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!?

[QueenofLouisiana]

Lovely to see potential new swimmers joining the sport!

As for other hobbies- yes there is time for them. However, it is hard timetabling everything. DS swims and does a couple of lunchtime clubs at school. One evening of cricket in summer but he also open water swims between May and July which takes up another evening.

County and Regionsl QTs are out for us now, so we know what we are aiming for.

[AdventuringThroughLife]

They both got in!!! They are beyond excited. They are in at different levels so 6year old has one hour a week and 9 year old either 2 or 3 - will ve sent the info. And i need to buy a ton of bits for them it seems!

The adventure begins!

[estherfrewen]

That’s great, Adventuring! Well done to both.

[QueenofLouisiana]

Yay, Adventuring! Invest in your reusable coffee cup now, lots of poolside sitting awaits.

I hope your DC have many years enjoying the sport.

[Tavity1]

Wondered if you could help explain? My daughter is 7 and started with a competitive club in early September - she's been training approx. three times a week and her strokes seem much better. However, she has had a couple of time trials at the last couple of sessions and her times haven't improved at all. I accept she's 7 so really not the end of the world - but just surprised and she was obviously disappointed. If it was a one off I would understand but it has happened on two different days. Is this normal at that age?

[WidowTwonky]

Tavity I really wouldn’t worry. In our junior squads the emphasis is on stroke technique over times. As you say, she’s only 7 so won’t be entering comps just yet anyway.
Enjoy!

[WidowTwonky]

I should add that she needs to learn she won’t get a PB at every race! Im relatively new to it as my boys have only been doing it 16 months or so but they might only improve their PB every few races

[ealingwestmum]

I would definitely echo what Widow says (a mum of a 15 yr old swimmer, competitive since age 10, so late in but caught up with her peers now).

Getting technique right before speed is absolutely crucial to longer term success. As your DD gets older, she will develop more endurance too, but it's her technique quality that will carry her forward as she develops her strokes over different distance events.

Unpicking bad technique when they're older is not only painful (and often unsuccessful if bad habits are so engrained), but those early years of PBs through speed alone will plateau also as their bodies develop, and others doing things the right way around catch up!

[estherfrewen]

I’m 8 years into being a swim mum! DS started at a similar age with the local club. DH (who has experience in the swimming) says development of the stroke is the primary focus at this age. If as you say her strokes look better and they’re changing then there will be a time to “bed-in” new technique and this subsequently leads to a reduction in the times. The longer you’re involved in swimming the more you realise that there are many different reasons that times may not reflect athletes training or commitment, growth being the major factor. Kids often struggle for a period learning how to coordinate a longer body or longer limbs. Particularly for girls early competitive swimming is about developing good technique and efficiency in the stroke, post puberty is when the hard training and aerobic fitness is pressed. Over the years different strokes come in and go out with individual development that’s why coaches refer to all swimmers being medley swimmers early on. However different coaches will have different views at all stages. Only real advice is try and keep it fun for as long as possible - if it pans out it will become serious soon enough.

[Madcats]

Tavity1 I really wouldn't worry too much. I'll just comment that my daughter had beautiful technique in some strokes at that age, but really didn't appreciate that she actually had to ramp things up if she wanted to swim faster!

It really did look as if she was doing a warm-down most of the time (must have driven her coaches mad)!

Then they moved her to a faster lane...

[screamuntilthewarisover]

Hi all,

How are all your little ones or not so little ones doing.

We finally made the jump from small local club to big club. Anyone else involved in more than one club? How do you manage different teaching styles?

My daughter has school swimming at Easter and dreading it!!

[estherfrewen]

Hi, Scream

Will be interesting to hear how big club goes! We are small club but do lose some to the two City Of clubs 12 miles either direction. DS year 10 though so not moving anywhere now as exams get closer.

Two galas so far in January and 11/12 pbs which is good for 15. Counties coming up next month. Not doing long course home Nationals as clashes with mocks so get Easter free for once!

[Wandastartup]

Can I join? 9 year old has joined local swim academy after finishing stage 10. They aren’t letting them compete yet but working on strokes. Just upping to twice a week training.

[estherfrewen]

Hi Wandastartup, welcome to the sleep deprived world of competitive swimming 🏊‍♀️ 🙂

[QueenofLouisiana]

Hi All, this month is Counties for us- almost all month! For those sitting poolside for hours over the next few weeks, I hope you have comfy seats, lots of coffee and that the jumpers aren’t massively expensive! 😉

[April2020mom]

DS and DD are taking lessons at our local leisure centre. I don’t know if there are any other swimming lessons in the area or not but I’m still looking.

