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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Original poster

Poolside chat - new year, new racing!

997 replies

Glittertwins · 07/01/2024 11:33

Hope this works, am rubbish at this!

OP posts:
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11
Porseb · 19/04/2024 09:01

itsgettingweird · 18/04/2024 06:46

So the day has arrived!

Ds is off to Madeira to European para swimming championships. He's got all his new aquatics GB kit too Smile

Well done - my daughter's training partner is there too. I think he's either S9 / S10 (not GB)

Madcats · 19/04/2024 11:08

I hope Madeira goes well. I hope you've organised a few lazy mornings while he is away.

Have they finalised the para team, yet?

itsgettingweird · 19/04/2024 15:53

Madcats · 19/04/2024 11:08

I hope Madeira goes well. I hope you've organised a few lazy mornings while he is away.

Have they finalised the para team, yet?

Don't know.

But ds wont be on it if they have!!! He's just slightly outside times and still quite young for a male swimmer.

2028 was always his realistic aim and he's looking good for it 🤞

itsgettingweird · 19/04/2024 15:54

my daughter's training partner is there too. I think he's either S9 / S10 (not GB)

Ds is an S9 so they could be racing each other! They race separate classes at international comps. His first time of doing this 🧐🫣

SabrinaThwaite · 19/04/2024 18:05

I saw that miniweird is on the list for the World Paras in Manchester in the summer?

itsgettingweird · 19/04/2024 19:53

SabrinaThwaite · 19/04/2024 18:05

I saw that miniweird is on the list for the World Paras in Manchester in the summer?

That was last year but he was selected but didn't go. (Long story!)

This is his first international competition. He's names down on the largest post of this team and he's actually there this time 😂

SabrinaThwaite · 19/04/2024 20:54

Oh sorry! Strange that it popped up as one of the first news stories when I looked at para swimming on the BS website - I should have checked the date 🙄

itsgettingweird · 19/04/2024 21:01

Don't apologise. He just couldn't go!

He's hoping to make next years though in Singapore!

Hellocatshome · 19/04/2024 21:32

itsgettingweird · 19/04/2024 21:01

Don't apologise. He just couldn't go!

He's hoping to make next years though in Singapore!

Well Singapore sounds much more exciting than Manchester.

Porseb · 20/04/2024 06:21

itsgettingweird · 19/04/2024 15:54

my daughter's training partner is there too. I think he's either S9 / S10 (not GB)

Ds is an S9 so they could be racing each other! They race separate classes at international comps. His first time of doing this 🧐🫣

He doesn't rave freestyle though - he does fly and I think he maybe raving back as well.

Good luck to them both

Original poster
Glittertwins · 20/04/2024 08:26

Hope nobody's affected by the issues at the Crawley pool for SE this weekend.

OP posts:
itsgettingweird · 20/04/2024 09:19

It's my region but it's the age group champs.

We do have swimmers in the club affected though. Hopefully it shouldn't have too much effect because because our coaches have taken swimmers to numerous L1 events in the window 🤞and their 2nd weekend is in Winchester so they'll have another chance at some of their events.

Original poster
Glittertwins · 20/04/2024 10:01

Good luck to them!

OP posts:
itsgettingweird · 20/04/2024 10:28

I just feel for them. Missing another LC swim and the national ranking moving so much these last few weeks of regionals if they get knocked off they'll never know if they could have done a swim that kept them there.

Mind you I'm not sure if it's worse than not doing the swim you wanted and getting knocked off 🫣

It's a bloody tough sport. Being at the Aquatics GB champs showed me just how much it's all or nothing and really opened my eyes to how one race really can count. Both ways.

Original poster
Glittertwins · 20/04/2024 10:40

We were talking about how tough it is. If you think a lot of these swimmers are say top 50 in their age group nationally and then compared to the top 50 footballers, all the kids playing football at the same level would be signed to top tier academies and getting paid.

