NVSL team "most improved" awards

[Anonymous]

Ours does a combo of dropped times and factors that aren’t perfectly quantifiable so you would probably not be happy on our team, OP.

It’s supposed to be fun, you know.

[Anonymous]

Ours is based on time dropped across all strokes. It almost always goes to kids who could barely swim at the start of the summer and are finishing without DQing by the end, which I think is great. We also do age group Coaches Awards, which have ZERO transparency as to how they’re given and would probably make OPs head explode.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of the software will now calculate this for you. Our team uses the number of time drops as opposed to the overall percentage time drop since it reflects a more consistent and steady improvement over the course of the season. A swimmer who shows up at maybe time trials and one other meet might have just one or two events in the system but reflect an overall huge percentage time drop simply because if you're only showing up rarely then the time drops are each likely to be bigger overall.

Our team wants to recognize those who are persistent, showing up and doing the hard work and consistently working to improve.

It's summer swim, don't overthink it.

MCSL, but I don't think our coaches use any formula. It's the hard work, improved strokes, becoming legal, making an A meet types of things. They almost never award club swimmers, like an unwritten rule. I am interested what happens on teams with club swimmers who have the largest drops from time trials if you use the formula. Consider this scenario... time trials morning my teen has already been to a 2h club practice and is the fastest swimmer on the team in every stroke. Time trials isn't really a race, times are not fast. Come up on Week 3 (last shot to qualify for our Coaches Long Course all star meet) or divisionals (fast competition, good time in season, want to break records, improve all star seeding, etc.) and kid swims really fast. That kid should not be most improved no matter what the numbers say, right?

[Anonymous]

Our pool gives out the award but I don’t know how it’s calculated re: A/B times or which strokes. I do know it’s a percentage improvement not a number of seconds.

I also can’t imagine that a kid knows all the other kids times well enough to feel they were robbed. By the nature of the award, a kid who gets it is probably not swimming A meets to start the season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our pool gives out the award but I don’t know how it’s calculated re: A/B times or which strokes. I do know it’s a percentage improvement not a number of seconds.

I also can’t imagine that a kid knows all the other kids times well enough to feel they were robbed. By the nature of the award, a kid who gets it is probably not swimming A meets to start the season.

I’ll add in that at our pool it’s a way to give an award to a kid that didn’t get a lot of meet time or ribbons. If your kid is swimming A meets and placing all season, then it’s just greedy to be quibbling over how “most improved” or “best sportsmanship” are determined.
As many have said on other threads - summer Swim is Rec league. Summer swim is FUN. Summer swim is social. If you or your kid is that competitive about swimming, there are other outlets for you. Leave summer swim alone.

[Anonymous]

Is this a joke?????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the software will now calculate this for you. Our team uses the number of time drops as opposed to the overall percentage time drop since it reflects a more consistent and steady improvement over the course of the season. A swimmer who shows up at maybe time trials and one other meet might have just one or two events in the system but reflect an overall huge percentage time drop simply because if you're only showing up rarely then the time drops are each likely to be bigger overall.

Our team wants to recognize those who are persistent, showing up and doing the hard work and consistently working to improve.

It's summer swim, don't overthink it.

MCSL, but I don't think our coaches use any formula. It's the hard work, improved strokes, becoming legal, making an A meet types of things. They almost never award club swimmers, like an unwritten rule. I am interested what happens on teams with club swimmers who have the largest drops from time trials if you use the formula. Consider this scenario... time trials morning my teen has already been to a 2h club practice and is the fastest swimmer on the team in every stroke. Time trials isn't really a race, times are not fast. Come up on Week 3 (last shot to qualify for our Coaches Long Course all star meet) or divisionals (fast competition, good time in season, want to break records, improve all star seeding, etc.) and kid swims really fast. That kid should not be most improved no matter what the numbers say, right?

Also MCSL and this is how team does it, or at least that's how it appears to be awarded. I'll admit I haven't ever thought much about it, other than thinking "good for that kid!" And when the coaches hand out the award they talk about the specifics in how the kid improved/showed up/just kept working hard etc. Between this and the "wrong" age thread, I am glad my kids are in MCSL and not NVSL. NVSL appears to be an extension of club swim for a lot of swimmers and parents. MCSL does not (although we are not an A division pool). I say that as the parent of nonclub kids who went to both divisionals and all stars this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our pool gives out the award but I don’t know how it’s calculated re: A/B times or which strokes. I do know it’s a percentage improvement not a number of seconds.

