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Extra-curricular activities

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Original poster

Poolside chat: Calling all parents of competitive swimmers!

999 replies

Marypoppins19 · 06/04/2018 08:13

I thought it might be helpful to share our highs/lows/questions/thoughts in one place. Who’s joining me!?

OP posts:
ealingwestmum · 11/07/2020 15:53

I'm so sorry to hear that @estherfrewen, especially as your boy was so looking forward to getting back in again. I know it's bad timing to move clubs, especially with longstanding friendships and all but is there option to move him for the sixth form years to a more receptive club?

We are hopefully good to go from 25th. DD is slightly apprehensive, but hopes that once into a routine again, she'll find the love. And even some of the most talented/dedicated seniors are feeling the same concerns so she's not alone.

estherfrewen · 11/07/2020 15:58

Hi @ealingwestmum. Sadly I don’t think so. We have a couple of very small clubs nearby but not sure they will re-open any earlier. Nearest City of club wouldn’t take at this age unless British qualifier and even then probably would need to be finalist! I’m not sure they are back before September either. Sadly I think we will just have to wait and self train in public sessions. Glad to hear you DD is back. Does your club use council or private facilities?

ealingwestmum · 11/07/2020 16:49

They use a mixture of both @estherfrewen but so far the outline of how opening will work is just for the private pool, which is where most of DD's sessions were.

So sad to also hear about the third of pools that won't be able to open due to age/investment. It's such an important lifeskill even without going into competitive side, and one many may miss out on. I'm a 52 year old non-swimmer and it's been very limiting at times!

DD has completed Level 1 swim assistant course this lock down and just waiting to complete the pool assessment part. Hope she can get some P/T work during the summer for those centres opening...

estherfrewen · 11/07/2020 17:13

Yes @ealingwestmum it is awful re pools struggling. My DS has just registered for next available life guard course but who knows when that will be! He was also going to volunteer with our para swimmer squad. Hope your DD gets some summer work.

Fourmagpies · 12/07/2020 06:57

That's disappointing esther. We're similar to ealing in that we use a mix of private and council pools and the club are keen to get those back in the water that want to asap. Our usual summer break has been cancelled so we'll go straight through into the new season. It's going to be very strange to start with but I'm sure most will adapt quite quickly. I should think it'll be a logistical nightmare for the clubs trying to work out how to give everyone pool time. It's always been an issue for our club. I don't think we'll lose any pools, we've lost 2 previously that were very old. The ones that are left are all well maintained.

I'm not a great swimmer but I do like to swim, I'm keen to get my youngest back in the pool too as he loves swimming (but refuses to do it competitively).

Fourmagpies · 12/07/2020 06:59

turkey how have you found the back to swimming? Did it take long to get back into a routine?

turkeyboots · 12/07/2020 15:14

We've been back a week now and its been ok. Loads of teething issues as kids finding the new lane discipline hard - no touching or overtaking, steady pace swimming. Despite careful lane planning there are a few which keep overtaking and get us in trouble with the lifeguards.
And the paperwork! Whole new code of conduct, and covid monitoring forms done before every session. We have a whole new committee managing it.
But overall it is going well. We have whole new set of pool times which won't work once schools are back (secondary breaks at end of May here) so there will be more change ahead.

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 21/07/2020 11:27

DD had her first session back in the pool last night. Not our normal pool but a local lido. She's sore this morning but can't wait for her next session. She had a development gala in Feb and had a new PB that would have qualified her for County's, she was meant to have two more properly officiated galas at the end of March and was looking forward to qualifying properly so this is a step in the right direction.

ealingwestmum · 21/07/2020 13:40

Good to hear HP. Hopefully she’ll get to race as well as qualify again in the new season!

Fourmagpies · 21/07/2020 14:09

We're getting ready to start back on Saturday. Need to buy DS some new trunks as he's outgrown all his old ones! They've got 6 sessions a week of one and a half hours each so that'll be interesting. I bet we'll have some sore muscles here too.I

Well done to your DD HP. I really don't want to think about qualifying times yet. I'm hoping the height DS has gained will help. We've got a few months to recover fitness before the Counties but he's always been at the lower end.

estherfrewen · 21/07/2020 14:16

Ah lucky both of you! Still no word of any training any time soon. DS has joined a gym from Saturday and we are paying large amounts for swim tank nearby just to get him wet next week. None of our leisure centres are opening yet v sadly.

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 21/07/2020 15:12

DD was noticeably happier this morning despite being tired and sore than she has been all lockdown.

