Switching clubs mid year

[Anonymous]

I know it sounds crazy, but I never thought we’d be here. We’ve been with the same club for 6-7 years. In the last couple of years things have not been great with the head coach. It’s getting to the point that the kids try to avoid his practices. Another coach recently hired is great, but it might be too little too late.

Both kids are strong swimmers and could easily move to a more competitive team. The reason we have not done so is mainly due to the convenience of their current team’s practice location.

My one kid can likely stick it out through the spring, but my other one needs something else and now. I’m pretty sure we will be stuck paying fees of our current team.

Do we need to just stick it out? My one kid has a particular club in mind they want to move to.

[Anonymous]

I think that the question is how good are your kids. Only some clubs will take kids mid-year if they have space in a swim group. So have you reached out to the club? If your kid is exceptional then they will take the kid no matter what, at least that is what our club does.

Have you talked to the coaches? I would start a conversation before jumping.

[Anonymous]

I’d start with reaching out to the club your kid is interested in and ask about a mid-year transfer. Like the PP said if your kid is a top level swimmer, they will make it happen. You should also map out what it would look like for your family for the next couple months in terms of kids needing to be at different practice sites at different times and potentially different meets on weekends.

[Anonymous]

This is a tough one since the other aspect to consider here is that given that you have 2, just making the logistics of practice travel will be tricky, at best; couple this with the likelihood that they'd also no longer be going to the same meets... that would be the issue to consider first - if you haven't solved this part of the problem, you'll need to do that first before talking to another club to see if it's even possible.

[Anonymous]

Are you willing to share the specific concerns? That might help guide perspectives on switching now. Either way, good luck!

[Anonymous]

We jumped ship mid season bc of coaching and did not regret it- people love certain teams bc of the supposed prestige that comes with a team name, but at the end of the day swimming is a solo sport and the connection with the coach matters

We did not get, nor did we ask for, our money back- but our new team didn’t ask for money, which was incredible

If your kid loves to swim but hates the coach, then I’d think about switching. If they don’t love swimming, it won’t matter who the coach is.

[Anonymous]

For us, we could not afford to pay for 2 clubs, so we would just stay and switch the following year.

Understand that a lot of the coaches are friends from the different teams and that your current coach will most likely hear that you are trying to switch. Also, know that if you only switch one, it could make it awkward for the one left at the old club.

[Anonymous]

One other thing to keep in mind is that I think your swimmer will need to be “unattached” to a club for 30 days before they can compete on behalf of their new club. I’m not well-versed on those rules and couldn’t find a great link, but hoping someone on this thread can further explain.

[Anonymous]

The new club can enter an unattached swimmer in meets. The biggest drawback is that they are not allowed to be on relays or score points in championships for the gaining team for the 60 day unattached period.

[Anonymous]

Unattached is not a big deal for the swimmer, but it is for the club. My swimmer was unattached and it worked out that the "cool off" period ended in time for winter champs. It is not a big deal. Its purpose is to not allow swimmers to jump clubs willy nilly.

[Anonymous]

We switched clubs mid year years ago, we emailed several clubs and found a better spot for my swimmer. In our case the club we were with was failing and falling apart. We moved at the end of March which was the end of short course season. I have also seen swimmers switch clubs at the end of December. Good luck to you and your swimmer.

[Anonymous]

You need to do what's best for your swimmer. Staying with a bad club or coach isn't going to do your swimmer any favors.

[Anonymous]

It depends on the age/skill. We debated this as the coach was horrible. But, thankfully we stuck it out and when our child aged up, the coaches are fantastic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need to do what's best for your swimmer. Staying with a bad club or coach isn't going to do your swimmer any favors.

This is one perspective.

Another is that, unless the kids are aiming for college scholarships, you do what's best for the family. This includes financial and logistical considerations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to do what's best for your swimmer. Staying with a bad club or coach isn't going to do your swimmer any favors.

This is one perspective.

Another is that, unless the kids are aiming for college scholarships, you do what's best for the family. This includes financial and logistical considerations.

If you have a bad coach or program, it is worth switching if you can make it work. Teen swimmers spend almost every day training with these people. However, Please note- if you have a male swimmer there is very little chance of getting an athletic scholarship for swimming.