Poolside Chat: parents of competitive swimmers

[2ducksandI]

Seems I managed to fill the other thread with talk of taking fridges to away galas! And I didnt even mean a fridge I meant an electric cool box So I've started another thread. Hope you all find it.

Swim Ireland push their high preformace uni age kids at the University of Tenessee in the US, so serious swimmer's are likely to go abroad.
The Irish Universities have a non Swim Ireland league and championships, but its considered recreational. DD is looking forward to university swimming though and has her eye on colleges with pools on campus.
I'd imagine the UK set up maybe similar with a handful of serious swim teams and the rest extracurricular.

www.bucs.org.uk/sports-page/swimming.html

Who has the biggest teams and start a search from there?

And there is a rival league! Can't see which unis take part but there were 52 of them.

swimswam.com/the-british-university-swimming-league-brings-dual-meet-swimming-to-the-uk/

Ive enjoyed my bit of research here, Dd will likely go to uni in Ireland, but this is all useful info just in case.

Some unis host Performance Centres (Bath, Loughborough, Stirling) and some unis are known for good swim teams (Edinburgh springs to mind - and the Pollock Halls student accommodation are next door to the Commie Pool). Worth seeing which unis have access to a 50m pool and then looking at their swim team offering?

I know a couple of swimmers that took up US college offers, Uni of Arkansas was one destination, Marist in New York State was another.

Thanks - yes I'm aware of the universities with the performance centres.

I have also heard of difficulty getting pool time and training time unless you are a swimmer in the top squad (800 Fina points seems to be the selection criteria)

Will check out Edinburgh as that sounds quite good with accommodation close to pool.

That league also sounds good to offer more racing opportunities for older swimmers.

Entry to the Elite programme at Edinburgh is a high bar (representing your country at junior or senior level) but the EU swim club allows wider participation - think it trains at the St Leonard’s pool?

If you’re considering Scottish unis then Aberdeen has a performance squad that has 50m training facilities, plus coaches that have produced international swimmers (Hannah Miley, Toni Shaw, Conner Morrison).

Just be careful of some of the bigger known swimming universities as the actual amount of time / coaching is sketchy if not on the national programs. I've been warned about Loughborough uni swimmers not getting much opportunity due to the NC for example.
Swansea seems to be pretty good and Bath.

That's depressing. I guess it comes down to big fish small pond or taking your chances in a higher preformace squad. I suppose it really comes down to what your swimmer sees the rest of their swimming career to be, transition to masters and recreation or a last attempt at high level preformace.
Most of our club kids have stayed with us while at university, they commute from home so that makes sense. They mostly do open water competitions over the summer.

This is interesting. The two club swimmers who went to Uni this year chose Edinburgh and Swansea (it hadn't dawned on me that it was because of the swimming). They just enjoy swimming with their mates.

One that went onto a club of clubs years ago is now doing well (Inter)nationally and trains at Loughborough. I think they will probably make the next Olympic team.

This is exactly what I have heard.

Some unis sell their programmes to potential visiting student swimmers but the reality when they get on campus is quite different.

They get less pool time and training opportunities.

It may also be worth looking at unis within cities with big clubs.

Ds club has a number of uni students who train there and also has some swimmers who train during holidays when they come back from uni.

So they aren't in uni swim programmes but are making British etc through clubs.

One of the current uni swimmers we have swims with the clubs British/national squad and gets the 9 sessions a week offered to them with the 3 gyms.

That sounds like it may be more than some swimmers are offered through uni clubs?

Mum of an Edinburgh Uni swimmer here. DS was British Champs standard (top 10 age group ranking) but didn't want to study any of the subjects offered by Loughborough and Bath. He looked at the performance centres at Leeds and Nottingham but discovered that they don't train at the universities themselves but with City of Leeds and Nova respectively. This meant that swimming was not really part of his university experience but almost completely separate.

Having looked at the Bucs championships results for the past few years, he discovered that Edinburgh has been placed in top 3 or 4 teams pretty consistently.

DS is not in the top squad - most of them are about to compete in the Commonwealth Games for various nations. He is in one of the lower performance squads though (there are 3 or 4) and gets plenty of pool time. Not so much gym time or other support though. He's happy with it and progressing. He is unlikely to ever be an international but happy to compete and train at a high level for now.

Edinburgh is also a well regarded uni and a great place to be as a student so lots to recommend it.

Is there any point in swimming for / in university then if you get more from clubs?

Does he get to pick accommodation that's quieter or with other swimmers who have to get up early?

That's a really good question but I don't know enough to answer I'm afraid.

My ds turns 18 in summer. He's remaining at college for 2 years to complete a foundation degree and will continuing swimming in the city club he swims at.

Luckily our city university also offers the full degree so he can do a third year there if he chooses and carry on swimming at his club if he wishes too.

So I've not really had to look into it too much. But looking at everything you're having to work out I think that's a bit of luck!

Most of the performance swimmers were housed together in quiet accommodation in Pollock Halls. My DS applied late so was in normal halls. Very close to the 50m pool and 15 minute walk to 25m pool however. It worked out very well for him - mind you he just went to bed after the early morning swims so caught up on sleep then.
He definitely wanted to swim at Uni - it has definitely added to his uni experience and he's proud to represent Edinburgh. He's also got the top squad to aim for and there are several internationals in that squad - something you won't get very often at a club

We don't live in the city. But we live just outside, right by the motorway junction and the pool is on the outskirts of the city really.

About 15 minutes drive.

From the main university campus/ accommodation it's about 10/15 minutes by bike.

The old pool use to be in the heart of the city by the university and I know many students trained there in the past too.

The university is opening its own pool very soon closer to the main university hub (it's on its second delay!) but it'll be SC only.

I know the club are getting some hours there eventually. But I think it'll be for the development/ competitive squads from things I've heard on the grapevine and the performance squads will remain at the other pool.

I'm not sure if the university have plans to have their own swim squad but I'm thinking probably not because the city club offers everything they need. There may be a collaboration of some sort?

Thanks - it's really useful to hear from someone who's been / going through this.

You might also want to consider availability of scholarships. DS was offered a scholarship at Nottingham (with reduced grade requirements) and all swim training, kit and gym paid for but he still didn't want to go there enough. He possibly would also have got a scholarship at Leeds. As an earlier poster says, the scholarships at Edinburgh are only for international level athletes so much harder to get.

Also bear in mind that swimmers can pick up injuries / underperform / struggle to manage training and study and lose their place in the elite squads - does that additional support continue or not?

From what I have heard first hand from a swimmer who swam with an associated club rather than the uni team, they had next to no support.

A lot of disabled spaces from memory on each of the two floors.

From the club or the uni?

That's another interesting piece of information.

It doesn't sound like there's any perfect solution and it's all dependent on swimmers level, unis themselves and also on the swimmer. As well as what swim clubs and unis consider certain standards (if that makes sense?).

I know that ds swim club are willing to have him train as he is when he starts his foundation degree. I also know they'll be supportive (but then again he's been with club now since September last year and his coach since 2021. They also know him and his ethic which I suspect may make a huge difference to their decision.