Madcats · 21/07/2020 16:43

We are back next week, albeit at a very reduced amount of pool time for about the same price. Still 2x1 hour is better than nothing.

None of the lidos round here have opened yet (or where we were on holiday last week), and some have decided not to bother. I've heard that some sports centres simply switched off the lights and locked the doors in March - their pools and water systems are going to be a right mess (I say that as the owner of a 2x3m paddling pool and a big box of chemicals)!

Luckily DD has started doing some open water swimming (again, not very much) and is absolutely loving it. She comes home "alive".

I think Swim England plan to issue some guidance re "competition" this week. I can't really think of a fair way to do it whilst pool time is non-existent for some and plentiful for others.

WidowTwonky · 21/07/2020 17:08

We’re in the local-ish lido on Saturday. Very exciting!
No sign of our city’s pools reopening so all our squads have very limited pool time in the lido.
So far just the 1 session booked in for DS’s squad

estherfrewen · 28/07/2020 17:43

Finally got a wet swimmer again! Not “official” squad training as we are Council scheme and although pool has reopened squad not back until September, but coach has sourced alternate pool so we have 6 x 1 hours a week which is okay for August. DS just happy to be in the water.

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 28/07/2020 23:10

We are back in our main pool next week. Each bubble has 3 x 50 min session which is a lot less than normal but better than nothing. DDs enjoyed the lido sessions, but sitting poolside tonight under an umbrella as it was raining was a bit of an experience (parents have to stay on site).

Eccle80 · 28/07/2020 23:55

We’re back next week. Both doing their normal amount of hours, but as our club seems to do much less than most that’s 3 hours for my 11 year old and 2 for my 9 year old. The highest squads have less hours than normal.

Any kind of competition seems a long way off when they aren’t mean to be pushing too hard to cause them to exhale hard, and can’t use blocks. I do wonder longer term how they will keep motivated if there is nothing to aim at

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 29/07/2020 00:05

I wonder if comps do start back it'll be athlete's only and no spectators to allow them to spread out. Warm, moist poolside is a perfect breeding ground for pathogens at the best of times.

Madcats · 29/07/2020 10:33

And she swam yesterday! Apparently it felt weird not being tethered or in a wetsuit. The house has that chlorine aroma again! Plenty of space in the pool for a change (though a lot of children are away). Getting in and out of the pool area without changing rooms was easy enough, but there might have to be a bit of a rethink come dark and chilly evenings.

2 hours/week instead of 9 and I haven't dared mention that it looks as if 2021 Counties aren't happening...... Baby steps.....

It was lovely to see a bunch of kids come out of the pool with smiles on their faces!

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 29/07/2020 10:47

I think the decrease in hours is probably a good thing really, my Dds sore with just 2 hours a week now I'm quite glad they haven't gone straight back to normal intensity after 4 months of nothing. She's in the junior squad so only does 5 or 6 hours anyway.

I bet your DD is happy. In the winter you have people jumping in ice pools in Scandinavian countries it'll be unpleasant and I wouldn't want to do it but I think the swimmers that want to swim will be fine and they'll get on with it or we'll stealthily get changed in a corridor somewhere we can spread out a bit.

ealingwestmum · 29/07/2020 11:20

Lovely to hear all our swimmers getting back in the pool. Another tired one here also. She was expecting gentle drill work but 3 days in and endurance swim sets are kicking in.

And omg, I forgot about the appetite changes! A bowl of fresh made Lebanese soup (lentils) and pasta pesto polished off before 09.00 before heading out for a beach day 😱 And she ate before her swim...

estherfrewen · 29/07/2020 11:32

DS had dropped anyway to 10 hours with gcses but 6 hours seems like the proverbial drop in the ocean! He hasn't done that little since he was 6. He can't wait for 15 hours again! I doubt we will see much in the way of competition before easter next year if then but he isnt too bothered about that.

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 29/07/2020 11:36

DD was really looking forward to comps this year because she'd just finished her first year with the squad and was just starting to move out of development galas and to get county times, but at 10 she's got plenty of years left.

Eccle80 · 29/07/2020 14:00

@HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime

I wonder if comps do start back it'll be athlete's only and no spectators to allow them to spread out. Warm, moist poolside is a perfect breeding ground for pathogens at the best of times.
Yes, I can’t imagine competitions with spectators for a while, I imagine they would want to keep parents away and use spectator seating to space the competitors out.
estherfrewen · 29/07/2020 14:44

Our club runs three galas a year. With no parents paying for entry, tombola, raffles etc they just won't happen