I enjoyed the article on the summer neighborhood swim teams ("Where swimmers meet," Arts & Living, July 17). For years, my girls swam each summer on such a team. I completely understand how grueling those meets are for the parents but how much fun they are for the children. (I used to stand on that slab of concrete as a timer and then, four hours later, was subjected to an after-meet Pizza Inn experience with 100 screaming kids.)
The writer got the experience just right. These swim teams are about as close as people come to a small-town experience in today's suburbia. I really felt such a kinship with my neighbors during those summers, and my children, who today are 33, 29 and 25, still count swim team as one of their favorite childhood memories.
When your swimmers outgrow the experience, it really does leave an ache in a parent's heart. Just this summer, however, my 5-year-old granddaughter swam for the first time on a team. I went to a couple of meets and didn't have to work a job! The excitement was just the same as I remembered. Long live the neighborhood summer swim teams!
