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.

Yes, colder is better for racing. It's why our local pool has constant complaints from leisure users who don't like it cooler. The ref will take the water temp and it has to be in a range of tolerance.
Diving into the London Aquatics Centre for a warm up certainly took my breath away with the coldness - I can totally understand why it is dangerous to swim in open water in some places

When ds swam at the commonwealth pool the cool down pool was so cold he said just standing next to it was a cool down 🤣🤣🤣🤣

My DS has currently got the opposite problem in that the lake being used for Open Water Nationals might be too warm for him to wear his wetsuit. He is not keen on swimming it in his jammers but he might not have a choice so I'm going to chuck him the local river this weekend to see how he copes 🙈

The East Region's regionals was too warm for wetsuits the other weekend. DS is a bit odd, not a scrap of fat on him but he prefers not to wear a wetsuit in open water, even when it's way below pool temperature

South east is this weekend in Chichester. I would imagine that's jammers too.

I could easily find out by asking my dad (he's tech director) but as ds would swim OW when he'll freezes over it doesn't really matter to us!

Evening!!!

How's everyone's week gone?

Ds was shattered today after swimming and slept for 3 hours. Very unlike him!

Had the 3 week plan for timetable.

So shorter sessions next week with just 1 gym session. Proper taper down.

It's sad when you think setting your alarm for 4.30am instead of 4 for a week is a luxury 🤣🤣🤣

Then the following week if they are at British they can have the rest of week off after by the looks of things 🤞

Then following week just 6 sessions - 5.30 starts again - mostly mornings and no Saturday. We have 2 weeks off at the end of august too - before their back to it in September for the new season and ready to start chasing county times again 🫣

Hello hope you managed to navigate the OW nationals entry page?

Hi @itsgettingweird hope tapering goes well. I think the idea of swimming less would freak DS out but obviously there is a lot if science and research behind it.

OW Nationals has been entered successfully as far as I can tell. He is on the accepted entries list so presume I dont need to do anything else. I've just realised he hasn't had a day off swimming for 28 days what with OW, galas and junior league and we are going OW swimming again tomorrow to try it in skins just in case.

We're on holiday soon, very well timed for them to totally rest up which will probably go straight into club shut down. At least our county window is already open so no real chasing for him.

TBF ds doesn't really need to worry about county times - just doing a race in the window but para swimming often has a more generous timescale. Para is done on set times like AB swimmers but they are very generous. Plus one would assume if you can qualify for British champs counties and regionals shouldn't be too much of an issue!

Hello you are right about a break being as good as the training. Too many young swimmers burn out by 14/15 because they aren't taught or don't understand this. My ds loves his swimming - the reason he took a leap of faith and moved clubs during covid was the availability of pool time at his small club with 1 pool. He currently swims 18 hours and does 3 hours gym a week.
He also rolls his eyes when he's doing 6 sessions. But that's a rest/ recovery week. That's about 10 hours swimming and an hour gym when resting!!!!!!

But OW/ distance swimmers do also have the hardest training and often do the most sets and distance (obviously) in the run ups to big meets.

Remind him even Adam peaty and co have a month or so off after Olympics etc and don't even swim train! Doesn't seem to have hindered him

Glad you got nationals sorted - exciting!!!!!!

Just sitting here reflecting!

6 years ago in July my ds wanted to end his own life and tried (I've never been so grateful he couldn't tie knots in my life!) He wasn't in school at this point and we were desperately trying to find a space in one. (the one he was at were useless)

He was bullied throughout his school life and club swimming has been his saviour. It's helped him develop resilience and be part of a team. It really is an inclusive sport yet individual enough for those with social difficulties.

Just qualifying for British champs next week really does stick 1 finger up to those bullies who tried to break my boy day in and day out.

It was tough reading that much less going through it.

I'm so glad your DS has come through this and is a stronger, more resilient child as a result.

I'm a big advocate for children getting involved in sport at all levels.

It was him who got himself into swimming.

So he struggled and his secondary were dreadful. Gaslighted me and he had a knife pulled on him in a classroom. He had a breakdown and that's when he wanted to end it all. I rang him in sick and said I was taking him to the GP and school refused to authorise the absence and they didn't believe he had anything to be anxious about as the child was excluded for 2 days.

