Swimmer change over time: good/great/mediocre

[Anonymous]

Wondering what people’s experiences have been with their kids swim stats/ranks changing over time from those who have been at this awhile.

Was your kid an exceptional swimmer in a young age group but fall off later? Build up from bad to good and then plateau again? Gradually get better and better over time and really grow into their own in high school? Or have they been pretty stable throughout their swim career?

[Anonymous]

Call me.

[Anonymous]

Was very slow until 13, quite fast at 14, we’ll see what the future as an Open swimmer holds 🤷‍♀️

[Anonymous]

This topic is talked about a lot. You can pull up top swimmers and see what they were like at 10, but a number of top swimmers at 10 will not be swimming at 16.

I think what I look for more than talent is passion. A kid with a passion/drive/work ethic and a love of swimming will do well. You do not find too many of those though.

[Anonymous]

The other thing that is hard about this question is the subjective nature of it, despite how objective swim times are.

What is a good swimmer? Or great swimmer?

I can say my kid has consistently hit the swim motivational times in the same pattern across age groups. But strokes have come and gone (used to be a free styler, then a flyer, then a backstroker… but maybe fly again… who knows).

[Anonymous]

It all depends on puberty. Either they grow tall and broad shouldered or they don't. If they don't it's very hard to be elite

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It all depends on puberty. Either they grow tall and broad shouldered or they don't. If they don't it's very hard to be elite

This. Genetics is huge in swimming. And it is not just height and shoulders (at least for women) - body mechanics play into it (hips, boobs, height, etc). We have had a lot of great female swimmers and they start getting their height and we think they are the next big thing and then curves come and the improvements stagnate.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, my kid's team has several swimmers who are of average height (or slightly below) and have junior nationals cuts. These kids are incredibly dedicated and really work underwaters and walls.

Yes, height is a big advantage in swim but this board seems to to imply your kid should throw in the towel if they aren't tall.

Just want to offer words of encouragement to those whose kids love to swim but don't have the typical build.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, my kid's team has several swimmers who are of average height (or slightly below) and have junior nationals cuts. These kids are incredibly dedicated and really work underwaters and walls.

Yes, height is a big advantage in swim but this board seems to to imply your kid should throw in the towel if they aren't tall.

Just want to offer words of encouragement to those whose kids love to swim but don't have the typical build.

I don't think swimmers should throw in the towel. If you love swimming then you love it, and will do well because you will put the work into it.

But, that being said, a lot of talented younger swimmers to wash out because they had natural talent but not the love of it. Their bodies change and they can't overcome it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, my kid's team has several swimmers who are of average height (or slightly below) and have junior nationals cuts. These kids are incredibly dedicated and really work underwaters and walls.

Yes, height is a big advantage in swim but this board seems to to imply your kid should throw in the towel if they aren't tall.

Just want to offer words of encouragement to those whose kids love to swim but don't have the typical build.

Agreed - height is less important than other body mechanics/proportions, as a PP mentioned. Long torsos help a lot, and don't require a ton of height. Flexible ankles and shoulders, blah blah. Most Olympic swimmers are very tall, but someone can be an outstanding swimmer and still not make the Olympics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, my kid's team has several swimmers who are of average height (or slightly below) and have junior nationals cuts. These kids are incredibly dedicated and really work underwaters and walls.

Yes, height is a big advantage in swim but this board seems to to imply your kid should throw in the towel if they aren't tall.

Just want to offer words of encouragement to those whose kids love to swim but don't have the typical build.

I agree, height and build help a lot in swimming, but so do athleticism, flexibility and coordination. My male swimmer is 5'8" on a good day, but has good had eye coordination (played travel baseball until 13) and picked up golf and tennis pretty easily. He also has better than average flexibility, which helped with the underwaters. He was able to get a variety of futures cuts in high school- 200 back, 200 fly and 400 IM.

[Anonymous]

Yep, agree that height in swimming is way overstated on this board. Most of the elite senior swimmers at our club are average height (some even below) and they are already committed to very highly ranked D1 schools. Maybe if you mean the Olympics, but that’s not what most people are really after.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep, agree that height in swimming is way overstated on this board. Most of the elite senior swimmers at our club are average height (some even below) and they are already committed to very highly ranked D1 schools. Maybe if you mean the Olympics, but that’s not what most people are really after.

And even in the Olympics, you can be average or below average height and still make it. Yes, it's more the exception than the norm, but it's foolish to assume someone won't be a great swimmer simply because of their height.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep, agree that height in swimming is way overstated on this board. Most of the elite senior swimmers at our club are average height (some even below) and they are already committed to very highly ranked D1 schools. Maybe if you mean the Olympics, but that’s not what most people are really after.

Height and the idea that if you are a standout at 10 you won’t be good anymore at 16 are the most overstated things on this board. Yes, there are standout 10 year olds that are all around excellent athletes that end up choosing another sport or otherwise leaving swim, but if you look at the elite swimmers almost all of them were also excellent when they were 10. None of the elite swimmers were merely average when they were young and then became elite once they hit HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep, agree that height in swimming is way overstated on this board. Most of the elite senior swimmers at our club are average height (some even below) and they are already committed to very highly ranked D1 schools. Maybe if you mean the Olympics, but that’s not what most people are really after.

Height and the idea that if you are a standout at 10 you won’t be good anymore at 16 are the most overstated things on this board. Yes, there are standout 10 year olds that are all around excellent athletes that end up choosing another sport or otherwise leaving swim, but if you look at the elite swimmers almost all of them were also excellent when they were 10. None of the elite swimmers were merely average when they were young and then became elite once they hit HS.

This board really loves to pretend that the 10 year old kid with C times will swim D1 when the reality is almost every elite 20 year old swimmer was also elite from the beginning