Though we live in neighboring Greenwood Hills, we have been so grateful for the opportunity for our kids to take part in the Preserve Swim Team. It is an extremely rare and valuable way for our communities to gather together and gives our kids the chance to take part in a healthy, competitive, life-long activity. It honestly has greatly enhanced the sense of friendliness, community and satisfaction we’ve had since moving to the area in 2010. We do not care to use the club after swim team hours, this is a non issue. Additionally, when I was growing up I swam competitively for over ten years, ultimately competing on the national level. I completely understand how devastating it would be to the Preserve Swim Team to only be able to draw from in-neighborhood athletes. And, if the team is weakened, many of the higher caliber in-neighborhood athletes will choose to go elsewhere to seek a quality program. It truly has been a big highlight of our sense of community here, to be able to have our daughter learning from such qualified, competent, friendly coaches, and come together with their friends in the summertime. I hope the HOA will see the value of the talents and expertise the out-of-neighborhood athletes and families bring, and leave the swim team to the people who have run it so well, for so long.
A
Andrew DuMont
12 years ago
I would like to thank the residents of The Preserve that have supported this great team, and supported the out of neighborhood folks. Regardless of what happens going forward, it has been your hard work that has created great memories for us. Thank you to the Piranha's board and at least one member of the HOA!
E
Elizabeth Wallis
12 years ago
We moved here four years ago after having belonged to a neighborhood swim team in South Texas. We were immediately invited to join the swim team and instantly made life long friends! It was the easiest way to make friends for our children and my husband and myself. We have been incredibly impressed with the outstanding way this team is run. Plus, we love the way it involves more then just the Preserve neighborhood. It is a great way to include the community that may not be as fortunate to have a neighborhood pool. I have been very impressed by the kindness of this neighborhood to share what we are so lucky to have. We hope that we can continue to build community relationships through the swim team for years to come!
D
Dave Tidey
12 years ago
These team is expertly run. The proposed changes do not appear to improve anything.
G
Glenn Malloy
12 years ago
Proposed HOA board actions are not at all in tehe best ionterest of the community
J
JJ Strain
12 years ago
This proposed resolution would negatively affect the experience of my swimming as well as the future swimmers of the team. As a coach and as a long time swimmer i see the resolution as inappropriate and is senseless. Changing something which was working great and did not need to be changed.
L
Lisa Snyder
12 years ago
One of the social-building and confidence building qualities of children in The Preserve is the Piranhas Swim Team. My oldest children will be swimming their 7th year this season and my youngest daughter her 5th. Their success and confidence on the team has flourished because of knowledgeable swim board members, their ability to hire the right coaches for various levels of swimmers, and their ability to promote fairness and FUN among the swim families no matter where they come from. I implore the HOA to please consider the children and families who have worked hard to make swim team what it is today: thriving, successful, and a source of pride as they grow into valuable members of our community.
B
Becky Allen
12 years ago
Do not change the swim team!
M
Mike Kallet
12 years ago
NO! Don't mess up the swim team. My kids have been on the team since before it started. It took years to learn the ropes, get things right, and be admitted to the Rocky Mtn. Swim League. The team gets complimented as one of the best run, managed and organized teams there is … including the fun and team spirit of our kids. Sure, it's not perfect, and improvements are made every year, but wholesale interference from the HOA is unwarranted and will have severe negative repercussions related to the success of the team and our kids. Changes should be vetted, not dictated. If we severely restrict nonresident swimmers, the team gets much smaller, and many of our kids won’t be able to be on the relays, remaining parents will have to volunteer more, and years of friendships developed with other swimmers over the summer will be terminated. Out of resident swimmers are not “off the street”, but school mates of our children. Let’s not knee jerk react to perhaps a few unhappy neighbors, but consider ALL residents’ views.
A
Andrea Tarr
12 years ago
The board needs to explain why they feel it is necessary to take over a perfectly well run neighborhood function.
D
Diana Zoeller
12 years ago
My son has been an out of neighborhood participant since the teams inception. As a family, we have seen the team grow into a competitive league. A league that our kids want to participate in because it is competitive yet fun. It's a summer league that allows all of our children to come together and have FUN! We have teenagers on the team that return year after year!! That should say it all! Please reconsider.
