Marin Swim League – Volunteer commitments are worth it

The other day I was speaking with a parent whose child is no longer going to be swimming with the Terra Linda Orcas. She didn’t swim at meets last year and doesn’t want to swim at all this year so they won’t be returning. Swimming is not for everyone, but at least she gave it a go. The parents were a bit relieved because they wouldn’t be obligated to complete the volunteer commitments that come with having a child on one of the Marin Swim League teams. I know it’s can seem daunting, but this being my family’s sixth year in the Orca program I’ve grown to appreciate the level of involvement required by all the parents to put on the meets every weekend and effectively run a team. Swimming families like to say, ‘it takes a village’ to run the meets. I can attest to that, these events present huge logistical challenges. With so many moving parts, the parents and families are the team behind the team.

Personally I like volunteering. There are other volunteer opportunities, but most parents volunteer during meets. We are there anyway so we might as well be part of what is going on. More importantly it gives us a greater level of involvement in our kid’s lives. At this point I’m already getting a bit of a vibe from my twelve year old regarding boundaries in her personal life. The Orcas give me a good reason/excuse to be involved in her life six days a week in the spring and summer. Every year goes quicker than the previous one now, and pretty soon the opportunities to volunteer to be part of my kid’s sporting lives will be gone.

Do you remember what you did during weekends and after school as a teenager? I got into more than my share of mischief, to put it mildly, and I’m glad to be part of this healthy and fun outlet for my family. I’m hoping that being on the team will help keep them out of trouble and I know it gets them in great shape every year. Plus they have a lot of fun, which is vital to their continued involvement.   

When it’s all said and done and my kids are out of the house I’d like to be able to look back on this time and remember being involved. I want my kids to remember my involvement and eventually pass that on to their own children. And when I say eventually, I’m hoping their children come WAY down the road. Hopefully being as involved as we are now will help them make more of the right choices in their lives.

In light of what we get back from our involvement the commitments in the Marin Swim League are worth every minute. I’m proud to say that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, a program that enriches the lives of our children and our community. So when it comes to this upcoming season I like to quote Dorie from Finding Nemo, “Swimming, swimming, just keep swimming.”