How I learned to fear the swim parents

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

Remind me not to mess with Summit Homeowners and/or Swim Team parents. Truly, this is one group you do not want to offend, lest the wrath of God be brought down upon you.

Since I posted The Stange Case of the Summit Seals just four days ago, it has become the second most visited story on SCVTalk.com since the redesign last September. It’s ranking up there with the all time greats, as high or higher than the great posts from SCVTalk 2.0 and even SCVTalk 1.0.

It’s also flirting with 200 comments, an all time high on an SCVTalk story.

Politicians, media, and nosy HOA officials beware: do not mess with the swim team parents, for they are quick to anger and mighty in their wrath.

Comments (41)

Bill ReynoldsJune 1, 2010 at 9:32 pm

Now we know your stake in this dispute.

NateJune 1, 2010 at 10:53 pm

Drama

Dogdgers fanJune 2, 2010 at 4:41 pm

and what’s your stake Bill, and the other Stratford board members. Why wont you compromise, why are you intent on killing the swimteam? Do you bully everyone else in your HOA the same way?

Straight to the pointJune 2, 2010 at 7:33 pm

Wow Bill your so smart! Wish I could have your passion to tear apart not only a swim team but a HOA, and a community as a whole. You must be so proud!

alanJune 3, 2010 at 3:40 pm

Yes, Bill is good at doing that, lets just keep tearing this community apart. I’m sure that will help our home values. It’s much better to say we have a great community with an active and involved homeowners, we even have a great swim program for the kids in the summer,family BBQ’s and water polo matches, pancake breakfasts…. or is it better to say…. hmmm we just have a few angry homeonwers that don’t want anyone to do anything or have any fun…. lets’s see what would entice someone to buy up here and pay top dollar?

RobJune 5, 2010 at 10:14 am

Bill, can you at tell me why I am unable to get basic ‘rights of inspection’ on the documentation and the facts of this dispute? As a previous board member, were you privvy to my letters to the board and my numerous requests for clarification and information? At the very least, can you tell me whey we do not make minutes of meetings more readily available to HOA members, instead of having to formally request them. Thank you.

RobJune 7, 2010 at 9:01 am

Bill, once again, Interesting that an ex-Stratford Board member has chosen to ignore direct questions from a Stratford Owner, and instead go and post more inaccurate misinformation in another blog. Very sad, and yet unsurprising. If you prefer you may e-mail me directly with the answers at robhollocks@mac.com , of you don’t want to make the answers public. It would be welcome to have someone, even an ex-board member respond with some real answers to my many unanswered questions about the process,costs and motivations behind this campaign. This is raising increasingly worrisome questions about the Boards ability to manage themselves effectively. A matter that I and many other HOA members will be raising on the 16th.

mikeJune 1, 2010 at 10:00 pm

yeah Bill, he’s making money off of all those ads you see on the right hand side. Or is it the bottom? The top?

scvdadJune 2, 2010 at 5:22 am

We are very passionate about this program and what it has done for our kids. There is 21 years of history for the Seals and hundreds and hundreds of parents and kids, many of them now parents as well that have gone through this program. Parents and kids that have been long gone from the program are outraged at the small group of selfish and vile individuals that want to take that away using intimidations and threats.

Dogdgers fanJune 2, 2010 at 4:46 pm

They won’t stop. the only way forward is to remove them. Are there ANY stratford owners willing to stand up to a bunch of mean self serving bullies? They should be putting in time and effort into putting down our HOA fees. Personally, I’m tired of paying $300 a month for these jerks to do what they want with our money.

GangFangJune 2, 2010 at 6:33 am

I peed in that pool once. True story.

BobJune 2, 2010 at 9:11 am

And I bet at the time you thought you were going to take that secret to your grave. You probably wern’t aware of a Stratford HOA board member hiding in the bushes who video taped your little episode.

scvtruthsquadJune 2, 2010 at 9:18 am

Does the swim team insurance cover that? I am sure the Strafford board will now demand that the swim team make sure no one pees in the pool and if they can’t gurantee that then of course they need to be shut down

Fred ButlerJune 2, 2010 at 9:44 am

They can look into getting that chemical that turns the water blue when someone pees in it.

Dogdgers fanJune 2, 2010 at 5:03 pm

Shame we can’t turn the Startford Borad blue – like the ‘Blue meanies’ they are.

Dogdgers fanJune 2, 2010 at 4:42 pm

and then kept it in his house, just in case he needed it to bully a group of parents and kids trying to do something positive for the community.