S
Stacie Hochstadt
12 years ago
We have lived in the Preserve for almost four years and one of the best ways we have met neighbors and friends within the Preserve community has been through the swim team. The success of the swim team is much more than just the kids competing. It's about building community and bringing friends and families together. For many families with school age children, it has become central to the identify of the neighborhood and a point of pride. This resolution appears likely to greatly hinder the success of the team. Please reconsider and bring this to a community forum after the 2014 season.
K
Kelly McCracken
12 years ago
Summer. It has always come hand in hand with the Preserve Swim Team. I've been a part of this team since 1999. I've been a part of this team since it began and through all of the changes it underwent. Whether it was the team name, the team color, whatever the change, one thing has stayed the same... the ability to instill a love for the sport and for our teammates. This will be my 5th season coaching for the Preserve Piranhas and I cannot express how much this team has added to my life. As a kid, being a part of this team was always a motivating factor, a friendship builder, and the beginning of a passion. As I've grown up this team has watched me grow as an athlete and as a coach. Over the last fifteen years, this team has helped me develop skills that I could never have gotten anywhere else. Through my years coaching, I have experienced first hand the passion that this team has been able to bring out of its swimmers. The fact that we may have to "deny" these swimmers a "spot" to be a part of such an amazing organization breaks my heart. I don't know who I would be without this team. I hope that the opportunity for swimmers to have the same experience is not taken away based off of where they live.
D
Douglas R Terry
12 years ago
Preserve swimmer and eager learner, Jr Coach, mentor, friend, High School Varsity Athlete, scholar, college student, Asst head coach, leader, manager. teacher, role model....Kelly McCracken, Preserve resident, Piranha Head Coach. Kelly's brother, Ryan, Piranha member, high school state record holder, scholar athlete, studying at Santa Clara, acceptance to Yale. JJ Strain, Preserve resident, Jr Coach, Piranha swimmer, league record holder, stops by the house to walk my son to practice. Jonah Saya, non-resident team member, Jr Coach, swam the 21st fastest time of any 12 year old backstroker in the history of US swimming, tells stories of swimming with Missy Franklin, league record holder, knowledgeable, experienced, polite, humble and genuine. Annelise Adolph, scholar varsity athlete, work ethic du jour, Jr Coach, HS State Champion, Preserve resident. My sons stand poolside and cheer for these teammates. These young leaders cheer for my sons. My sons learn from them and they teach. What a positive environment and selling point for our community. This team breeds fantastic role models, mentors, leaders, competitors, enjoyment and memories. And the resident parents who have cultivated and nurtured this .....Thank you
A
Ann McCurdy
12 years ago
I don't understand the HOA's motivation.
T
Terri DuMont
12 years ago
My family has been involved with the Preserve Swim team for the last 3 years. My kids associate summer with the Piranhas. As an out-of-neighborhood family we are happy to follow the restrictions and appreciate the opportunity to participate as our Cherry Hills Village neighborhood does not have a pool. The team provides a heathy, family oriented, experience for all team members. Friendships have been formed and sustained. A supportive community has been developed for the benefit of children. I find it ironic that the HOA, a group that is supposed to develop community, is working to destroy one of the best.
J
Jeffrey Snyder
12 years ago
In addition to family, we value our friendships as vital components of who we are as people. I have lived in the Preserve for 20 years and have seen no group or event that has been more successful in building 'community' other than the swim team. It is antithetical that the neighborhood that boasts to be a 'community of the year'leader would undermine the very essence of this pilar of 'community' !
The Preserve is a premier community not because of its brick, mortar, and stucco but because of its constituents! I vote to PRESERVE the status quo regarding the Piranha Swim Team and not destroy the positive character building of this very important activity.
H
Holli benkelman
12 years ago
We participate in year round swimming at GAC but my kids love being part of the neighborhood swim team in order to make deeper connections to friends that live on the other side of the neighborhood. Changing the way the team is run will not impact our team for the better, it is already a well oiled machine. Do not mess with efficiency.
J
Joe benkelman
12 years ago
This appears to be about the boards ego's and politics and not about the kids. Let's be adults here and focus on other more needed issues. Leave the team alone. It is extremely well run
S
Shannon Harding
12 years ago
My family moved into the Preserve before this current swim team actually existed. When the Preserve Piranhas came into existence, we jumped right in. I was a swim board member at the beginning and served as Volunteer Coordinator for 2 years. The amount of work done by these dedicated people was amazing then and continues to amaze me now. Becoming a part of the Rocky Mountain Swim League took hard work and several swim board members then and now are held in VERY HIGH esteem by that swimming organization. I have three daughters who have all been a part of this team. They have made life-long friends from both sides of our neighborhood BECAUSE of the swim team. Our neighborhood is split into two school districts and this team has played a VITAL role in getting children from two school districts to come together for summer fun. The coaches and teen coaches have been WONDERFUL role models for my children. Changing this team would be heartbreaking. PLEASE do not change the swim team. The people who are currently running it and those who got the ball rolling should be COMMENDED for all that they have done and continue to do.
