City budget concerns are forcing San Diego’s GLBT Different Strokes Swim Team (DSST) and Cygnets water polo team to consider making cuts to their practice schedule and could possibly mean the end of the gay friendly water polo team.

Last week the San Diego City Council voted to approve a fee increase for adults using the municipal pools that the city manages. Pool rental fees will be going up from $44 per hour to $195 and hour and for the DSST and Cygnets that means an increase of over 254 percent. The increase has left both teams wondering how they will compensate for the sudden increase in costs.

“We have lots of options, but nothing is final,” said John Rasmussen, president of the DSST, to the Gay & Lesbian Times. “Most likely it means an automatic reduction in practices. A minimum of two a week, which means a third of our practices, could be gone because of this, and maybe more. It also means that our team has to look outside the city of San Diego for pools.”

Currently the DSST is using city-managed pools in City Heights and Allied Gardens for it’s six practices during the week. The Cygnets also make their home at the Bud Kearns Municipal Pool located at Morley Field in Balboa Park. With over 60 active members, the DSST will feel the impact of the fee increase to a slightly lesser degree. However, for the Cygnets who have only 15 members and use their pool for two hours each practice, the fee increase will be a much harder blow.

“We’re a small team, so basically our fees have gone in the last year from 88 bucks a day plus a coach, now we’re looking at 200 bucks a day and basically we’re already paying $10 a practice, 40 bucks a month and we’re going to have to double our fees,” said David Hunt, who manages of the Cygnets. “And a lot of people will leave and we’ll probably have to fold because we won’t keep enough people in the pool.”

The Cygnets are unique among the adult recreation water polo teams in San Diego in that they accept members of all skill levels, from novice to those who have experience playing at the collegiate level. Because of this the team has picked up several straight members, who participate with the team in gay tournaments and in scrimmages with other teams.

The DSST and Cygnets are also considering relocating practice to facilities managed by other cities in San Diego County, including Poway and La Mesa where fees have not been increased.

“They assumed all of these teams would just pay the fees; well that’s just not an option for us,” Rasmussen said.

Despite the fact that the majority of the pool usage is by youth groups, only fees for the adults were raised to cover the rising operating expenses.

“I understand an increase, but it doesn’t make sense to me because youth groups make up the majority of time used at the pool,” Hunt said. “So if you increased everyone a little bit, and everyone was happy and you would have all of that money come in. What they’ve done is keep the youth groups at a losing money level and they are going to funnel the financial burden onto the adult teams… and when they leave, the city is even more behind than they were before. I don’t understand the financial logic.”

For years the DSST made their home in Coronado, but when that pool was closed down for renovation and the building of a new city hall, they were forced to use pools managed by the City of San Diego. The renovation of the Coronado pool is expected to be complete in February 2005, and the swim team hopes to return to using that pool for its weekly practices.

Currently the DSST practice on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays at the City Heights Municipal Pool at 4380 Landis St. from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. and on Tuesday and Thursday night from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday morning practices take place at the Allied Gardens Pool from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. The Cygnets Water Polo team practices at the Bud Kearns Pool in Balboa Park on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.