I also can’t imagine that a kid knows all the other kids times well enough to feel they were robbed. By the nature of the award, a kid who gets it is probably not swimming A meets to start the season.

I’ll add in that at our pool it’s a way to give an award to a kid that didn’t get a lot of meet time or ribbons. If your kid is swimming A meets and placing all season, then it’s just greedy to be quibbling over how “most improved” or “best sportsmanship” are determined.
As many have said on other threads - summer Swim is Rec league. Summer swim is FUN. Summer swim is social. If you or your kid is that competitive about swimming, there are other outlets for you. Leave summer swim alone.

I agree with this sentiment, but oddly at our pool, the "most improved" always goes to an A meet swimmer. It never goes to B meet swimmers, even the ones who drop huge amounts of time. I think it is only time dropped at A meets. So I understand where OP is coming from, because I think the award does make the B meet kids feel invisible at our banquet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our pool gives out the award but I don’t know how it’s calculated re: A/B times or which strokes. I do know it’s a percentage improvement not a number of seconds.

I also can’t imagine that a kid knows all the other kids times well enough to feel they were robbed. By the nature of the award, a kid who gets it is probably not swimming A meets to start the season.

I’ll add in that at our pool it’s a way to give an award to a kid that didn’t get a lot of meet time or ribbons. If your kid is swimming A meets and placing all season, then it’s just greedy to be quibbling over how “most improved” or “best sportsmanship” are determined.
As many have said on other threads - summer Swim is Rec league. Summer swim is FUN. Summer swim is social. If you or your kid is that competitive about swimming, there are other outlets for you. Leave summer swim alone.

I agree with this sentiment, but oddly at our pool, the "most improved" always goes to an A meet swimmer. It never goes to B meet swimmers, even the ones who drop huge amounts of time. I think it is only time dropped at A meets. So I understand where OP is coming from, because I think the award does make the B meet kids feel invisible at our banquet.

This is just plain wrong. I can see it going to a B meet swimmer who works hard, drops a lot of time and makes A meets. But this is the one award that B meet swimmers can get - it shouldn't go to a kid who swims A meets on a regular basis just because they dropped time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our pool gives out the award but I don’t know how it’s calculated re: A/B times or which strokes. I do know it’s a percentage improvement not a number of seconds.

I also can’t imagine that a kid knows all the other kids times well enough to feel they were robbed. By the nature of the award, a kid who gets it is probably not swimming A meets to start the season.

I’ll add in that at our pool it’s a way to give an award to a kid that didn’t get a lot of meet time or ribbons. If your kid is swimming A meets and placing all season, then it’s just greedy to be quibbling over how “most improved” or “best sportsmanship” are determined.
As many have said on other threads - summer Swim is Rec league. Summer swim is FUN. Summer swim is social. If you or your kid is that competitive about swimming, there are other outlets for you. Leave summer swim alone.

I agree with this sentiment, but oddly at our pool, the "most improved" always goes to an A meet swimmer. It never goes to B meet swimmers, even the ones who drop huge amounts of time. I think it is only time dropped at A meets. So I understand where OP is coming from, because I think the award does make the B meet kids feel invisible at our banquet.

This is just plain wrong. I can see it going to a B meet swimmer who works hard, drops a lot of time and makes A meets. But this is the one award that B meet swimmers can get - it shouldn't go to a kid who swims A meets on a regular basis just because they dropped time.

NP, at our club B meet swimmers never get any awards. Everything goes to a handful of A meet swimmers at every age. It makes some sense because those are the kids that the coaches are around the most and interact with the most. We learned to not bother going to ceremonies.

[Anonymous]

Wow. Just wow. So much to unpack between this thread and the other thread about summer birthdays and swim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our pool gives out the award but I don’t know how it’s calculated re: A/B times or which strokes. I do know it’s a percentage improvement not a number of seconds.

I also can’t imagine that a kid knows all the other kids times well enough to feel they were robbed. By the nature of the award, a kid who gets it is probably not swimming A meets to start the season.

