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.