DC did not make B times first year of club swimming
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| My 9 yo DC did her first year of club swimming this year. She missed B times by a few seconds in every stroke. I'm seeing some people on reddit saying B times are the minimum of what any decent swimmer should have their first year of club swimming. Now I feel discouraged for her. She enjoys swimming so it doesn't matter, but just wondering if there's hope for her to get better. |
Anonymous
| She’s only 9 and it’s her first year. Look for improvement next year. |
Anonymous
|
Are you looking at the single age motivational times? There's quite a jump between 9 and 10.
https://websitedevsa.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/timesdocuments/time-standards/2025/2028-motivational-standards-single-age.pdf |
Anonymous
I wouldn’t worry about it if she’s enjoying it AND there’s continuing improvement in technique and times. At some point enjoyment and “success” become correlated. See what happens next season. |
Anonymous
| She’s 9, she’ll be fine. |
Anonymous
Yes that's what I was looking at. They don't have one for 9 year olds, just 10 and under. So maybe I should feel good that she's already close to B time for 10 year olds. And anyway others on this thread have made me feel better that it's nothing to worry about. I had never even heard of "B times" until I saw an email about a swim camp only available to kids with "B times" and up. I had to do some googling to even figure out what it means. |
Anonymous
"Some people on reddit" are idiots. |
Anonymous
| B times are not easy to get, they may not be the top swim times, but they are not guaranteed just from club practice. I have a swimmer who consistently falls mostly into the B, BB time range and they love swimming, consider it their “main sport” and have participated in lots of meets where they finish 1st in their heat. Your child has so much growing to do, so I wouldn’t stress at all about those motivational times. There are so many positive things about swimming, the racing part is only a fraction of what’s important, and I think using their own times as measurement and motivation is the best approach regardless. |
Anonymous
Agree. The fitness obtained is so valuable. If they do any other sports, it will show, even they are part timing the other sports. And its valuable just for general well being first and foremost. Also, kids vary and if they keep at it, they might (or might not) be achieving A, AA, etc. by the time they are teens. |
Anonymous
Redditors are so mean sometimes. My son made nary a B time his first year and qualified for city championships with an A time his second. There's a big difference between the years in the 2-year buckets at that age, FWIW. Also, what this person said: you can be an "average" swimmer and qualify for nothing. Pulling points for your team is fundamentally what matters competitively which you can do without going to state. And, of course, enjoying it, which it sounds like your daughter does. |
Anonymous
| I mean, so what? My 12 yo has been swimming competitively for several years and is not fast. Probably never will be. But she gets exercise, improves on her own times and technique, and enjoys the sport (including the social aspect). |
Anonymous
| B is by definition better than average. So this is far from abnormal. |
Anonymous
| My swimmer, currently D1 swimming did not make B times when he was 9 either. |
Anonymous
| You are misapplying the standards. USA Swinming does not publish motivational times for children 9&under for a reason. The standards do not apply to your kid. Come back here once she is 10+. |
Anonymous
| My kid doesn't even have BB times. He's having fun and learning to be a better swimmer. It's fine! You just need a club that coaches the slow kids too. |