Poolside chat- continues here 😁

[Glittertwins]

Did I get this done right??

you need TM to accompany a child to a gala and be on poolside. Nothing to do with their age (i guess just the fact they are under 18 is the point).

Yes it’s all swimmers under 18 who need accompanying poolside. There are ratios for this and a lot of clubs won’t accept individual entries even if you can make the required ratio standard.

But I would speak to your club. Many don’t “allow” or want swimmers just going off and doing meets everywhere. The season is planned into 3 phases (run alongside school terms although age is end of year!) and each phase will have different goals and target meets set around the training plan. This will also be squad dependent and aimed around what meets squads are aiming for and qualifying meets for counties etc.

some clubs will encourage swimmers to go to higher meets (see above about needing L2 as too fast for level 3) but the coaches will work the programme to peak at these meets for the swimmer.

an example is our juniors, regional and national squads will all swim counties but it’s a target meet for the juniors so they taper -‘our regional and national swimmers train through it. Regionals the regional squad taper and national swimmers train through as they have usually just come off British champs and are aiming for summer meets.

My ds will follow a slightly different programme because he’s a para swimmer and so has different target meets throughout the year alongside British champs with his squad.

The coaches have to work a really tight schedule of planning to ensure they don’t burn out swimmers but equally they don’t taper them too much in a year either!

At 9yo I would just go along with the squad to meets and have fun. But I would train to do a role (TM or official) because they are crying out for them and also because it passes the time and saves a fortune in spectator fees after a few years!

If they start qualifying for regionals when they are old enough you can start needing hotel stays and if they get to national level it can be whole weeks away at a time and £15- £20 a race.

If they make programmes there’s travel at weekends.

But you won’t know where your swimmers journey is going at such a young age and so loving the sport and getting good technique is the aim.

StrawberryThief1930 is it possible to request DC be entered as a time trial at your club supported meets? This is what we do for our super-speedy swimmers. The hosting club is often happy to have them. The time is licensed, DC just can't medal.
We haven't had any problems with doing individual entries, but I've stuck to meets hosted by clubs where our club has/I have a friendly and often reciprocating relationship with them. I know some other parents have found on enquiry that individual entries won't be accepted when trying some clubs further afield. We went to one unsupported meet last term where they grouped all the individual entries together as a little team, with the (correctly qualified/accredited) parents working together in their usual roles as TMs and coaches. My DCs benefited from someone organised enough to not get distracted watching the racing and get them to marshalling in good time, and the TMs' swimmers were able to get pre-race coaching and post-race feedback.

Our full training schedule started back on Monday, although our holiday schedule was only one session/wk less for DD1 and a session more for DD2 as she was training up a squad whilst people were away and there was space for her (although thankfully that was at the same time and pool as me and DD1 swim that day!). It hasn't been much of a break, although we did get time off over the bank hols - what a treat! 🥳😂 Our Club Champs also starts this weekend and, due to that and other meets plus our annual training camp, I have now kissed goodbye to my weekends until we're part way into December...

@SkankingWombat unfortunately the meets our club are going to are oversubscribed and they aren't allowing Exhibition swimmers, but good idea.

If we get accepted then I'll report back on what actually happens as an individual, will be interesting.

Thanks @Glittertwins@itsgettingweirdand @StrawberryThief1930i was a swimmer so I understand how it all works. It would be ideal if DS could attend all the meets that the club set up but for reasons I won’t go into here (because they’re personal and identifying) he can’t. Therefore I’m looking for ways to ensure that as he grows up he can get to swim events across a range of different distances etc etc. that’s why I’m asking. I’m not trying to push him into a gala every weekend or sidestepping the coaches etc etc. it’s just very tough when everyone else in the team is going to xyz gala and my son can’t go through no fault of his (or my own) - then can’t do the next one because he doesn’t have a time because he’s not swum it etc etc.

@itsgettingweirdim already trained as an official

@StrawberryThief1930 congratulations to him on inter-counties. One of mine went last year and I think was a bit nervous going away overnight but had a great time. I can also sympathise with the club dilemma - he’s at the maximum hours at ours and feels he wants to do more, but also doesn’t want to leave. Plus the proper performance clubs people in the region dual club with are too far.

@itsgettingweird yes it seems really positive for him at the moment, I think a change can be a good thing to reinvigorate things a bit, and he’s had a very up and down relationship with swimming over the last few years, so it is good to see him enthusiastic again at this stage.

I’ve just handed over the reins as Comp Sec for our club as DD is off to Uni.

As a club we don’t enter a lot of Meets. The kids chasing County/Regional times often enter as individuals; I’ve done it for DD in the past. Depending on the organisers they either get one of their coaches to “chaperone” or the child just sits with the parent and goes down in time for marshalling. Some parents volunteer to be warm up marshals so can stay poolside. Judging by some of the meet programmes I’ve looked through over the years, quite a few kids enter competitions when they are visiting family/on holiday.

If you do enter as an individual, please tell your Comp Sec so they keep a look out for the results.

Thanks @Madcats

On another subject entirely, does anyone else feel a bit disgusted that Ben Proud is choosing to dope for the so called Enhanced Games. 😡

I hadn’t heard about that.

DS is totally against the doping games but really looks up to Ben and talks to him loads. I’m guessing he hasn’t seen that yet or I’m sure he'd have told me!

I think it’s a really stupid idea risking your health by doping and you can’t them compete mainstream comps again.

Literally as i pressed send Instagram told me aquatics gb have posted and I saw their statement.

That sounds like a crazy move! It’s all very well earning £££ for one or two years, but surely it is going to rule him out of Sport England/Lottery funding and future coaching/motivational speaking roles (or whatever it is most former swimmers do).

He’s going to ruin any kind of future role for sports. Nobody will touch him for ambassadorial roles, any kind of sports coaching/mentoring/media. World Aquatics have already stated that anyone with any form of involvement in this will barred from swimming - coaches, physios, nutritionists etc. Which swimwear brand is going to want him wearing / associated with them?
Then there’s the human body and associated health (physical and mental) risks. Sold your soul there Ben.

Funnily enough ds said about money being the route of all evil. He’s not impressed!

It seems an incredibly short sighted move by Ben.

Money is what drives the world. As Glitter says it’s unlikely it will pay off longer term.

I think a lot of people struggle after competitive sports careers - look at the number of footballers who end up on drugs or booze looking for that high they are used to. It’s the same thing really I reckon. I feel sorry for him.

Agree with you all too, it’s not a good move, and whilst I get the appeal of the money, it’s a disappointing decision. My two don’t like the idea of the enhanced games.

Surely he is going to have to fund (assuming he does actually get some prize money) any support team as well as they are all going to become pariahs and never be able to work at the top level ever again. That’s going to be rather a large chunk?

Sorry not caught up with subsequent messages but just to clarify that swimmers can be poolside without an TM. My swimmer often enters as an individual and no accompanying adult or club. He just comes and goes as needed. Always communicated with hosting club in advance to ensure they have no concerns but never been denied

Thanks @WidowTwonkyhow old is your child?

He’s 16 now, almost 17, but has done this (with familiar pools only) for a couple of years

BP was on R4 at about 8.30/45 today talking about his decision if anyone fancies a listen.

It’s nice to see actual public statements on this rather than the usual brush under the carpet. The enhanced games and consequences of this do need to be aired and discussed imo.

Jazz Carlin made a great statement on her SM about it and the concerns of the younger swimmers looking up to it.

Thanks @WidowTwonky

Jazz Carlin’s post is very good