Poolside Chat - parents of competitive swimmers continued

[Glittertwins]

Getting a bit close to the end of the previous one!

@Eccle80 - I've seen this happen at many clubs as well. But quite often the ones who are 'held back' are the ones that improve the most and don't get burnt out and leave the sport.

Hi all, this is my first time posting . My dd has qualified for regionals for the first time and of course, her most important concern is the hoodie. I see for some regions you can buy them online but she is South East and I can't find anything. Wondered if anyone on here might know , are they available on the day? Thank you. 😊

Agree. My ds came from a small club with a one stream progress. They couldn't move many up because the top squad was always full of swimmers who cut back and went to uni but swam during holidays because there wasn't another squad for them to swim in.

Plus his physical disability always meant it took longer to acquire new skills.

He's only been swimming this level for 2 years. And it's the past year he's come through. Lots of the older swimmers who he joined who had been performance level since 12/13 have moved on - either to masters or from swimming altogether.

It's a high pressure sport - something I hadn't realised until ds moved because he was in a community club previously!

We are south east.

Yes mailsport will be there on the day with all the hoodies etc. they are really good quality!

Mailsports are excellent swim gear suppliers!

I agree with @itsgettingweird that avoiding burnout and having new stuff to aim for is massively important.

I also don’t think at 11 you can align squads based on regional times etc, some little ones swim better in a lower squad but are faster in competitions. Interestingly these are often in the end the fastest swimmers. Also some will be lucky/ unlucky in age group terms. Also here it is easier for boys to get regional times at that age than girls as theirs aren’t much faster than counties (although county/ regional/ national obviously vary depending on where you are). Some then struggle to get them once they are 14+. I think it’s to do with numbers.

It sounds like he’s close to moving up so I’m sure he will soon.

We're county times at 11 and regionals at 13-14.

Thanks all, yes I agree there is a trade off with being at a small club where there aren’t the range of squads, and not burning out is important, I do wonder with some of the ones at performance clubs young doing huge hours if they get fed up of it all by their teens.

When the squads were restructured a couple of years ago the squad above him was all 10-12 year olds doing 6 sessions, but anyone who has moved up since has been the same age as the ones already in it, so they are now 13-15 year olds. However, the sessions he does now are alongside the next 2 squads up, and the two extra sessions those squads do which he doesn’t are always quiet anyway, so there would be plenty of space to give a lane to a few of the faster and keener current 10-12 year olds. To me it just seems inconsistent that my eldest was doing 6 sessions at a similar age to my youngest now, despite not being quite as fast at the same age (he’s just got his first regional time at 14).

Second this. DS will be 8 in July and has recently joined the academy squad - my DD is in one of their high performance squads so he was desperate to join. He is doing 2 x 1 hour sessions per week and is whacked by the end of the 2's one - we don't always make it! I'd go back to the swimming lessons for another year or so

Sorry not at the same club as you, but another big one

Ds didn't do his first counties until 2022! He did regionals and British in the same year. (Because he wasn't classified).

I honestly believe because he didn't get to that level at a younger age (he didn't start competitive swimming until he was 11!) it's been a real benefit to him. His outcomes weren't always to keep being top. He had no national times or medals to feel pressurised to achieve again.

He could focus only on the process so had that natural lesson around that that they are now really trying to hammer home to athletes.

Should add for those that don't know he was 17 at his first counties, regionals and British and is now 18.

What people forget is at 18 he's still really young for a swimmer is terms of peak age for performance. As a para swimmer it's usually late 20's.

@itsgettingweird thank you so much for the info on the hoodies! This is all new to us.

Mine was at a low volume small club for a long time and only switched when she was 17 and then massive time drops.

I was always more interested in keeping her swimming for longer, not over training, having friends in the squad to make it fun.

Are you at Winchester this weekend?

The swimmer list is on the website now.

@itsgettingweird High Wycombe on 29th April !

🤞 they fix it in time!

Ds qualified but he's off to Turkey instead for a warm weather camp - it's a tough life 🤣

DS is buzzing he has been selected for an open water regional squad swim camp and got a new wetsuit and a dryrobe for his birthday. Bring it on Open Water season! Although DH who can't swim hates it and panics the entire time that DS is going to drown so much so he mostly goes and sits in the car 🙈

Well done to your DS - I hope he enjoys the camp

Well done 👍

Brilliant, well done to him!

Well boom is fixed at our regionals pool - so hopefully that'll mean it'll run LC as it should 😅

Well done to him @Hellocatshome!
With all these boom failures, I'm getting slightly nervous about our races now. I heard either Cardiff or Swansea was fixed earlier this week too.

DH was meant to be doing Gloucester Masters on Sunday and that’s cancelled cos the floor’s stuck. Obviously a more minor event but still an utter nightmare for the poor organising club.

Glad they have got the boom fixed in time! I saw Swansea was fixed now too, much earlier than they originally said