Ds never went back. I asked him when he was off with anxiety what he wanted to do - what would help. He said swimming.

So we found a small local club that was also the disability hub club and he started. He was diagnosed with autism at this point but he'd been getting worse with walking for a number of years and was under neurology.

He used to sit at meets with ear defenders on with a towel wrapped around his head and body. He looked like a lost soul! It never mattered to him he was older than other swimmers in his squad or he didn't win medals. He trained so hard and it just seemed to give him a leave he hadn't felt for a year or so.

He started a new school in the September and his EHCP refusal to assess tribunal date finally came up.

A few days before this mum was diagnosed with cancer.

But I got through it and won - he got his EHCP and his confidence grew.
He was diagnosed with hereditary spastic paraplegia (an upper motor neurone condition causing increased spasticity and stiffness in the legs) and placed on the waiting list for classification.

School was tough as he was bullied but this school dealt with it really well and his swimming always was his sanctuary.

Then lockdown happened. His small club couldn't provide the hours he had been training and he was struggling with this and took himself swimming a few times a week. This was what lead him to move clubs as a lifeguard there suggested he move (ex swimmer for the club).

He did a trial, the coach saw "something" in him and took him on.

Then in October 2021 he was classified.

Mum went down hill Christmas 2021 and died in May 2022.

I had been getting more and more unwell with uncontrollable heavy periods and eventually diagnosed with adenomyosis which meant 5 weeks after mum died he had to go through me having major surgery.

Watching him walk out next week at a competition with the best of British and knowing what it's taken mentally for him to come this far might break me!

I know ds cares how well he performs but I just care he's there. He has a passion in life and finds such happiness from it that 6 years ago I never thought he'd find 😊

@itsgettingweird Thats such an inspirational story and your DS should be very very proud of himself and you should be very proud of yourself as well for getting thorough and those traumas with him.

My DS has several issues the most obvious one to the outside world being trichotillomania and I honestly think without swimmjng he would be in a very different place mentally now than he is.

www bless your ds. I do believe swimming helps so many ways.

I've developed a tendency to pull my eyebrows out in the past year. I think it's become a bad habit since I was stressed that I can't break.

But I'm NOT taking up the hard core OW swimming like your ds to help 🤣

I should add ds had been in swimming lessons since 4 at that point.

He didn't just randomly take it up 🤣🤣

Goodness, your sons have had some tough swimming journeys (and you as a parent, Weird).

We've been at a meet all weekend, so I have been sat outside with a jumper on, tonight, as it feels a bit chilly to me!

In anticipation of the heat there and this week, i lobbed a load of ice cubes into every thermos/thermal mug we own, bought some cheap cooling towels from Amazon 5/10 and a cooling pet mat that worked behind my back for an hour or two 4/10.

DD was supposed to be rowing this coming week, but they sensibly decided that it won't be happening until Wednesday.

Funnily enough mad ds and I have got up for morning training and I was surprised at how chilly it feels having had every window open last night!!!

But we are only predicted 31° highs (32°) tomorrow so we aren't getting the stress red warming here.

I agree that sports can really help kids in so many other ways other than just fitness. DS has had his own problems, nowhere close to resembling knives thank goodness but for him, swimming is where his friends are and they have a really close friendship of girls and boys in his age group. Just seeing them all together over the weekend at the meet was great if not extremely hot!!

I looked at temps in Sheffield for the meet - looks low 20's thank goodness!

Looking forward to a cool night in a hotel!!

I bet you are!!!

We've avoided the extreme heat as south coast so hit 30/31 here but often does a few days each summer.

Just done a training drop off and the car was showing 35 degrees but it was in the direct sun

Big grass fire broke out next to where my DS trains. I was on tenterhooks waiting for the call to pick him up but seems like they got it under control quickly. Car reckons 32 but the steering wheel felt like it must be more like 100 or something 🤣

Mine said 33 but it soon cooled as we wizzed down the motorway with the windows wide open 🤣🤣🤣.

Roads were really quiet too!

Wasn't too bad last night. Not sure what his training plans are for the rest of this week