Poolside-Chat-parents-of-competitive-swimmers

[Glittertwins]

Hopefully this will work as we’re at 999 on the other!

Our region has traditionally split the galas into > 15 and <15 because of public exams. They do the older ones first so that they are before the exams start.

Yes our older swimmers (15+) and paras and relays have always been the 3 day bank holiday weekend.

Worked well for us so quite apprehensive about what it'll be now.

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Very exciting news today.

Ds is being put forward for a world para swimming classification

Oh congratulations to the weird family! How exciting for you after all that faff to get a classification x years ago.

Paris '24?

That's fantastic @itsgettingweird

He'd like to think so 🤣🤣🤣

But once he has it if it stays the same classification and keeps showing improvement he could be good enough to move up to the podium potential programme next year.

That’s great news!

Apologies, I had intended to "bold" your name, without @'ing. No offence intended weird.

What a journey. You should both keep a diary (or record bits).

Woohoo!

Congrats to miniweird

How exciting!

I wasn't offended!

Well done to him!!!

Well done mini Weird. Do you know which meets he will be doing to get his classification?

We need to send paperwork in and then they apply to WPS.

Then they have to wait for a space to be available which could be a while? So they'll tell us when he can be done at what meet. It'll be one's that are international but I would have thought domestic international comps?

There's usually an international meet in Manchester around Feb/March time. Would that work?

There's the British para swimming meet in March (Sheffield) and world in Manchester next year.

The first would probably be too soon for him to reach the top of the list and worlds a tad too high level 🤣

🤞 for March though.

Winter Regionals this weekend for us! I'm thinking DS should make the most of it as he'll move to open age next year (15 for boys) at which point I think he'll struggle to get the times

Ours is the weekend after.

They haven't published our accepted entries either. But para swimmers just have times to make so we know ds will be swimming!

Our age group swimmers all go into the open category it's just top X amount of people depending on distance for each stroke.
But the top 70 odd are about 1.5 seconds quicker than qualifying times just for 50's and I don't think people have realised qualifying is completely different than being in!
They do medals for juniors and seniors though based on ranking ms within age categories.

So no juniors may make a final but could still win gold!

Good luck to your ds.

Winter Regionals is first week of Nov for us too. It's all open age group so DS has done well to qualify for his events.

Ours is first weekend in Nov too. God luck to your DS this weekend @WidowTwonky

Oops, my mistake. Ours is the following weekend too
Good luck everyone 💪🏼

First weekend in November here as well. He has a respectable amount if events but we see just waiting for long course season in this house. DS is one of those odd ones who swims faster long course than short course.

So does my ds!

Because of his legs he doesn't turn well so LC suits that!

Ponds Forge parking question, if we aim for the Q Park over the road are we likely to get a space without turning up hours early? Or any other good spots I could try?

I always got a place in summer. Outside or in actual leisure centre. It was actually harder to get a disabled bay!