S/O 4:30am practice for ES

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not healthy at ANY AGE.

Every age group needs full, good quality sleep. Long-term sleep deprivation is a significant contributor to dementia and cardiovascular risks. Adolescents' body clocks shift to later sleep times naturally, so it's not like a teen getting up at 4 is better than a child waking up at 4.

I have one kid who has always been a late riser (he has borderline sleep apnea that is not treatable with a cpap), and one kid who has always been an early riser... but not 4:30am. More like 5:30.

I am not damaging either of them by having that sort of schedule. Honestly, I think it's tantamount to child abuse, even if the child doesn't realize it and wants to swim at that time in the morning.

You do realize that kids who do early morning practices can and should go to bed early, right?

My kid started 430am practices in 8th grade/age 13 and he was always in bed by 730pm. I can bet that even on practice days he gets more sleep than other kids I know whose parents joke they they are up on their phones until midnight. I also know kid who do dance or other sports with late practices and don't get home or go to bed until 10 or 11pm.

I have also never forced my kid to do morning practices. It has 100% been his choice. He puts himself to bed early and has never complained about getting up for morning practice.

I agree that it's not for everyone and I know top level kids who don't do morning practices, but it can and does work for some kids and families.

Now would I ever put an elementary age kids in practice this early- hell no. But we did do a year of 630 am practices when my kids were young, but it was only 2 mornings a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was very surprised to learn that there are 4:30am training practice for ES kids. 9 years old waking up super early for practice. My kid’s group offers that, but we have never been. The other higher level groups for the same age require at least one early morning practice. At my son’s level, it’s optional, but we are still encouraged to do it.

ES starts at 9:25am and is it even healthy (or reasonable) to ask 9-10 years old to wake up at 4am for swim practice? We just can’t do it, and I guess my kid will never be an “elite” swimmer.

You aren’t forced to do this, you know.

With RMSC, if you want to stay at junior 1 or junior select, one morning of 4:40, 4:45 is mandatory. The time for junior 2 sucks as well. This is really difficult and pretty much forcing 9-13 year old kids swim so early.

I also initially thought their junior 2 time sucks big one. But it turns out actually much more sane than many other programs. Only one PM during weekday, no fuss of commute in rush hours. two during weekends one 7:30 and one pm. We had
plenty of time to play video games and doing projects and other sports. Kids are allowed to attend 4:45 AM practice. There are 3. Some families do. But we tried to stay away from those uber competitive parents. half junior 2 kids still make to PVS champs anyway…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was very surprised to learn that there are 4:30am training practice for ES kids. 9 years old waking up super early for practice. My kid’s group offers that, but we have never been. The other higher level groups for the same age require at least one early morning practice. At my son’s level, it’s optional, but we are still encouraged to do it.

ES starts at 9:25am and is it even healthy (or reasonable) to ask 9-10 years old to wake up at 4am for swim practice? We just can’t do it, and I guess my kid will never be an “elite” swimmer.

You aren’t forced to do this, you know.

With RMSC, if you want to stay at junior 1 or junior select, one morning of 4:40, 4:45 is mandatory. The time for junior 2 sucks as well. This is really difficult and pretty much forcing 9-13 year old kids swim so early.

I also initially thought their junior 2 time sucks big one. But it turns out actually much more sane than many other programs. Only one PM during weekday, no fuss of commute in rush hours. two during weekends one 7:30 and one pm. We had
plenty of time to play video games and doing projects and other sports. Kids are allowed to attend 4:45 AM practice. There are 3. Some families do. But we tried to stay away from those uber competitive parents. half junior 2 kids still make to PVS champs anyway…

So anyone who does 4:45 is uber competitive by definition
but your schedule means you are not? Lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was very surprised to learn that there are 4:30am training practice for ES kids. 9 years old waking up super early for practice. My kid’s group offers that, but we have never been. The other higher level groups for the same age require at least one early morning practice. At my son’s level, it’s optional, but we are still encouraged to do it.

ES starts at 9:25am and is it even healthy (or reasonable) to ask 9-10 years old to wake up at 4am for swim practice? We just can’t do it, and I guess my kid will never be an “elite” swimmer.

You aren’t forced to do this, you know.

With RMSC, if you want to stay at junior 1 or junior select, one morning of 4:40, 4:45 is mandatory. The time for junior 2 sucks as well. This is really difficult and pretty much forcing 9-13 year old kids swim so early.

I also initially thought their junior 2 time sucks big one. But it turns out actually much more sane than many other programs. Only one PM during weekday, no fuss of commute in rush hours. two during weekends one 7:30 and one pm. We had
plenty of time to play video games and doing projects and other sports. Kids are allowed to attend 4:45 AM practice. There are 3. Some families do. But we tried to stay away from those uber competitive parents. half junior 2 kids still make to PVS champs anyway…

So anyone who does 4:45 is uber competitive by definition
but your schedule means you are not? Lol.

Well, if you say our schedule of “1-3practices per week, no AM, our kids decide skip or not ” means we are uber competitive, then I took it as compliment…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was very surprised to learn that there are 4:30am training practice for ES kids. 9 years old waking up super early for practice. My kid’s group offers that, but we have never been. The other higher level groups for the same age require at least one early morning practice. At my son’s level, it’s optional, but we are still encouraged to do it.

ES starts at 9:25am and is it even healthy (or reasonable) to ask 9-10 years old to wake up at 4am for swim practice? We just can’t do it, and I guess my kid will never be an “elite” swimmer.

You aren’t forced to do this, you know.

With RMSC, if you want to stay at junior 1 or junior select, one morning of 4:40, 4:45 is mandatory. The time for junior 2 sucks as well. This is really difficult and pretty much forcing 9-13 year old kids swim so early.

