At Baltimore City College, out of the pool
I got a call yesterday from the three very frustrated captains of the Baltimore City College swim team, all seniors at the school. Since swim season started in November, the co-ed team has yet to be able to practice in the City pool because of one problem after another: with the drain, with mold, and so on. Several times, they thought the pool would open. Every time, something else came up. There are enormous challenges associated with maintaining a pool up to the health department's strict standards in buildings as old as Baltimore's high schools; this isn't the first time I've written about students stopped from swimming.
City has tried to make accommodations for its students this season. Those haven't worked out, either.
The team started out practicing at the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg YMCA. But the practice hours after school were during the Y's peak time, and the students had to move on. On to Mervo, where the pool was shut down more than a week ago for problems of its own. School athletic officials then arranged, and paid for, the swim teams from City and Poly (where the pool has also been out of commission the past few days) to practice at a public city pool, Callowhill Aquatics Center. The students took buses there only to find out that, oops, swim classes were going on and they couldn't get in.
Which brings us to today, when the City and Poly swim teams are scheduled to compete against each other in advance of Saturday's Baltimore swim championships. Only neither team has been able to practice in more than a week. About half the students on the City team have already quit. After consulting with those remaining, the captains were so frustrated that they were prepared yesterday to forfeit their season, undefeated thus far (albeit with some meets canceled). But, it turns out, only school athletic officials can make the decision to forfeit, and at least a few students on the team still want to swim. And so today's meet will go on.
It's worth noting that the pool isn't the only problem in the building at City, the so-called Castle on the Hill. The school was closed last week due to lack of heat. When I talked to Principal Tim Dawson last night, he said the pool situation underscores the dire need for school construction dollars to upgrade old facilities. "The kids have a right to be upset about this," he said.
UPDATE: Poly's pool, which was expected to be ready by today, is still inoperable, so the meet between the rival schools has been canceled.
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Comments
How sad.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 4, 2009 12:19 PM
Oh, the principal makes a comment?
Until today, he has not spoken one word to the swim team members this season?
Caring and comforting to our students? I think not.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 4, 2009 12:32 PM
maybe if the football team used the pool it would have been repaired. I've never heard of the knights football team playing on an unchalked field.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 4, 2009 1:09 PM
This is the first year in over half a century City has not upheld the tradition of swimming against Poly, the rival school. As of now, the meet is cancelled. This problem has been recurring for years; it is not a new phenomenon. It is time to repair the pool completely, rather than funneling money into small repairs that ultimately cost more.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 4, 2009 6:28 PM
Anonymous: "This is the first year in over half a century City has not upheld the tradition of swimming against Poly"
????
At this point it is just as much Poly not upholding the tradition as it is City. It is my understanding that Poly's pool is broken too. This was neither school's fault. Rather it is the failure of the system to uphold the financial responsibilities that are associated with having aquatics facilities.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 4, 2009 6:53 PM
Last year when the basketball court flooded, it was made sure that it was replaced before basketball season because there was no way that the basketball team could have nowhere to practice. If City's swim team was as important to the principal as the basketball team, the pool would have been fixed in September
Posted by: Anonymous | February 4, 2009 7:18 PM
I am a member of the city swimteam and the whole season has been so frustrating and overwhelming!! Not only have we not been able to practice in our own pool ALL SEASON LONG, but our most important meet has been cancelled. The football team and Basketball team is all Dawson cares about and it is not fair at all. I am on the soccer and lacrosse team as well and the lack of caring done by him is terrible. To make a point he needs to be fair to all of the sports teams and stop waisting money on things that do not matter!
Posted by: Abbey Lane-Sulton | February 4, 2009 7:34 PM
It does seem odd that the front page of this newspaper today features the photo of our city's swimming millionaire when our high schools are closing pools due to lack of funds. Can someone please introduce Dr. Alonso to Mr. Phelps?
Posted by: A City Parent | February 4, 2009 7:45 PM
I am more upset with Mr. Dawson than I am with the BCPSS. He has not demonstrated compassion for our kids and he does not tell the parents what is really going on. There is no PAL in this princiPAL.
Posted by: Another BCC parent | February 4, 2009 11:20 PM
I emphathize with this entire situation. I see among principals and others throughout the system a pattern of not equally supporting all of the activities of students by the maintenance of facilities or the support of staff to direct these activities. And, the situation will only get worse as the principals now have more direct control over their own budgets. However, the City of Baltimore needs to step up to the plate also and invest money in infrastructure to support students in those activities that will help students to keep involved in activities that are positive in nature.
Posted by: vetern teacher | February 5, 2009 6:19 AM
Principal Dawson does lack much as a leader and this pool incident is only the latest illustration of that fact. Funding from North Avenue is limited for infrastructure but his refusal to communicate honestly with parents (while scolding swim team members for contacting the media) is clearly an indication that his own public image is what drives policy at the school.
Posted by: A City Parent | February 5, 2009 9:19 AM
Funding is only limited to certain things.
The system can continue to find money to spend for the things that matter to them.
With all the new heads who have been coming in also comes spending for new desks for their office and much more.
But when the schools need heating, air conditioning, new doors, windows and the like, then there is no more water in the well.
It has been this way before Alonso came, and it will be that way whenever he desides he has had enough.
The system continues to overcrowd our schools, renaming them to make some believe that it is a new facility when in actuality it is not.
Priority should be with our schools and what is really needed to keep staff and students.
If its not one thing its something else-- but our schools are rundown and a buffed floor and new paint in August does nothing for what is needed the rest of the school year.
Posted by: ankrty | February 6, 2009 3:20 PM