Non-residents on Broadlands swim team

If true, the CSL's president's behavior should not be condoned and it is not exusable. As a resident and parent of a CSL child, I have serious issues with that. I'm sorry but this type of behavior from team officials always trickles down the chain. Do we want someone like that in charge?

The point is still, no Broadlands resident should be turned away in-lieu of a non-resident, no matter how good a swimmer. Why would the HOA board support that? Are these non-residents good swimmers? Maybe it's a competitive issue and not a $$$ one....

 

That's a good question! Why would the CSL team even want to register non-residents and put residents on a wait list? Does the team gain something by it? Maybe somebody who was at the meeting heard a justification.....

 

I doubt they get anything to gain by it, I wasn't at the meeting but with soooo many kids its probably just a misunderstanding or errors in book keeping. I'm sure someone from the CSL will chime in to clear this up.

 

How about not letting any teams use the pools, It is causing more headaches than it worth. Maybe the teams would disband and another group of responsible adults can try again in a year. It would also give the HOA board to get their stuff together..

 

So you can justify taking away a summer activity that 400 kids love and look forward to every year because of your irritation over parking issues?

Nice.....

 

Mr. Linux - I was very happy that you were the only Resident HOA member that seemed to be fighting for the residents and you did have our best interest at heart.

I know that if Staci could have been at the meeting this motion would have never been approved.

Needless to say I was pretty surprised that it seemed 11 non residents took priority over Broadlands Residents. That fact just doesn't sit well with me.

Compounding the issue was listening to Kurt (CSL's Pres) ongoing dissing of B'land residents 'who did not want to volunteer for the Swim Team as much as the non-residents' - that really got my ire fired up.

 

WHAT?!! :scaredeyes: I can tell you from MUCH experience that our parents (who ARE our volunteers) absolutely MAKE the swim team happen! A swim team doesn't run without them. Each family pitches in and works on average 4 meets. Our committee chairs spend their summers making the swim team a great experience for the kids. The committee chair volunteers who were responsible for the concessions last year for example basically ran a small business operation--planning, organizing, buying, displaying and selling a WIDE variety of food and drinks at all the meets. They serve some of the best burgers at our home meets! We have TWO meets per week. That is alot of work. And all of the other operations and committees experience the same dedication from our volunteers.

I can also tell you that we have NEVER had a non-resident head up a committee. Ever. That has been the policy ever since I have been on the team. And it wouldn't make sense to have someone get trained and experienced for the more technical volunteer positions because you don't know from year to year if the outside pool passes will be sold so you don't know if non-residents will actually be on the team for a given year.

I can also tell you that neither last year nor this year has an email gone out from the swim team leadership seeking out committee heads. They make those calls individually--which I don't think is the best way to seek out those that want to take on such positions. Just ASK. Send out an email looking for volunteers and you will get people that WANT to help out. This community is amazing in their outpouring of support and surely there are residents not only willing, but happy to "STEP UP" and help out. Of course, if you behave in the manner that has been described at the HOA meeting, people will absolutely be less inclined to volunteer.

 

Serendipity, Your post is exactly why I was so upset with Kurt from CSL during this meeting he repeatedly conveyed to the HOA BoD mis-representation of the Broadlands homeowners volunteer efforts with the Swim Team.

The impression and based on direct statement from CSL is the other 11 non resident members were cruicial to the CSL volunteer efforts.

I found it offensive and inaccurate.

 

I would not ever recommend taking away the teams. This is a great activity that the kids look forward to each summer. Plus it give 400+ kids something to do besides be bored and cause trouble. Yes there are some bumps and inconveniences but the benefits by far out way these. The swim team as a whole is great there are just a few with their own agenda that create the controversy. No matter what the CSL board does I do not want to see the actions of a few adults impact the 180 residents swimmers who want a team to swim on this summer. And the other team ODSL had not done anything but provide a summer swim team experience.

Staci

 

Okay, so I'll put my two cents in here.
Some observations/concerns of my own prior to this issue is the size that these teams have grown to. It has created a few minor issues with pool usage and some bigger issues with parking.