I also initially thought their junior 2 time sucks big one. But it turns out actually much more sane than many other programs. Only one PM during weekday, no fuss of commute in rush hours. two during weekends one 7:30 and one pm. We had
plenty of time to play video games and doing projects and other sports. Kids are allowed to attend 4:45 AM practice. There are 3. Some families do. But we tried to stay away from those uber competitive parents. half junior 2 kids still make to PVS champs anyway…

Junior 2 practice times are not good. If you opt out of the early morning practices, you have to attend Thursday evening, Sat morning, and Sunday afternoon.

If there is a meet, you have only 1 practice available outside of the early morning practices since they cancel weekend practices. If you have a weekend outing with Scouts or family getaway, you miss those as well. Essentially, you have to try to make it to those early morning practices to stay competitive imho.

[Anonymous]

NCAP Burke has great options. Only Gold I (the NTG) has to go early mornings. The rest have excellent time slots, probably because they don’t use a public rec center: https://www.gomotionapp.com/pvncbf/UserFiles/Image/QuickUpload/schedule-september-june-22-23_098273.pdf

[Anonymous]

Our last club offered for their 11/12 year old group and it was because we lived in manhattan and it was a knife fight to procure pool time. I never sent my then 11 year old though, seemed unnecessary. We moved to a smaller town and now we have 430 PM practice like civilized people.

[Anonymous]

Truly, a race to nowhere.

DH and I are NOT morning people and never even would have considered nor encouraged our 3 DC to pursue any activity that would require such ridiculously early wake up times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was very surprised to learn that there are 4:30am training practice for ES kids. 9 years old waking up super early for practice. My kid’s group offers that, but we have never been. The other higher level groups for the same age require at least one early morning practice. At my son’s level, it’s optional, but we are still encouraged to do it.

ES starts at 9:25am and is it even healthy (or reasonable) to ask 9-10 years old to wake up at 4am for swim practice? We just can’t do it, and I guess my kid will never be an “elite” swimmer.

You aren’t forced to do this, you know.

With RMSC, if you want to stay at junior 1 or junior select, one morning of 4:40, 4:45 is mandatory. The time for junior 2 sucks as well. This is really difficult and pretty much forcing 9-13 year old kids swim so early.

This is specific to RMSC Rockville. The other sites (or my kid’s RMSC site, anyway) do not have any early morning practices for juniors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Truly, a race to nowhere.

DH and I are NOT morning people and never even would have considered nor encouraged our 3 DC to pursue any activity that would require such ridiculously early wake up times.

Funny. We are the opposite. I’d take 4:30 am practice over evening activities or picking my kid up at 10pm from practice. To each their own

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was very surprised to learn that there are 4:30am training practice for ES kids. 9 years old waking up super early for practice. My kid’s group offers that, but we have never been. The other higher level groups for the same age require at least one early morning practice. At my son’s level, it’s optional, but we are still encouraged to do it.

ES starts at 9:25am and is it even healthy (or reasonable) to ask 9-10 years old to wake up at 4am for swim practice? We just can’t do it, and I guess my kid will never be an “elite” swimmer.

You aren’t forced to do this, you know.

With RMSC, if you want to stay at junior 1 or junior select, one morning of 4:40, 4:45 is mandatory. The time for junior 2 sucks as well. This is really difficult and pretty much forcing 9-13 year old kids swim so early.

This is specific to RMSC Rockville. The other sites (or my kid’s RMSC site, anyway) do not have any early morning practices for juniors.

Correct. I am not sure what the rationale is to have these super early morning practices. 3rd graders waking up at 4am to go swimming. SMH.

[Anonymous]

Machine also has AM practice for young age groupers (like 8-10 year olds), I think it’s 5:30 or 6 during the school year, and 5 in the summer. My kid would refuse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was very surprised to learn that there are 4:30am training practice for ES kids. 9 years old waking up super early for practice. My kid’s group offers that, but we have never been. The other higher level groups for the same age require at least one early morning practice. At my son’s level, it’s optional, but we are still encouraged to do it.

ES starts at 9:25am and is it even healthy (or reasonable) to ask 9-10 years old to wake up at 4am for swim practice? We just can’t do it, and I guess my kid will never be an “elite” swimmer.

You aren’t forced to do this, you know.

With RMSC, if you want to stay at junior 1 or junior select, one morning of 4:40, 4:45 is mandatory. The time for junior 2 sucks as well. This is really difficult and pretty much forcing 9-13 year old kids swim so early.

This is specific to RMSC Rockville. The other sites (or my kid’s RMSC site, anyway) do not have any early morning practices for juniors.

Correct. I am not sure what the rationale is to have these super early morning practices. 3rd graders waking up at 4am to go swimming. SMH.

I’m fairly certain the practice times are driven by the rec center lane availability. That’s why places like NCAP-Burke can have much better options (they are the only team using a private swim and racquet club). NOVA of Virginia in Richmond had the right idea — build a 50 meter pool in an abandoned JC Penney. Best facility I’ve seen and they have excellent practice times.

[Anonymous]

The clubs that are scheduling ES age kids for 4 am practices clearly are struggling with pool time. Too many kids in the groups? I'd go elsewhere. Starting early AM for that young is a 100% guarantee of burnout in HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Machine also has AM practice for young age groupers (like 8-10 year olds), I think it’s 5:30 or 6 during the school year, and 5 in the summer. My kid would refuse.

DP - I would refuse, too. We're switching Machine sites because the evening times run a bit too late for my ES/MS aged kids. Not all Machine sites have early AM (or later PM) practices for young kids - it really varies by location.