I’ll add in that at our pool it’s a way to give an award to a kid that didn’t get a lot of meet time or ribbons. If your kid is swimming A meets and placing all season, then it’s just greedy to be quibbling over how “most improved” or “best sportsmanship” are determined.
As many have said on other threads - summer Swim is Rec league. Summer swim is FUN. Summer swim is social. If you or your kid is that competitive about swimming, there are other outlets for you. Leave summer swim alone.

I agree with this sentiment, but oddly at our pool, the "most improved" always goes to an A meet swimmer. It never goes to B meet swimmers, even the ones who drop huge amounts of time. I think it is only time dropped at A meets. So I understand where OP is coming from, because I think the award does make the B meet kids feel invisible at our banquet.

This is just plain wrong. I can see it going to a B meet swimmer who works hard, drops a lot of time and makes A meets. But this is the one award that B meet swimmers can get - it shouldn't go to a kid who swims A meets on a regular basis just because they dropped time.

NP, at our club B meet swimmers never get any awards. Everything goes to a handful of A meet swimmers at every age. It makes some sense because those are the kids that the coaches are around the most and interact with the most. We learned to not bother going to ceremonies.

I’m sorry that just sucks. Are the coaches not attending all practices and B meets? Our team is large, over 200. The head coaches know the all the kids by name and ask each kid to come talk to them after each race (A or B meet). This is supposed to be fun for everyone not an extension of club swim.

[Anonymous]

This thread is unbelievable. Our NVSL team has lost improved awards in each age group. It isn’t based on numbers or advanced math or any super secret formula. It goes to the kids who the coaches think worked hardest to get better, irrespective of the baseline.

Also, I can’t think of anyone who has ever been jealous or disappointed or thought that they lost become of some grand conspiracy. Maybe that’s in part because our team is small enough that the winner is usually an obvious choice. But it’s also likely because we are supportive bunch and choose to celebrate those who did win as opposed to dwelling on not winning.

Summer swim is supposed to be fun. Threads like this and the age group thread and others make it clear that some have lost that perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is unbelievable. Our NVSL team has lost improved awards in each age group. It isn’t based on numbers or advanced math or any super secret formula. It goes to the kids who the coaches think worked hardest to get better, irrespective of the baseline.

Also, I can’t think of anyone who has ever been jealous or disappointed or thought that they lost become of some grand conspiracy. Maybe that’s in part because our team is small enough that the winner is usually an obvious choice. But it’s also likely because we are supportive bunch and choose to celebrate those who did win as opposed to dwelling on not winning.

Summer swim is supposed to be fun. Threads like this and the age group thread and others make it clear that some have lost that perspective.

Most improved, not “lost improved” …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is unbelievable. Our NVSL team has lost improved awards in each age group. It isn’t based on numbers or advanced math or any super secret formula. It goes to the kids who the coaches think worked hardest to get better, irrespective of the baseline.

Also, I can’t think of anyone who has ever been jealous or disappointed or thought that they lost become of some grand conspiracy. Maybe that’s in part because our team is small enough that the winner is usually an obvious choice. But it’s also likely because we are supportive bunch and choose to celebrate those who did win as opposed to dwelling on not winning.

Summer swim is supposed to be fun. Threads like this and the age group thread and others make it clear that some have lost that perspective.

Maybe it is the difference between a big and a small team then. I'm the PP who said that our "most improved" awards (and, in fact, all awards) only go to A meet swimmers. Our swim team is over 200 kids though, and our head coach doesn't know all of the A meet swimmers, let alone the B meet swimmers. The coaches awards and "most improved" awards almost always go to the A meet kids who have paid her for private lessons on the side. Summer swim should be fun, but our team loses a lot of kids by the 11-12 and 13-14 age groups who get tired of being ignored at practice every summer and just give up. This year, our team reps and the coach even decided to stop giving out "end of year" individual medals. The B meet kids, and A meet kids who didn't medal at divisionals, just walked away with a paper plate at the banquet and many were sad about it. (And my own kid got dual medals at divisionals, so I am not saying this out of sour grapes.) I would love to see our "most improved" trophies go to B meet swimmers next year to be more inclusive, so I appreciate the OP's question and hearing how other teams do it.