Is it worth even doing HS swim?

[Anonymous]

I would have your child try it.

My kid was hesitant but really has loved it. Has good buddies on the team now, and talks to kids he would not usually talk to otherwise at events.

Also, your son may get the change to be a leader on the team if he does have the extra club experience which might be a nice experience. Also, depending on the culture of your HS team may get the chance to rlly shine as a swimmer. At club practice my son is always "eh" but at school practice he gets to have fun feeling confident in the pool.

[Anonymous]

My 9th grader just had his first hs swim meet last week. He is a year round swimmer who goes to a school that doesn’t have a swim team, so he is swimming for a different high school. He had a blast. The kids were all cheering and screaming their lungs out, and even though my son didn’t know many of them, they were all so supportive and added him to their text chats and gave him high fives. Of course it depends on the team, but in his case, the kids are very nice, the coach is great, and it’s fun to be part of the team. Plus, high school meets are nice and short! Looking forward to the next hs meet already!

[Anonymous]

I offer a different perspective. My kids loves swim and is a club swimmer. Not a great club swimmer though, but good. She will pick HS meets over club because she can a star in HS and make a difference, whereas she is not going to swim college on her times.

Not every club swimmer is going to college to swim.

[Anonymous]

My kid also got so much out of HS precisely bc he wasn’t going to swim in college. Great bonding, fun to earn varsity letter, and so much fun to wear the school colors. Swim team had a lot of team activities (dinners, cos tomes, sleepovers). And, Metros is a great meet - kid was really glad to be part of that.

I would prioritize club if kid wants to swim college (and even then, I would really try to swim HS). But otherwise, I would encourage kid to swim for school!

[Anonymous]

Most club swimmers will skip their club meets for HS meets. They have more fun at the HS meets. Only the elite club swimmers tend to skip the HS meets in favor of LSC or national meets.

[Anonymous]

And remember not all HS teams are created equally. My kids' HS team has kids who can barely swim a 25 and have never been on a team before. We are in an area that doesn't have significant access to public pools/swim teams/lower income and there are only 4/25 kids' on the HS team who swim club... plus 2 more who swim summer. But they have so.much.fun. They scream their hearts out when their teammate finishes their race (no matter if it is 30 sec after the winner) and really bond.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a very good (but not great) swimmer who swims year-round with one of the large teams in VA. Is there any point to doing HS swim? It looks like the HS swimmers just keep swimming with the club even after they join the HS team, and HS meets cause conflicts for us that DS doesn't really want to deal with. What's the advantage to being on the HS team, if a kid isn't looking to swim in college? I thought it would be a great social experience, since that's what I remember best about my own time in HS, but I don't really see that if the kids aren't even practicing together.

1. High school meets are fun, club meets are not, so this is a good experience for many clubs swimmers

2. A high school team stresses the importance of competing for a team, a common cause and for the school, where as club swimming generally just promotes individual glory. There is no sense of team on a club like NCAP. The culture there is to trip another kid if it meant leveling up 1 spot.

3. A lot of HS seasons culminate with fast meets where the times count for USA swimming. Amazing what kids can do at meets with cheering fans and teammates. Blows away the atmosphere at a JOs/Senior Champs/Zones/Sectionals/NCSA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a very good (but not great) swimmer who swims year-round with one of the large teams in VA. Is there any point to doing HS swim? It looks like the HS swimmers just keep swimming with the club even after they join the HS team, and HS meets cause conflicts for us that DS doesn't really want to deal with. What's the advantage to being on the HS team, if a kid isn't looking to swim in college? I thought it would be a great social experience, since that's what I remember best about my own time in HS, but I don't really see that if the kids aren't even practicing together.

1. High school meets are fun, club meets are not, so this is a good experience for many clubs swimmers

2. A high school team stresses the importance of competing for a team, a common cause and for the school, where as club swimming generally just promotes individual glory. There is no sense of team on a club like NCAP. The culture there is to trip another kid if it meant leveling up 1 spot.

3. A lot of HS seasons culminate with fast meets where the times count for USA swimming. Amazing what kids can do at meets with cheering fans and teammates. Blows away the atmosphere at a JOs/Senior Champs/Zones/Sectionals/NCSA.

I agree with alot of this. My child is going off to swim D1 next year and he enjoys the HS crowd cheering and he does the same for them. It really is a lot of fun and different people to hang out with then his year round team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I offer a different perspective. My kids loves swim and is a club swimmer. Not a great club swimmer though, but good. She will pick HS meets over club because she can a star in HS and make a difference, whereas she is not going to swim college on her times.

Not every club swimmer is going to college to swim.

But it's great that she can swim, have fun, and build good exercise habits for life. Those are all important things to do/learn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure where you are, but FCPS schools have them practice 1x a week mandatory or they can't swim in the meet. Then each week there is either a dinner or breakfast. In addition there are at least one meet a week, and they usually go out after. It is fun!!!! not the grind of club. It is different from all other HS sports but the kids love it. (I'm sure there is an exception) but mine see it like summer swim.

Our kids' high school coach is very clear that he prefers kids who swim club to practice with their clubs instead of the school. It works out better for everyone because the HS team doesn't have enough lane space to accommodate the whole team and the club practices are more intense than the high school practices

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader just had his first hs swim meet last week. He is a year round swimmer who goes to a school that doesn’t have a swim team, so he is swimming for a different high school. He had a blast. The kids were all cheering and screaming their lungs out, and even though my son didn’t know many of them, they were all so supportive and added him to their text chats and gave him high fives. Of course it depends on the team, but in his case, the kids are very nice, the coach is great, and it’s fun to be part of the team. Plus, high school meets are nice and short! Looking forward to the next hs meet already!

can you tell me more about how you do this? DC’s eventual HS does not have a swim team - I am curious about this option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no sense of team on a club like NCAP. The culture there is to trip another kid if it meant leveling up 1 spot.

please quit, you're ridiculous
my child's ncap group defiantly has a sense of team and they cheer each other on

[Anonymous]

Some universities will want to see that varsity letter. Club doesn't matter to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some universities will want to see that varsity letter. Club doesn't matter to them.

Maybe for admissions if a kid doesn't intend to swim, but this is 100% false is a kid is trying to swim in college. Times matter, and they want to see participation in big meets (Sectionals, Futures, Jr Nats)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some universities will want to see that varsity letter. Club doesn't matter to them.

How do you know this?