What after Stage 7 swimming?

[AllTheShoes]

Dd1 just go moved up into Stage 7, and (looking at the timetable for our local pool) it seems as though it's the final ASA stage. Is that the point at which children either go into a squad of some sort or drop it? Should there be some sort of option locally for once a week swimming for fun and fitness, and if so, what would it be called (so I can google it)?

I don't think she'll want to do more than once a week (she'd probably rather fit in some more dance) but on the other hand, it seems a shame not to keep up those skills as she doesn't get any more school swimming and we don't go that often as a family.

I early morning swim at the local swimming pool attached to a school. The pool opens at 7 00 am and we're a mixed friendly bunch - it's quite regimented in that the pool is divided into 3 lanes, slow medium and fast. You swim down one side and back the other, which means that no one gets in the way of anyone else other than if you catch someone up. We definitely wouldn't bag an eyelid at a child who was there to swim being in the pool - that's what its there for after all. I'd put good money on the fact that she wouldn't be troubling the slow laners like me at all and those in the fast lane would relish the competition. Even better - you would have no excuse for not joining her!

I love swimming. I swim lengths twice a week. They often only have one lane though and it's used by the fast men (I'd be medium if there were 2 lanes).

I think she's rather swim with her peers - she loves her stage 7 class. She's only 8. I might see when the pool is quieter and we can swim together. I suspect she's faster but I can swim more lengths (I do about 1k , sometimes more.)

I agree there is a gap in the market..

I phoned local pool about lane swimming on inset day..My son was in a school swmming gala..I said it was to swim not play but no he had to be 16...He is 10 so wasn't allowed.

He doesn't want to join a club but I would welcome something where he just swims for fitmess like I do..We do go swimming but would like a fun club.. He has done an inflatable session at the pool.

He also did Rookie lifegaurds but the pool he did it at closed however lifeguards is a different way of swimming and for gala I had to reteach him to swim with head in water.

The only suitable swimming I've found for an 8yo is the once a week inflateable session - but we're not always around for that. She doesn't want to lane swim (can, but doesn't want to) which I understand, I don't enjoy lane swimming either.

I definitely think there's a gap in the market for swimming for fitness for older primary school kids - in fact, you could market it as core fitness to help football, ballet etc, I suspect.

Alltheshoes- can't she just go with her friends?

I'd suggest rookie lifesaving - they'll do lots of swimming for fitness, and learning first aid and lifesaving skills is surely a bonus

Starlight I don't know about pool lifesaving, but for surf life while there's a small component of head up swimming, most of the pool swimming is regular / just as you would in lessons.

As I said up-thread, she can't get there by herself, nor can her friends. And there's only one hour that she finds fun (the inflatables session) which is at a time that she (and her friends) can't always make. Most of the rest of the times they're free, the pool is either swimming lessons or lane swimming.

Sorry, that ^^^^ is to Bertrand