Poolside chat: Calling all parents of competitive swimmers!

[Marypoppins19]

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

[FedUpOfYetAnotherCold]

Eccle80 - I don't know if this is helpful or not as my son is quite a bit younger, but when he lost a bit of love of swimming recently due to not getting any PBs in months, all his friends passing him by, things getting boring and coaches not giving any praise etc.. we dropped 2 club sessions (he now does 4 or 5 instead of 6 or 7) and replaced with a 1:1 session locally where he gets to have fun and work on whatever strokes he wants to work on. The other session we've replaced with him swimming one morning a week before school in our local pool just having fun and doing lengths of what he wants. It seems to have made a big difference as his times are now improving and he's re-found the love! I think the 1:1 teacher being very strengths focussed and helping him find the fun and his confidence again has helped alot!

[turkeyboots]

13 is big drop out territory.
Some clubs find it really hard to keep enough variety in sessions to keep their swimmers. I'd ask the coaches what they can do to shake up training a bit. Hours of ploughing up and down pool doing freestyle isn't good practice.

[InspectorAlleyn]

Good luck to anyone heading to Regionals this weekend. We are just about to set off. DD is very excited. I am tired already!

[turkeyboots]

Good luck for Regionals!

[Eccle80]

Hope everything goes well for everyone at regionals!

@FedUpOfYetAnotherCold thank you, that’s a good idea. I took him today to lane swimming at a different pool so he could just swim what he wants. I think some 1:1 coaching would probably be great for him too but I don’t know where to look for that beyond the swimming lesson level

@turkeyboots thanks, I probably do need to talk to his coach but can’t face him being moaned about again! He isn’t the only one struggling so you are right I think. He’s finding it so demoralising too that he just can’t quite get the county times. He is only just 13, and would easily get the 13 year old ones (4 sec under on one of the 50s), but there is a huge jump to the 14 year old times and I think the way things are he won’t get any. I know county times shouldn’t be the be all and end all, but it is hard when you hear others being praised for getting them.

[turkeyboots]

Eccle My Dds old club was like that. Hours of freestyle, little drill, almost no technique work. Out off 160 kids they only had a handful of over 13s. Most just quit, some moved on to other clubs.
DDs current club swims less hours and she's faster now than ever. And still willing to go. Even at stupid o'clock of a Sunday morning.
It's would be worth asking round other clubs to see what might be possible if he loves swimming.

[Eccle80]

@turkeyboots thanks, it’s good to hear she had a positive experience of moving. I think I probably need to look at other options, but it’s hard knowing what the right thing to do is

[Barbeasty]

Apart from getting cross with your DS and moaning to you has the coach done anything to encourage your DS?

DD has lots of free in training, because it’s the main thing they use for stamina, but they cycle through strokes and skills too. Every sessions is carefully planned to build all the skills they need and there’s a definite purpose to everything they do.

Our coaches want all the swimmers to enjoy swimming and will work out how to encourage each of them when they struggle. At the moment they are talking to every swimmer who hasn’t qualified for Counties yet and agreeing what they want to work on to try and get there. They also all have targets. Some general, so DD’s squad are all meant to be aiming to PB in 200m free before Christmas, and some individual.

I’d look around and see what else is on offer. There may be nothing better for you, but there could be. And if your DS is fed up then the chances are that some of his friends are also going to get fed up and leave anyway.

[Ekofisk]

Eccle80 I had the same with DS just as he was turning 14 - bored of slogging up and down the pool, little work on technique and not being allowed to swim sprints, despite those being the distances he was very good at.

We were very lucky to be able to switch to another local club that had a completely different training ethos - HIIT, lots of focus on technique, starts and turns etc. No more slogging away, with much shorter training sessions because they were training at racing pace. Within weeks he was taking seconds off his 50 times at competitions, and enjoying it so much more.

As I said, we were lucky - I don’t think many clubs offer this style of training. But if he isn’t enjoying it and the coach has a downer on him, if you can make the logistics work then I think a change of club might keep him going?

[Fourmagpies]

Ekofisk I wish our club did similar. They're very stuck in their ways. It's always worked previously so they don't see the point of changing despite the challenges of getting enough pool time.

[Ekofisk]

Fourmagpies we were very lucky to have a club doing this - and a really engaged, switched on coach that gave time to all the swimmers, not just the super successful ones.

