Thursday, April 19, 2007

Letter to the Editor

What’s in a name?

For the past year my son has truly enjoyed being apart of the Fort Belvoir Sharks Swim Team. New to Fort Belvoir, it gave him a sense of belonging and pride - often wearing his team sweatshirt to Fort Belvoir Elementary on Fridays before big meets. The swim team board of directors was recently notified that for liability reasons they can no longer maintain the name “Fort Belvoir Swim Team.”

Though the team’s roots go back to a post-sponsored summer swim league in the 1970s, the team is not currently operated under Fort Belvoir MWR. Instead it is a parent-run, non-profit organization open to children from the entire area. As such, the team practices not only at Benyaurd pool but also at the George Washington, Mount Vernon and Lee Recreation Center pools. The team serves numerous military children - in fact it provides a military discount for registration fees, and provides the greater community an opportunity to connect with Fort Belvoir. The team is also a part of the Fort Belvoir community; the Belvoir Eagle has on numerous occasions carried stories about our swimmers’ accomplishments.

The kids don’t understand the legalities behind MWR and non-MWR, they just know they live on Fort Belvoir, go to Fort Belvoir Elementary and swim on the Fort Belvoir Swim Team here on Fort Belvoir. Why now must they change their identity? Life is hard enough on military kids with putting down new roots every couple years and changing schools; don’t make them change their team’s name. The kids are proud to represent Fort Belvoir at their swim meets. How do you explain to an 8-year-old that the post they live on doesn’t want them to be their representatives anymore when they swim in a race?

The post has a long history of working with “outside” organizations to better the lives of those who live here. Fairfax County Schools, Boys Scouts, Girl Scouts, Red Cross and the USO just to mention a few, all maintain “Fort Belvoir” in the name of their local organizations here on post.

This doesn’t need to happen, but if it does I guess I’ll have to start cheering “Go Gunston Guppies!”

Mandi Love
Cedar Grove Village

Thank you for your letter about the Fort Belvoir Swim Team. As you probably know, the team has members from both the military community on and off post, and others who have no affiliation with the military or Fort Belvoir. We have been working with the swim team leadership to find the best relationship with the installation that satisfies the needs of children who participate, retains the inherent value of the organization and fits into the regulatory framework under which DoD and Army installations must operate. We have looked at a number of possible ways to preserve the team, and at the same time bring it under an umbrella that aligns it better with DoD and Army policy either as an MWR program, or as a registered and approved Fort Belvoir private organization. We fully understand your concerns about retaining the Fort Belvoir name, and we also want a solution that will do that legally.

Bill Parsons
Director of Morale,
Welfare and Recreation