Though we live in neighboring Greenwood Hills, we have been so grateful for the opportunity for our kids to take part in the Preserve Swim Team. It is an extremely rare and valuable way for our communities to gather together and gives our kids the chance to take part in a healthy, competitive, life-long activity. It honestly has greatly enhanced the sense of friendliness, community and satisfaction we’ve had since moving to the area in 2010. We do not care to use the club after swim team hours, this is a non issue. Additionally, when I was growing up I swam competitively for over ten years, ultimately competing on the national level. I completely understand how devastating it would be to the Preserve Swim Team to only be able to draw from in-neighborhood athletes. And, if the team is weakened, many of the higher caliber in-neighborhood athletes will choose to go elsewhere to seek a quality program. It truly has been a big highlight of our sense of community here, to be able to have our daughter learning from such qualified, competent, friendly coaches, and come together with their friends in the summertime. I hope the HOA will see the value of the talents and expertise the out-of-neighborhood athletes and families bring, and leave the swim team to the people who have run it so well, for so long.
I would like to thank the residents of The Preserve that have supported this great team, and supported the out of neighborhood folks. Regardless of what happens going forward, it has been your hard work that has created great memories for us. Thank you to the Piranha's board and at least one member of the HOA!
We moved here four years ago after having belonged to a neighborhood swim team in South Texas. We were immediately invited to join the swim team and instantly made life long friends! It was the easiest way to make friends for our children and my husband and myself. We have been incredibly impressed with the outstanding way this team is run. Plus, we love the way it involves more then just the Preserve neighborhood. It is a great way to include the community that may not be as fortunate to have a neighborhood pool. I have been very impressed by the kindness of this neighborhood to share what we are so lucky to have. We hope that we can continue to build community relationships through the swim team for years to come!
These team is expertly run. The proposed changes do not appear to improve anything.
Proposed HOA board actions are not at all in tehe best ionterest of the community
This proposed resolution would negatively affect the experience of my swimming as well as the future swimmers of the team. As a coach and as a long time swimmer i see the resolution as inappropriate and is senseless. Changing something which was working great and did not need to be changed.
One of the social-building and confidence building qualities of children in The Preserve is the Piranhas Swim Team. My oldest children will be swimming their 7th year this season and my youngest daughter her 5th. Their success and confidence on the team has flourished because of knowledgeable swim board members, their ability to hire the right coaches for various levels of swimmers, and their ability to promote fairness and FUN among the swim families no matter where they come from. I implore the HOA to please consider the children and families who have worked hard to make swim team what it is today: thriving, successful, and a source of pride as they grow into valuable members of our community.
Do not change the swim team!
NO! Don't mess up the swim team. My kids have been on the team since before it started. It took years to learn the ropes, get things right, and be admitted to the Rocky Mtn. Swim League. The team gets complimented as one of the best run, managed and organized teams there is … including the fun and team spirit of our kids. Sure, it's not perfect, and improvements are made every year, but wholesale interference from the HOA is unwarranted and will have severe negative repercussions related to the success of the team and our kids. Changes should be vetted, not dictated. If we severely restrict nonresident swimmers, the team gets much smaller, and many of our kids won’t be able to be on the relays, remaining parents will have to volunteer more, and years of friendships developed with other swimmers over the summer will be terminated. Out of resident swimmers are not “off the street”, but school mates of our children. Let’s not knee jerk react to perhaps a few unhappy neighbors, but consider ALL residents’ views.
The board needs to explain why they feel it is necessary to take over a perfectly well run neighborhood function.
My son has been an out of neighborhood participant since the teams inception. As a family, we have seen the team grow into a competitive league. A league that our kids want to participate in because it is competitive yet fun. It's a summer league that allows all of our children to come together and have FUN! We have teenagers on the team that return year after year!! That should say it all! Please reconsider.
We have lived in the Preserve for almost four years and one of the best ways we have met neighbors and friends within the Preserve community has been through the swim team. The success of the swim team is much more than just the kids competing. It's about building community and bringing friends and families together. For many families with school age children, it has become central to the identify of the neighborhood and a point of pride. This resolution appears likely to greatly hinder the success of the team. Please reconsider and bring this to a community forum after the 2014 season.