Regarding the action taken at the Board meeting. First, there were seven Board members present. I believe 4-5 of them had absolutely no background on this issue and what was going on.

First, it was made clear that EVERY Broadlands resident that had requested to be on the CSL team WILL be on the team. I had previously been informed by the CSL that there were 5-6 residents wait-listed. It was made clear that NO non-residents will be on the team until EVERY Broadlands resident that had previously requested to be on the team was accomodated. The team was expanded, and there is room for all residents as well as the 11 non-residents.

Advertisement for the swim team was in the February Newsletter. My understanding is that there is nothing in the by-laws stating when or how long registration is to be open. Another advertisement will be in the April Newsletter, and there is still room on the CSL team for at least 4 more residents.

The ODSL does have a wait list, but my understanding is these are two separate teams and the wait lists are independent of each other.

As we look towards next year, these issues can be addressed and cleared up.
Some thoughts.....require a certain number of ads for registration for the Swim Teams in the Newsletter with a specific cut-off date. After that date, if all residents are accommodated, then non-residents can be allowed to join. Have a single wait list for both teams. If someone wants to be on ODSL but can't, they have first opportunity for the CSL team.

There are some allegations made here over what was said or not said. It will be my position that if any Swim Team Board member displays rude or disrespectful behavior to any other Committee member, HOA Board member, or HOA Staff, that person will be asked to resign immediately. If they don't, that team/committee will lose its affiliation with the HOA.
Another comment I will make is that I don't like it when Committee issues get elevated to the HOA Board level for resolution. If it continues to occur, I don't think anyone will be happy with the results.

 

I agree with Mr. Linux. First of all, there is no need for non-resident members on the swim team when each team can fill their quota with residents. Under the current arrangement, there WILL be residents put on the wait list and turned away; meanwhile, non-residents got in. This is not right.

This is a violation of the swim team by-laws, which clearly lay out the rules for registration of non-residents. I think the HOA should have enforced the by-laws. Even if non-residents registered, in error, there is a remedy - the CSL team gets notice of every registration, and they should have called these non-residents and told them that in accordance with the by-laws their registration would have to be canceled until the resident registration period was over. The problem is that the CSL team obviously believes they do not have to abide by the rules.

The HOA was duped by whatever misleading argument was put forth by the CSL President. With regard to non-residents being better volunteers - this is simply not true (see Serendipity's posting). The bottom line is that at some point the CSL "leaders" exhaust the goodwill of the most involved volunteers. The dynamic within this team is very poor at the "leadership" level. There is a lack of trust, respect, and communication. Luckily, most team parents and the kids are unaware of what goes on behind the scenes. But those that are heavily involved will eventually be aware of the dysfunction and be turned off by it. If there is difficulty in getting parents to be heavy lifters, it is due to this. Plus, as Serendipity points out, the CSL team does not invite all parents to help out, they hand-pick people and twist arms.

I absolutely agree with Mr. Linux that more oversight of the swim team is needed. The HOA should be watchful that the swim team board is operating in an appropriate manner. Currently, the swim team board meetings are not open to their membership; no one knows when the meetings are. So decisions made, issues discussed, and interpersonal dynamics all occur behind closed doors. If the CSL President acted so unprofessionally and rudely to the ODSL representative in front of the HOA Board and other witnesses, can you imagine what goes on in a more private setting?? This type of conduct should not be tolerated - but who is in charge here? I believe it is up to the HOA to see that the swim team and its representatives act responsibly towards the residents they serve and towards each other.

 

I agree with bird! This compromise ensures that if more than 4 more residents apply for the CSL team, they will be turned away (wait listed), and the non-residents will still be on the team. It's really just a way to give the CSL president what he wants, while throwing a bone to the residents who were put on the wait list....

 

Wow. Is the Swim Team an actual committee under HOA control? If so, they better (well - should) have their meetings opened up to everyone. Its community money and resources that the committees are using after all.

 

This I don't know. The swim teams do not pay for use of the pools, yet they are financially self-sufficient with own bank account and they have non-profit organization status.

 

It is my understanding that this is how it WAS handled in prior years and that is why the question was asked: why not this year?