OP posts:
Hellocatshome · 20/04/2024 11:04

Glittertwins · 20/04/2024 10:40

We were talking about how tough it is. If you think a lot of these swimmers are say top 50 in their age group nationally and then compared to the top 50 footballers, all the kids playing football at the same level would be signed to top tier academies and getting paid.

Yes this exactly. My son is top 50 but in distance swims so unlikely to ever make nationals. I told him if you were top 50 for your age in football you would probably be signed to a premiership academy, top 50 is amazing. Not sure how much got through into his teenage brain though.

SabrinaThwaite · 20/04/2024 11:41

Colleague’s son was a distance swimmer at a uni with a national swim centre, and sharing a flat with other top swimmers. He was always just fractionally outside the national team qualification times - just a few tenths of a second. He gave up in the end because his flatmates (on the national team) got so much funding to make their lives easier and he got nothing. Very disheartening.

Teateaandmoretea · 20/04/2024 11:41

It’s tough lower down too - Dd1 narrowly misses regionals every year. Some swimmers despite working hard narrowly miss counties every year.

I think though that in some ways it’s good to learn that you can’t always be the best and looking for positives/ being proud of your own achievements. Ultimately finding positives and concentrating on them is hugely important for contentment in life and a positive mental attitude.

Teateaandmoretea · 20/04/2024 11:43

The comparisons to football are also interesting - no one expects someone who plays for a local football team to be signed by Man U or go to the Olympics 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

Swimming is so odd for that.

Spendonsend · 20/04/2024 11:54

Teateaandmoretea · 20/04/2024 11:41

It’s tough lower down too - Dd1 narrowly misses regionals every year. Some swimmers despite working hard narrowly miss counties every year.

I think though that in some ways it’s good to learn that you can’t always be the best and looking for positives/ being proud of your own achievements. Ultimately finding positives and concentrating on them is hugely important for contentment in life and a positive mental attitude.

I agree with this. I think there are so many positives to swimming other than being the fastest person in the room. I like that you can get PBs. And you can sit back and think i learned to turn well, or i dive better now. It doesnt all have to be in relation to other people. Plus there are meets at different levels. Theres lots of coaching opportunities too.

But i can see that if you are always just outside a target you set yourself, its demoralising. I hope that people come back to swimming for fitness and pleasure after they 'retire' from competition at whatever thier level of competition is. Perhaps we will see a park run style thing for swimming.

My son has generally made one or two races at a county level and been in the last 3, but he is proud of that. This year he got a couple of regional times through consideration. He does enjoy the competition side but says he will 'retire' after he has finished his A levels

itsgettingweird · 20/04/2024 12:16

That's really interesting when you compare it with football.

I wonder if there's a similar comparison with other team V individual sports?

I know swimmers have hit back against cash for medal in athletics but not swimming. I wonder if this reflects - again - the lack of funding for individual sports.

Do other sports do this does anyone know re cash for medals or what funding is like?

There does seem to be a huge focus (mainly from parents!) of younger swimmers of 8/9 and training hours, county times, rankings etc. from a parent who's swimmer joined a small club when 12 I don't get it.

Maybe we were just lucky it doesn't seem to have held him back?

But I also deal with parents telling me ds is lucky to be a para swimmer because he gets more opportunities. I never quite know how to (politely) reply that I wouldn't call having degenerative condition that's a form of MND "lucky".
But I also don't think it's why he gets the opportunities. He's no way at the level of our top swimmers. Not internationally. He just happens to be making his way upwards and doing quite well atm and they are seeing what they can develop - they can easily drop him as fast as they picked him up and he knows this.

He also isn't on a programme. There's plenty of swimmers in his club who are.

I try and tell people swimmers should focus on enjoying their swimming and the process and not a one track outcome.

Very few swimmers get to olympics and worlds and even fewer medal at that level.