Seal ParentJune 2, 2010 at 9:44 am

you must be so proud

scvtruthsquadJune 2, 2010 at 8:21 am

Don’t mess with kid’s programs and don’t videotape the kids, it’s like playing with a hornets nest.

TeriJune 2, 2010 at 10:01 am

My kids aren’t on the swim team anymore, they are too old. My family feels like the Summit Seals was the best thing about the summers growing up in Valencia. With all the bad in the world, let’s support the GOOD programs!

mikeJune 2, 2010 at 11:35 am

an imagined conversation: BR: Now I know you’re going to be videotaping the swim team from the parking lot. I need a copy of that video for my new series: NotASealsFan. PI: Sure, $50 BR: $40? PI $45. BR: Deal. Now I need kids that have recently lost their teeth. PI: Come again? BR: YOU HAVE NO IDEA how much trouble I go through to remove teeth from the people in my video. I think it really helps me get my point across. If you can videotape *actual* gaptoothed kids, it would make my life a lot easier. PI: Fine then. $50. BR: Deal.

Bill ReynoldsJune 3, 2010 at 1:06 pm

Mike, are you off your meds again?

mikeJune 3, 2010 at 1:35 pm

I seek only an healing within our community and to counsel those who denigrate others with differing perspectives.

Bill ReynoldsJune 4, 2010 at 2:55 pm

Hey Mike, you’re really doin’ great. Keep your good work.

swim fanJune 2, 2010 at 4:56 pm

Just wanted to say, me and my friends have been on the swimteam for 2 years. I know we’re only kids, but even we know what is right and what is wrong. and what you are doing to us is wrong, not matter what you pretend. We just want to swim, we don’t care about all the fighting. we just want to swim. Please someone tell us why these people hate us so much and why they are trying to take aawy our team.

granny gooseJune 2, 2010 at 5:15 pm

This is the most ridiculous debate in the history of the US of A. They must all be uncle and auntie scrooge in those Stratford condos. The children of your community can keep you young. They are the future of this country and we need to keep our youth focused in and out of school. Healthy minded children will be USA’s backbone. Perhaps the people of the Stratford homes need to get a little education. Go to the theatres, a concert, a library. GO to CHURCH!! But let these families invest in the future of their children. They are our future too. Life is short and there are many more important things to worry about: disasters all over the world, Republicans, and the coming of the end of the earth!!! Get a life Stratford!!

alanJune 3, 2010 at 6:36 pm

yes Granny, it is ridiculous, those crazies have nothing better to do than to bring our porperty value down, make everyone’s life miserable and ruin childhood memories…bravo Strafford Board and those that support them

BobJune 3, 2010 at 6:44 pm

So there’s no misunderstanding… the swim team has no beef with the Stratford enclave of roughly 200+ homes. There are many participants and supporters of the swim team from the Stratfords. It’s the Stratford HOA board that’s decided to do whatever it takes in lawyer fees and misinformation to block the swim team.

scvdadJune 4, 2010 at 7:46 am

agreed Bob, it’s the Stratford HOA and a few (very few) supporters, but the Straford homeonwers need to stand up and make their voice heard, if you stay quite it’s the same as supporting them. Time to remove the Stratford board.

Bill ReynoldsJune 4, 2010 at 2:44 pm

Hey Granny, it’s George Bush’s fault, huh?

Scott McGowanJune 4, 2010 at 4:28 pm

What does that mean? Bill – seriously! We have a bunch of kids that just want to swim with their friends this summer. They have a right to use the pool. The fact that it’s organized, monitored, insured – is all a benefit to our community. Having swim meets with other neighborhoods strengthens our larger community. Everything the swim team does benefit us in so many positive ways. I don’t get why you can’t see that. Please step down from your attack. Don’t make me explain to my kids why we lost our swim team because the grown ups couldn’t get along.

Bill ReynoldsJune 4, 2010 at 8:21 pm

Yo Scott, did you not understand what Granny said? What does this have to do about disasters, Rebublicans and the the coming of the end of the earth!!! Somebody states an opinion and people call it an attack. Try to chill. Life is short for all this handwringing.

Scott McGowanJune 4, 2010 at 8:25 pm

You’d do well to take your own advice. I feel sorry for you Bill.

scvdadJune 5, 2010 at 6:31 am

Bill, will you and your Straford Board cronies be at the Seals pancake breakfast this morning videotaping the little kids and harrasing the parents and grandparents. Maybe you guys can spit in the pancake batter to ruin things, I’m sure that will make you feel better.

