Tell me about swim teams someone PLEASE

[Sugarmagnolia]

so I just let dd (8) join the local swim team. it's only a 'development squad' to start with - an hour on a sunday. but she also does dancing and just started viola lessons and suddenly i think i'm totally bonkers for even considering one more activity. now all I hear is - oh before you know it you'll be up at 6 for practice before school - and now I literally can't sleep for worrying about what i've gotten myself into. she loves swimming so i thought i was doing the right thing - would i be the worst mother ever to turn around and say, 'sorry i made a mistake, you can't do it'? will it not be as bad as I think and i should just let her give it a go for a while? she does understand that eventually she may have to choose between the different activites - but the honest truth is it's me i'm worried about more than her at the moment.

[Quattrocento]

Mine were in a swimming club and a swimming team. Did them both a lot of good. There will come a point when you get taken aside by a trainer to have a quiet word. DD was told that she needed to swim more to get to the next level (the 6am starts). By that point she was swimming 5 times a week and the thought of more swimming put her off, so she gave up.

The point I am making is that they mostly drop out naturally and in the meantime they are improving a key skill, so I wouldn't worry too much

[Sugarmagnolia]

Even the thought of 5 times a week is scary (for me, not her)! The pool where she used to do her swimming lessons is round the corner but the pool where the swim club meets is 20 minutes away. DH says not to worry just let her do it for now and worry about the extra commitment when the time comes but typically I am letting myself panic now. (and of course I?M the one who does all the running around, not him)

Hearing other people's experiences though is really good.

[Sugarmagnolia]

bump?

[Ambi]

I don't have any direct experience, but my brother trained from the age of 6 upto 21, he ended up qualifying for the commonwealth games a few years ago, but didn't quite make it. So I know how it can take over your life, he trained for 4 mornings and evenings a week and at weekends, on top of that was the galas all over the country most weekends. It's possible that your DD will give it up before it gets to that stage (like I did). DB still does gala's now, he's 26 and gives the small local clubs a chance of winning a medal. Swimming was his life through high school, but he never got into any trouble and formed a close bond with his team mates. It helped him get into Uni, since his grades weren't great.

[snorkle]

Swimming is a great sport for general aerobic fitness. Most of our club swimmers have fantastic looking bodies and are also very good at other sports requiring fitness (running etc), so lots of side benefits. People are right that the amount of training creeps up on you, but you can stop or scale back whenever it gets too much for either of you. It also depends to a large degree how serious the club she's joined is as to how serious it might get.

Both my dcs swim, though dd (14) has recently scaled back training to twice a week (and started water polo), but she confided in me this weekend that she really likes being able to swim well. ds (15) trains up to 6 times a week (including two mornings) and still manages instruments & orchestras etc. They are both starting as 'helpers' with the learn to swim classes which is the first step to becoming a swim teacher. A lot of out older swimmers do this as well as lifeguarding to earn extra pocket money.

I'd say while she's enjoying it, don't worry. When it gets to the point of choosing between it and other things then weigh things up and make your choices.

[Sugarmagnolia]

snorkie - I like what you said about helping to teach the swimming classes and lifeguarding - I can just see DD being really into that when she's a bit older.

The other bonus for us is that it's kind of replaced skating for her. We gave up on skating because not only did it have the same kind of training/commitment issues as swimming but she was always miserable after about 20 minutes on the ice. I'd pay a lot of money for her to go every week only to end up fighting with her when she wanted to leave the second her lesson was done instead of staying on to practice. Recently she asked to go back to it but I kind of felt she missed the 'idea' of skating more than she missed the actual sport (ie it was something cool and different with nice costumes). Whereas she always seems to love, love, love swimming and was devastated when she finished with regular lessons.