Go ADK!
Access to local swim meets, consistent with the access available to other children in the LSC, is essential to ensuring my two 8u kids get to experience racing in a wide variety of events, gain confidence, establish the times required to race their peers in LSC championships, and continue to build their emerging love for the sport.
We would like the equal opportunity to all the swimmers!
As stated in the petition, the meet should be accessible to all young swimmers, as it was before.
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I have been swimming in the LSC my whole life, the fact that we want to take away the athletes opportunies is heartbreaking. The mission statement for Adirondack is "Athletes are our focus. Providing opportunities to succeed in life through swimming is our passion." I think we need to focus on the statement and ensure we focus on our athletes and opportunities. Let's put our differences aside and focus on the athletes.