Do the top 10U swimmers typically become the top high school swimmers?

[Anonymous]

Do the top 10U swimmers typically become the top high school swimmers?

I don't have an older swimmer yet, but I see many younger swimmers and am curious if they will go on to be the top state / divisional swimmers as high schoolers.

[Anonymous]

No. Some are fast as little kids and then others have massive growth spurts and muscle add on and end up better.

[Anonymous]

Some do. Some don’t. Some burn out and stop swimming. Some decide they like other sports better. Some get injured. Some push through.

[Anonymous]

Google “ten and under wonder USA swimming”

The answer is no

[Anonymous]

My DD will.

[Anonymous]

I have two kids, 16 and 13 who swim club. The 16 year old swims high school as well. My observation is that the majority of fast 10 year olds will still be fast if they stick around. A few are not as fast because they were huge as 10 year olds and everyone else has since caught up, or because they are not into it anymore. Many of the fastest 10 year olds were athletic kids who also excelled in other sports, so they left.

It’s true that most of the fast kids in high school were not the fastest at 10, but I think it’s mainly due to two things - the first is attrition. And the second is that some fast teens were not serious about swimming until they got older, but if they had been, they would have been in the fast group. I would estimate that in a group of ten fast 10 year olds, 4-5 leave the sport and 2-3 are well surpassed by peers, leaving 3 or so that are still among the fastest as teens.

Among the ones that remain fast, some are truly good athletes and have body types that suit swimming. Some love the sport and were encouraged by their past success, so they work very hard and do all the extras - stretch, underwaters, starts/turns, private coaching, nutrition, never skip practice, positive mindset, etc.

I have one kid that was not at all fast as a 10 year old who is a sectionals/futures swimmer now. And I have one kid who was fast as a 10 year old, and is still fast at 13. Personally, I don’t think they are particularly athletically gifted, but they work hard and prioritize practice. You never know what will happen with kids, so if they enjoy swimming, let them stick with it. If your child starts at age 10, they have up to 8 years with the sport, so make sure they (and you) enjoy the journey.

[Anonymous]

There are a large number of the fastest 10-year-olds that do not wind up being the best in high school.

On the other side of the coin, most Olympians and national level swimmers were among the fastest at age 10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a large number of the fastest 10-year-olds that do not wind up being the best in high school.

On the other side of the coin, most Olympians and national level swimmers were among the fastest at age 10.

This is what I was going to write. Torri Huske is an outlier. 99% of Olympic/National team swimmers were the fastest in 10U, but not all 10Us remain fast and attend Trials.

[Anonymous]

10 and under hero, 13 year old zero. There is a reason this is a saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10 and under hero, 13 year old zero. There is a reason this is a saying.

This is not really true, it’s more nuanced than that. The poster above T 20:16 broke it down pretty well. There are a hike bunch of reasons that some of the super fast 10 and unders are not always still the top ranked kids once you get to 13 and over. Because I have time to kill, I looked up the 2022 AG meet to see how this years 13-14 girls did when they were 9-10, and there are some that are still among the fastest (and aren’t here because they swam Open last week), some that are still fast but are not as highly ranked as they were when they were 9-10, some that are now among the top 5 in multiple events that were nowhere near that level at 9-10, and some that either are no longer swimming or maybe moved.

[Anonymous]

I would say IME 90% no - those who start out on top do not end on top. Had two swimmers spread out who swam in college so saw a lot over the years. The 10U kids who were very good tended to be those who grew early or learned how to swim on the early side. But the generally were caught by the rest of the kids by the time they were 12 or so. There is one exception I can think of where the kid was very fast as 10U, receded a bit relative to the competition and then ended up on top at the end and is swimming in college.

[Anonymous]

When it’s all said and done and you hang up the cap and goggles, JOs glory is what matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When it’s all said and done and you hang up the cap and goggles, JOs glory is what matters.

I thought it was IMX

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would say IME 90% no - those who start out on top do not end on top. Had two swimmers spread out who swam in college so saw a lot over the years. The 10U kids who were very good tended to be those who grew early or learned how to swim on the early side. But the generally were caught by the rest of the kids by the time they were 12 or so. There is one exception I can think of where the kid was very fast as 10U, receded a bit relative to the competition and then ended up on top at the end and is swimming in college.

So what do you do if you've been doing swim team since age 6 or 7 and then suddenly (or maybe gradually over the past couple of years) you're no longer near the top at age 11 or 12? Switch to a completely different sport? What sport can you take up and be competitive at at that point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would say IME 90% no - those who start out on top do not end on top. Had two swimmers spread out who swam in college so saw a lot over the years. The 10U kids who were very good tended to be those who grew early or learned how to swim on the early side. But the generally were caught by the rest of the kids by the time they were 12 or so. There is one exception I can think of where the kid was very fast as 10U, receded a bit relative to the competition and then ended up on top at the end and is swimming in college.

So what do you do if you've been doing swim team since age 6 or 7 and then suddenly (or maybe gradually over the past couple of years) you're no longer near the top at age 11 or 12? Switch to a completely different sport? What sport can you take up and be competitive at at that point?

Are you serious? I hope not.

First swim can be a life long sport and you don't have to be the top of any sport to enjoy it and have it bring you joy. As long as you love it. Do it.

As for other sports. Your kid should be doing them until HS and even then unless trying for a sport in college. So if you have a 13&U only doing swim you might have issues.

As for other sports. Cross country. Track and field. Field Hockey. Water polo.

Get your kid into triathlons since they already mastered the hardest event.