Bill ReynoldsJune 5, 2010 at 3:34 pm

scvdad, what is your problem? Everything is scheduled, you guys are doin’ your thing… I’m not gettin’ all this handwringing and bad mouthing. Life is too short for such worrying. By the way, I didn’t see any of you honoring the young Marine at Stevenson’s Ranch today.

RobJune 5, 2010 at 10:06 am

I have again written to the Stratford HOA today asking for them to provide written and specific information and answers under our CCR and Bylaws. I have also engaged counsel on my own behalf to ensure their compliance. They have consistently refused to specifically answer my questions on the process and advice they have taken, along with the resolutions they made as to why they wish to ‘eliminate’ the Community Swim team. I am a Stratford HOA, and under the rights of inspection laid down in our CCR and Bylaws, I am asking for information which I am legally entitled to see and know. To date, the Board have instead chosen to provide me with limited selective information and chosen to ignore many key specific questions or simply not respond to me at all. Their next public meeting is on the 16th of June, at 7.30pm at the Summit Clubhouse, I implore all members of the community who care about this issue to attend. Only Summit HOA members will be allowed in the meeting – and I urge those of you who (like me), have grown increasingly concerned with the Boards performance, decision-making process, and level of responsibility to it’s own HOA members to PLEASE attend, and along with me use this meeting to politely but firmly, express your concerns. This is a situation which is now much larger than their continued persecution of the community swim team. This is now about the boards, ability to conduct their mandated roles in a professional and competent manner.) As can be seen from the comments on this site. For those non-Stratford HOA members; Summit HOA members, supporters from other Swim teams, or concerned individuals. Please, please come along for an hour, just to show our solidarity and strength of community spirit before the meeting starts. Thank you for listening, thank you for your support.

SteveTJune 5, 2010 at 10:35 am

What a great pancake breakfast this morning! Saw lots of old friends and the kids had a blast. I didn’t see anyone secretively filming but I did see Bill walk by, by himself, past a parking lot full of families neighbors friends and kids eating socializing and having a great time. Kind of sad actually. But to each their own. It was a great morning – and now I’ve got a backyard pool with half a dozen kids having a blast! Thanks to everyone for making it happen. Summer is officially here!

Bill ReynoldsJune 5, 2010 at 5:47 pm

Yes it was a great day, honoring an American hero right here in our neighborhood then watching my grandson pitch getting three outs with four pitches in one inning. Life is Good, Baby!

scvtruthsquadJune 6, 2010 at 7:01 am

You let your grandson pitch, wow isn’t there too much liability.

ARealVetJune 7, 2010 at 5:44 am

Mr. Reynolds I cannot fathom how you can attend the service for a local 19 year old boy who lost his life in service to our country, and use it to say life is good baby. It’s not good for him and not good for his family. You dishonor his memory and service.

scvtruthsquadJune 7, 2010 at 9:22 am

because he is a selfish person

Seal ParentJune 7, 2010 at 11:14 am

Mr. Reynolds, You make some perhaps valid points above (I say “perhaps” only because I have not checked the facts on them so I have no opinion about them one way or another); however, you repeat three times a specific statement about “children diving into the shallow end,” either because you have great concern about this activity, or you are simply trying to use it as a scare tactic to stir up emotions and create dissent towards the swim team. Since I do not know you, I truly do not know your agenda there. So let me share, that if this is indeed a real concern of yours, there are countless attorneys who specialize in shallow diving injuries, and if you will simply do some research, you will indeed find out that competitive swimmers, children or otherwise, especially supervised as they are by swim coaches, are fairly considered exempt by lawyers from the dangers of diving in the shallow end. It is the unwitting, perhaps inebriated, teens and early-twenty-somethings who utilize the pool unsupervised 365 days-a-year which pose the liability problem to your Stratford residents about whom you claim to carry such concern. Attorneys state that it is they who are the high percentage of the problem, again, not the swim team (who, in my research, have no reported injuries in any local area (or other ares) for decades, while there are numerous shallow end injuries from the latter). So, while I see disappointing name-calling and unwarranted accusations on SCVTalk from both sides, if you indeed have an impartial opinion about the existence and safety of the swim team (and are not being driven by resentment or a hidden agenda to have the team removed because of purported inappropriate emotional behavior from scared and threatened parents) then separate the true liability concerns from your frustration, and simply see that this is a positive program for the kids, just as it is for your grandson to go out and pitch. There are undoubtedly plenty of unsavory parents on your grandkid’s team, but you aren’t trying to shut down little league as a result (as far as I know). So, since insurance is in place, and certain events are being curbed, why don’t you back down from this issue and let it go?