Poolside chat - new year, new racing!

Thanks @Eccle80 @SkankingWombat - great advice!

It's all 25m plus a 100 IM - luckily I know a bit but it's a long time since I was a competitive swimmer so lots of stuff seems to have changed!

@rainyboo welcome, and hope your daughter enjoys swimming. Great age to start, my two were 8 and 9 when they joined. Feel free to ask any questions you have, I do remember it was all a bit mystifying at first! If she’s starting off with some club champs races, depending which she is doing it might be worth both trying to make sure she’s clear on what she is doing and some basic rules (eg 50m freestyle is 2 lengths, stay on your back to finish in backstroke). As you say though great opportunity to get some times and then she can see how she progresses - we were looking at my 12 year olds first times from 4 years ago and he’s halved all his 50 times since then.

@SkankingWombat glad you were able to find her a suit, and hope she enjoys swimming in it at your gala! I am no help with the toilet part as it’s not such an issue for boys, but I think the girls do often help each other with suits. Or if she can get it up to her chest without you, then go to you to pull the shoulders over?

Hi @rainrainyboo ! My DCs are at the younger end too. They are 7 & 9yo, although both joined at 5yo so it feels like it has been a part of our life forever already... (Our club takes them from 5yo if at Learn To Swim stage 5 or above, which seems to be much earlier than other clubs in our county).
I quietly followed the chat for a long time to get a bit of an insight, but have since got a bit bolder and had great help and advice on a couple of areas. There is a lot to get your head round if you don't have a background in competitive swimming yourself, particularly once they turn 9 and can start going to open meets, gaining County times etc. There can be a lot of assumed knowledge, so the last 12 months have been a steep learning curve for us!
Good luck to your DD, I'm sure she'll love it 😊

Speaking of the advice, we went for the Speedo LZR Ignite in the end, found in the clearance section in an 'old' colourway and comfortably within budget 👍🏻 Unfortunately the linked Arena clearance suits had sold out in her size, which it didn't show until you tried to add it to the basket.
She did prefer Arena, but now the Speedo is here she is thrilled to bits with it and looking forward to doing a test run (swim?!) in it at our splash gala this weekend ahead of the club's big annual 2 day open meet next month.
Follow up question: what happens toilet-wise at longer meets? She can get it up and down over her body and hips herself, but couldn't manage the shoulder straps alone. To be fair to her, the instructional video did recommend you get help with that part... Do they take a friend and help each other? I will be poolside as part of the coaching team, but not able to go and help her. She should be fine if she goes before the first/between the sessions as I can go with her to help, but she doesn't like 'unknowns' and prefers to have a plan in advance!

Haha that'd be good - she's not very fast as running atm!

Yes, twice a week to start with - fingers crossed it doesn't exhaust her - luckily starting just before Easter school holidays so means she can settle into it and then have a break....I hope

Thanks! Yes, her first session is actually the inter club champs so she'll be timed! Slightly daunting but prob good as the next time around she'll probs get loads of PBs which will be good for confidence

Welcome, rainyboo. Training will seem tough for the first few weeks, but the kids soon get used to it.

You'll probably discover that your daughter will be a speedy runner in due course.

That’s fab, 8 is a great age to start. Not too long to wait till you’re 9 for all the comps, hopefully a few junior/ club opportunities before then 😊.

Thanks both! DD (just 8) is just about to start swimming with a club and she's very excited!

Welcome we’re all at different stages/ levels. Mine aren’t new to it but we aren’t as serious about it as some of the others.

@rainyboo you absolutely won't get in the way everyone was just starting at some point.

Is there a thread for those just starting their comp swimming journey? Or should we post here? (Don't want to get in the ways

ReluctantSwimMum that's our County too!

We're missing "compressed" counties this year (timetable clashes). Hopefully the school have sorted out the ambient temperature; it was absolutely freezing just before the flood.

If your DCs are into less wet sports, the Outlet village in Street usually has some good footwear bargains in the ASICS shop.

I'm getting my head round the increased hours now, though I'm still hoping we can make things equitable for younger sibling who unequivocally does not want to join a swimming club!

We were at the Somerset County Championships at Millfield this weekend - what a beautiful venue and amazing opportunity.

Lift sharing where you can too - although that can be quite fraught if you have a DC that likes the after swim social time and a lift share child (and parent) that doesn’t.

I was think "what's a lynx lunch" trying to figure out what trick is missed 😂

I have an air fryer. I put in part baked baguettes in the morning and we have tuna mayo made up in fridge - cook as we get ready for morning training and take out when we get home and fill.

I also use the instant rice packets which take 2 minutes as a time saver.

I do find it easier now Ds is older we so we are more selective with meets.

The first phase is still busy but we literally have British, regionals and a summer meet (whatever that one is) left.

Do miss having meets on the doorstep though. All ours seem to require travel atm!

Nice to have a new person jointing the Nuts existence that is being a swim parent 😂

Thank you all so much. @Eccle80 @Glittertwins @Hellocatshome

I especially appreciate your practical tips, @itsgettingweird - I have literally been worrying about that level of logistics: how to prep/eat meals in time, when to do shopping, etc! We also have to stay at the pool as it doesn't make sense to drive home. You're amazing for doing it as a single parent.

Right now I'm realising we all need to find a new routine to make it work. We were already doing 3 sessions a week and galas, but this feels like a big step up.

Look forward to being more involved in this thread!

I stay at pool usually.

Mainly because it's 9 miles away. Doesn't sound a lot but that's 40 extra miles a day if I come home and the traffic is terrible due to times we go.

So travelling down at 4.35 - fine. Travelling back fine. But then it's traffic to get there again for collection and traffic coming home at 7am.

Traffic going down at 4.20pm and takes us 20-25 minutes. It can take me 30-45 to get home.

I leave him Saturdays for the 3 hours because traffic isn't as bad.

I'm a single parent.

My ds trains 8 times a week now. 4 of which are mornings. He use to do 5 mornings but dropped a session as it's a kick set and he's a para swimmer.

It's tough. Obviously there's no issues with family time or juggling other children but the time it takes is immense.

What I've found helps is batch cooking and finding a routine that works. Online food ordering midweek so we can order stuff we need for meets at weekends without trying to find time to fit that in.

Also being very strict with my routine. I do washing Wednesday evenings as there's no swimming Wednesday. Then a load in on Friday night to sort Saturday which I can do even if there's meets.

2 sets of needing so we can change it at weekends even if not home for most of it and it gets washed during week ready for next weekend.

Use the time you're at poolside to respond to any emails or just read a book.

And having the confidence when it's too much to miss a session. It's not the end of the world!

Hi and welcome @ReluctantSwimMum

I have two who swim, both 6 days a week, although total hours are similar to yours for my eldest and less for my younger one (they are 15 and 12). We are lucky to live very close to the pool so I mainly just drop off and pop home, we also share lifts with someone else. I do try and go in and watch at least once a fortnight, mainly just to catch up with other parents. It is good to develop a network at the club and get to know people.

It’s meets that I find a huge time drain, it tends to be me who goes to them as I’m an official. I also have a younger child who doesn’t swim yet, so I am very conscious that he loses time with me then, and I need to try and balance things and make sure to do other things when we do have free time.

Where possible I try and avoid doing whole weekends at meets now, other than counties and regionals where it is unavoidable, and try and just enter one day of an open meet so that it doesn’t take over completely.

It is a very all consuming sport though! And that’s just from my experience at a small club where the hours are comparatively low, it must be even more so at a large club on higher hours.