North Smithfield student proposes high school swim team; committee presses on costs, pool access and insurance

Frances Tyner, a senior at North Smithfield High School, proposed forming a North Smithfield High School swim team during the school committee meeting on May 20, 2025, and outlined estimated costs, co-op options and next steps.

Tyner framed the proposal as both an athletic and educational opportunity, describing the training demands and what swim participation has taught her. "Swimming is a really, really difficult sport," she said, and described practice expectations and the discipline required. She told the committee she surveyed students and received 16 responses from a subset of grades 8–12 and estimated there could be roughly 25–30 students interested if a team were formed.

On funding and logistics Tyner said rental of a pool can be a major cost — she cited a figure of $15,000 for pool rental provided by the Lincoln athletic director as an upper-range example — and estimated that a materials/coaches/fees total in one scenario would be about $11,000. She told the committee that co‑op arrangements with nearby schools could "cut the money required to have a swim team in half," because partner schools could share pool time and other expenses. Tyner recommended co‑op models that practice at existing YMCA pools or at a partner school's on‑campus pool when available; she named Smithfield and Pawtucket as local programs that use YMCA pools and said Burrillville often practices at the Smithfield YMCA.

Committee members asked about insurance implications, transportation and whether the district athletic director had been consulted. A committee member asked whether adding a pool would affect district insurance; Tyner replied that an installed pool would have a direct insurance implication and that she would ask relevant administrators and the athletic director. Tyner said she had not yet discussed the proposal with Athletic Director Matthew McNulty because she wanted the committee's general support first; she planned to meet with him after the presentation.

Tyner discussed possible operational models: an off‑campus pool rental (higher cost), a co‑op that rents a pool (shared rental cost), or a co‑op with a partner that has an on‑campus pool (lowest cost because pool rental is not required). She said Community College of Rhode Island's Lincoln pool might be available for rent, but she had not confirmed terms. Regarding roster size, Tyner told the committee interscholastic participation generally requires on the order of 6–10 athletes and that she believed 10 is a practical target to form a full team; she said she personally knows several students and community coaches who could help recruit and staff the program.

Tyner said she conducted much of the research with mentor Matthew Teck as part of her senior project and that she would pursue outreach to potential co‑op partners and the athletic director. Committee members responded positively to the presentation but emphasized that funding, insurance, transportation and formal buy‑in from the athletic director will determine feasibility. No committee vote or formal commitment was made; the item was informational.

Frances Tyner closed by saying she would continue outreach and return with more specific cost and partnership information once she had spoken with the athletic director and potential partner programs.