Summer. It has always come hand in hand with the Preserve Swim Team. I've been a part of this team since 1999. I've been a part of this team since it began and through all of the changes it underwent. Whether it was the team name, the team color, whatever the change, one thing has stayed the same... the ability to instill a love for the sport and for our teammates. This will be my 5th season coaching for the Preserve Piranhas and I cannot express how much this team has added to my life. As a kid, being a part of this team was always a motivating factor, a friendship builder, and the beginning of a passion. As I've grown up this team has watched me grow as an athlete and as a coach. Over the last fifteen years, this team has helped me develop skills that I could never have gotten anywhere else. Through my years coaching, I have experienced first hand the passion that this team has been able to bring out of its swimmers. The fact that we may have to "deny" these swimmers a "spot" to be a part of such an amazing organization breaks my heart. I don't know who I would be without this team. I hope that the opportunity for swimmers to have the same experience is not taken away based off of where they live.
Preserve swimmer and eager learner, Jr Coach, mentor, friend, High School Varsity Athlete, scholar, college student, Asst head coach, leader, manager. teacher, role model....Kelly McCracken, Preserve resident, Piranha Head Coach. Kelly's brother, Ryan, Piranha member, high school state record holder, scholar athlete, studying at Santa Clara, acceptance to Yale. JJ Strain, Preserve resident, Jr Coach, Piranha swimmer, league record holder, stops by the house to walk my son to practice. Jonah Saya, non-resident team member, Jr Coach, swam the 21st fastest time of any 12 year old backstroker in the history of US swimming, tells stories of swimming with Missy Franklin, league record holder, knowledgeable, experienced, polite, humble and genuine. Annelise Adolph, scholar varsity athlete, work ethic du jour, Jr Coach, HS State Champion, Preserve resident. My sons stand poolside and cheer for these teammates. These young leaders cheer for my sons. My sons learn from them and they teach. What a positive environment and selling point for our community. This team breeds fantastic role models, mentors, leaders, competitors, enjoyment and memories. And the resident parents who have cultivated and nurtured this .....Thank you
I don't understand the HOA's motivation.
My family has been involved with the Preserve Swim team for the last 3 years. My kids associate summer with the Piranhas. As an out-of-neighborhood family we are happy to follow the restrictions and appreciate the opportunity to participate as our Cherry Hills Village neighborhood does not have a pool. The team provides a heathy, family oriented, experience for all team members. Friendships have been formed and sustained. A supportive community has been developed for the benefit of children. I find it ironic that the HOA, a group that is supposed to develop community, is working to destroy one of the best.
In addition to family, we value our friendships as vital components of who we are as people. I have lived in the Preserve for 20 years and have seen no group or event that has been more successful in building 'community' other than the swim team. It is antithetical that the neighborhood that boasts to be a 'community of the year'leader would undermine the very essence of this pilar of 'community' ! The Preserve is a premier community not because of its brick, mortar, and stucco but because of its constituents! I vote to PRESERVE the status quo regarding the Piranha Swim Team and not destroy the positive character building of this very important activity.
We participate in year round swimming at GAC but my kids love being part of the neighborhood swim team in order to make deeper connections to friends that live on the other side of the neighborhood. Changing the way the team is run will not impact our team for the better, it is already a well oiled machine. Do not mess with efficiency.
This appears to be about the boards ego's and politics and not about the kids. Let's be adults here and focus on other more needed issues. Leave the team alone. It is extremely well run
My family moved into the Preserve before this current swim team actually existed. When the Preserve Piranhas came into existence, we jumped right in. I was a swim board member at the beginning and served as Volunteer Coordinator for 2 years. The amount of work done by these dedicated people was amazing then and continues to amaze me now. Becoming a part of the Rocky Mountain Swim League took hard work and several swim board members then and now are held in VERY HIGH esteem by that swimming organization. I have three daughters who have all been a part of this team. They have made life-long friends from both sides of our neighborhood BECAUSE of the swim team. Our neighborhood is split into two school districts and this team has played a VITAL role in getting children from two school districts to come together for summer fun. The coaches and teen coaches have been WONDERFUL role models for my children. Changing this team would be heartbreaking. PLEASE do not change the swim team. The people who are currently running it and those who got the ball rolling should be COMMENDED for all that they have done and continue to do.