[screamuntilthewarisover]

Esterfrewen . We have decided to join big club while remaining at her smaller club but training slightly less at original club. My daughter was the total driving force behind this and would swim every day if I allowed her to but she is only 8.

Life has become much busier. One club wants 5 sessions a week training and the other club wants 3 sessions which really isn’t going to happen but original club is very lenient. Plus all the additional gala’s, 2 this week alone.

Her swimming styles has changed massively since she started at the bigger club and her coach seems happy with her improvement.

[Madcats]

Scream that is good news about the new club (assuming YOU can keep sane). I would urge her to keep some other interests/friendship groups in case she does suddenly decide to pack it all in in a few years' time.

April2020 are you asking about transitioning from swim lessons to clubs? You could start by asking somebody local (odds are that the lifeguards were in squads and I bet the swim teachers have a strong impression about the various clubs).. Otherwise there is a list here:
www.swimming.org/sport/how-to-become-a-competitive-swimmer/

After digging ourselves out of the snow last weekend to get to Counties, I am relieved we've reached the final weekend. I've been doing a bit of marshalling to break up the sessions - DD was remarkably unsympathetic that I ached after having to stand in one place for extended periods!

I was hoping to skip a County hoodie, but the rest of the squad all seem to have them and it is cheaper than a fancy racesuit. The millionaire stallholder advised us to add some coloured stitching to one of the seams so DD could tell hers apart (it seemed a bit extreme, but presumably plenty of people do snip out name tags and care labels and this would be much more of a chore to unpick).

[screamuntilthewarisover]

Madcat I’ve made sure she has a variety of other activities as well as swimming. She does keyboard lessons, choir and Latin/ ballroom dancing as after school plus gymnastics and drama.

Definitely not putting all our eggs in one basket.

[estherfrewen]

Wow, Scream, I don't know how you fit all that in!

We are coming up to weekend 2 of 3 for counties. Luckily DS too old now to bother about hoodies - £38 this year! We have so many from over the years he will probably get married in one.

At 15 we are now staring to see a massive drop out rate amongst swimmers who we have come across over the last six years competitively - girls more than boys. GCSES kicking in I imagine - and being a teenager!

[ealingwestmum]

Hope everyone's county meets have gone well!

We're coming out of long period of injury here that's impacted DD's season this year. It's been tough on her resilience but she's trying to get back into fitness; her goal is to qualify for nationals this summer..I'd be surprised if she can catch up but will support her to try.

Re big/small clubs - we've done both. Started in small, moved to large, then moved to a small again last year. Pros and cons to both, but, overall, the current one punches well above their weight in spite of their size, and more importantly, has a coaching team that 'gets' the older teenager, and retains them well until they leave for uni, and most maintain their sessions whilst obtaining their grades to secure great offers at HE.

As much as it's great to have elite coaches who can take young swimmers to the top (if that's what they want), which larger clubs are more geared to do, it's just as critical to understand why attrition is high and counter it. We're lucky that the squad has a great mix of motivated people who support each other academically as well as pool side. They're all in the same boat, face the same exclusions to late social events due to the training hours/meets, but pull together in their teenage way to juggle and help each other out, especially when one is feeling the pressure in those gcse+ years. No one drops out of overseas camp for study reasons, as the programme builds in plenty of down time for them to get their heads down in between training in the sun!

It's not for everyone, and if the love of hours of black line chasing has gone, because DC are missing out elsewhere, then it can be a good time to call it a day. I am secretly looking forward to not waking at 04.45 5 x a week, but also have huge admiration for DC that are able to multi task their stuff and sustain to a high level, which does not go un-noted when they are older and asked what they do with their time.

[Madcats]

Hope it works out for your DD ealing. It must be a strain to keep her motivated/fit. I aways smile when (non sport) parents comment about how tired their DC are at supper time..... it is such a long day...

One more weekend of Counties for us (just went to organise food to discover DH and DD appear to have scoffed some of it - their loss)! Do they make combination lock fridges?

Just keep swimming....

[ealingwestmum]

Hehe; food consumption...that's another whole topic

Thanks Madcats. And good luck for this weekend!

[QueenofLouisiana]

One more day of Counties to go- I ache all over from the stupid seats! Warm up at 8am, but it’s an hour and a half from here, so I’m wishing I’d booked a hotel. Then we have relays in a couple of weeks.
£45 I think for hoodies this year. 😢