Ds knows he's about to get his arse kicked at euros but he sees that as a positive opportunity to see what he needs to do next 😂

SabrinaThwaite · 20/04/2024 12:16

My DS quit at 16 for another (not so compatible) sport that he has done very well with, but does swim for pleasure and can still hammer out a pretty impressive 50 free.

He uses competitive swimming on his CV as it demonstrates commitment and time management skills, and it is a good discussion point in interviews.

SabrinaThwaite · 20/04/2024 12:22

itsgettingweird · 20/04/2024 12:16

That's really interesting when you compare it with football.

I wonder if there's a similar comparison with other team V individual sports?

I know swimmers have hit back against cash for medal in athletics but not swimming. I wonder if this reflects - again - the lack of funding for individual sports.

Do other sports do this does anyone know re cash for medals or what funding is like?

There does seem to be a huge focus (mainly from parents!) of younger swimmers of 8/9 and training hours, county times, rankings etc. from a parent who's swimmer joined a small club when 12 I don't get it.

Maybe we were just lucky it doesn't seem to have held him back?

But I also deal with parents telling me ds is lucky to be a para swimmer because he gets more opportunities. I never quite know how to (politely) reply that I wouldn't call having degenerative condition that's a form of MND "lucky".
But I also don't think it's why he gets the opportunities. He's no way at the level of our top swimmers. Not internationally. He just happens to be making his way upwards and doing quite well atm and they are seeing what they can develop - they can easily drop him as fast as they picked him up and he knows this.

He also isn't on a programme. There's plenty of swimmers in his club who are.

I try and tell people swimmers should focus on enjoying their swimming and the process and not a one track outcome.

Very few swimmers get to olympics and worlds and even fewer medal at that level.

Ds knows he's about to get his arse kicked at euros but he sees that as a positive opportunity to see what he needs to do next 😂

He won’t get his arse kicked at the Euros!

He’ll gain an amazing amount of experience and understanding of how to prep, compete and recover.

DS’s mate had swum internationally as a junior was a podium potential swimmer, but he picked up an injury at 18 and was dropped by the (utter arse) coach at the uni he’d specifically gone to for swimming. It’s a brutal sport.

Teateaandmoretea · 20/04/2024 14:27

itsgettingweird · 20/04/2024 12:16

That's really interesting when you compare it with football.

I wonder if there's a similar comparison with other team V individual sports?

I know swimmers have hit back against cash for medal in athletics but not swimming. I wonder if this reflects - again - the lack of funding for individual sports.

Do other sports do this does anyone know re cash for medals or what funding is like?

There does seem to be a huge focus (mainly from parents!) of younger swimmers of 8/9 and training hours, county times, rankings etc. from a parent who's swimmer joined a small club when 12 I don't get it.

Maybe we were just lucky it doesn't seem to have held him back?

But I also deal with parents telling me ds is lucky to be a para swimmer because he gets more opportunities. I never quite know how to (politely) reply that I wouldn't call having degenerative condition that's a form of MND "lucky".
But I also don't think it's why he gets the opportunities. He's no way at the level of our top swimmers. Not internationally. He just happens to be making his way upwards and doing quite well atm and they are seeing what they can develop - they can easily drop him as fast as they picked him up and he knows this.

He also isn't on a programme. There's plenty of swimmers in his club who are.

I try and tell people swimmers should focus on enjoying their swimming and the process and not a one track outcome.

Very few swimmers get to olympics and worlds and even fewer medal at that level.

Ds knows he's about to get his arse kicked at euros but he sees that as a positive opportunity to see what he needs to do next 😂

People have actually said he is lucky to be a para swimmer 😲.

The thing is re the individual/ team aspect I would say that at smaller clubs where there are fewer swimmers the team competitions are actually a massive part of it for the swimmers and they end up swimming in all of them! Dd1 has been picked for every single one for over 2 years 😂.

itsgettingweird · 20/04/2024 14:49

People have actually said he is lucky to be a para swimmer

Yep 🤦‍♀️

Luckily I'm able to smile sweetly and reply sweetly but also cut off the conversation.

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