I don’t think HIIT has made much of an indent on traditional swim training. We went from about 15 hrs a week in the pool to 6 hrs, because a 1 hr session training at racing pace was very intense - as well as more constructive and enjoyable. I could see the reasoning - how can you train to swim fast by thousands of metres of swimming slow?

[Eccle80]

Thank you both, it’s interesting to hear about other clubs doing things differently. I’m wary I guess of changing and finding it isn’t much different, but we’ve lost all the good things about the current club. I will start doing some investigating though, and see what might be possible.

[Helenjohanna]

DS has been invited to participate in relays at Bedfordshire ASA Championships next month. I’ve already responded to accept the offer. I’m rather excited, but also clueless as to what to expect. From the information that’s been sent, he’s the youngest one participating from our club. This is his first ever event and I’m so proud that he’s been asked. Will I need to purchase spectator tickets in advance, or do parents turn up on the day? My parents will want to come, if they’re allowed.

[WidowTwonky]

Great news Helenjohanna
Different counties will run things differently -it’s mainly down to the venue to dictate the number of spectators etc. For our SC champs, we bought tickets online, in advance, and the same for our regionals (same venue) but we’ve not heard about our LC yet (over split venues). Bet you can’t wait to cheer him on!

[Helenjohanna]

Okay, I'll do some googling and see about buying tickets.

I can't wait to cheer him on! It's in Luton.

[WidowTwonky]

@Helenjohanna

Okay, I'll do some googling and see about buying tickets.

I can't wait to cheer him on! It's in Luton.

Your club should be helping you with details about tickets etc

[Eccle80]

I agree it would be best to ask the club, at our last counties the club was allocated tickets based on the proportion of swimmers, and numbers were very limited

Well done to him for being selected

[Madcats]

I am just passing by to wish everybody a Merry (covid free) Christmas.

Not wishing to put a damper on forthcoming Counties but this is the planned restriction on competing after Christmas from Scotland: www.scottishswimming.com/media/3444802/covid-statement-22dec21_final.pdf

On the plus side, at least they are hoping to have some form of competition.

[Eccle80]

Merry Christmas to you too!

I am dreading counties getting cancelled, it would be such a shame after everything, swimming seems to have been one of the hardest hit youth sports in terms of competition. I really hope they can go ahead, even if it means no spectators.

[Toadsinholes]

If they cancel counties again I will cry. And be really fucking angry - it’s all so disproportionate & incredibly short sighted.

[Familyfallout]

Hi everyone, I am new to the thread which would have been very useful to have found a year or two ago as it is has been a learning curve to say the least. I have DD11 who is a club swimmer and I wondered if anyone has advice of what to do about her training when her periods start. All I remember from my own school swimming lessons is that you had to sit out once a month, but I don't think they'd let her miss that much training and carry on in her current squad. I am not sure she'd manage tampons so does anyone have any suggestions. All the coaches are male so I haven't asked them and I am not a swimmer. Apologies if this has already been discussed, I have read some but not all of the 39 pages!

[ealingwestmum]

Hello Familyfallout, I have a DD18 (still swimming in between injuries) who started her periods around 11yrs. Not maybe what you want to hear, but all the girls in her club either had to get their heads around tampons or just not swim. I don’t think coaches these days will object openly, if that’s what a swimmer chooses, but naturally it does hold them back in training, and draws further attention to them.

DD knew the challenge would arise one day as we had discussed her options. With lots of tears from her and me on the other side of bathroom door talking her through each attempt, she cracked it with one box.

Sorry for those with boys, but, the boys in DD’s club have actually all been very laid back about these types of subjects. Shaving being the other one that affects both…

[Helenjohanna]

I'm sure there's a type of pants that can be worn when on periods. I wonder if they could be tailored to fit into a swimsuit.

We've been told no spectators at the end of this month. I might volunteer because I'd really like to be there!

[WidowTwonky]

I was also going to suggest the period pants (though I have boys so can’t personally recommend). But I think they are widely used by young teens in the pool

[Hellocatshome]

Ooh hello, I didnt know this thread existed. I have a DS11 who swims and we are currently on track for a spectator less galan this weekend and another at the end of the month although that's our club so O have volunteered for that one. I too really hope they dont cancel counties and just do it without spectators. My DS does t care if we are there or not but will massively care if things start getting cancelled again.