Machine at College Park

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, we have a seven-year old who started in Machine this year after having done summer swim/stroke & turn through the summer team, and a weekly municipal swim class from 2-7. Kid has a barely legal breast stroke and has the feet for the butterfly, but not really the arms or the arms in tandem with the feet. Anyway, he claims that no one at Machine is helping with his strokes, just lots of laps. He's enjoying it but is frustrated that he cannot get the butterfly down. I don't think a seven year old needs more than 3X a week in the pool, so I am not sure what to do, here. A few private lessons? Stroke and turn?

What you do is manage your child's expectations. He almost certainly doesn't have the strength for a legal fly, especially if he's barely legal at breast. And his coaches know this, which is why they aren't hammering fly at this point. You should run screaming from a coach who does that with a kid so young.

Also: I watch portions of my kids' practices. Literally every single coach is giving the kids technical advice. Every single one. Whether the kids listen or are able to execute that advice is another story. Also, having sat through many (many) Gears practices in the past, I can tell you that at no time are those kids just swimming "lots of laps." My youngest has felt the same, but in reality, it's a mix of some 25s, a few 50s, lots of technique work/drills, and relays and fun things at the end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, we have a seven-year old who started in Machine this year after having done summer swim/stroke & turn through the summer team, and a weekly municipal swim class from 2-7. Kid has a barely legal breast stroke and has the feet for the butterfly, but not really the arms or the arms in tandem with the feet. Anyway, he claims that no one at Machine is helping with his strokes, just lots of laps. He's enjoying it but is frustrated that he cannot get the butterfly down. I don't think a seven year old needs more than 3X a week in the pool, so I am not sure what to do, here. A few private lessons? Stroke and turn?

Swimming is lots of laps whether you're 7yo or an Olympic athlete.

It can take a while to figure out fly for some people. Maybe try stroke and turn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, we have a seven-year old who started in Machine this year after having done summer swim/stroke & turn through the summer team, and a weekly municipal swim class from 2-7. Kid has a barely legal breast stroke and has the feet for the butterfly, but not really the arms or the arms in tandem with the feet. Anyway, he claims that no one at Machine is helping with his strokes, just lots of laps. He's enjoying it but is frustrated that he cannot get the butterfly down. I don't think a seven year old needs more than 3X a week in the pool, so I am not sure what to do, here. A few private lessons? Stroke and turn?

What you do is manage your child's expectations. He almost certainly doesn't have the strength for a legal fly, especially if he's barely legal at breast. And his coaches know this, which is why they aren't hammering fly at this point. You should run screaming from a coach who does that with a kid so young.

Also: I watch portions of my kids' practices. Literally every single coach is giving the kids technical advice. Every single one. Whether the kids listen or are able to execute that advice is another story. Also, having sat through many (many) Gears practices in the past, I can tell you that at no time are those kids just swimming "lots of laps." My youngest has felt the same, but in reality, it's a mix of some 25s, a few 50s, lots of technique work/drills, and relays and fun things at the end.

Good to know. I don’t particularly want to watch practice, but I did ask if I could sit on the bleachers and the young woman at the entry table was like parents cannot watch - the parents inside the pool are for swim lessons unrelated to Machine. I don’t mind chilling at Starbucks, but it struck me as odd that parents can’t go inside.

[Anonymous]

Machine parents can watch from the observation deck - it’s on the upper level of the rec center, not the pool deck. There is plenty of seating and tables if you want to bring your laptop and work. We have a kid in Gears and agree with the PP - yes, they swim several laps, but the coaches offer technical advice as they move along.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, we have a seven-year old who started in Machine this year after having done summer swim/stroke & turn through the summer team, and a weekly municipal swim class from 2-7. Kid has a barely legal breast stroke and has the feet for the butterfly, but not really the arms or the arms in tandem with the feet. Anyway, he claims that no one at Machine is helping with his strokes, just lots of laps. He's enjoying it but is frustrated that he cannot get the butterfly down. I don't think a seven year old needs more than 3X a week in the pool, so I am not sure what to do, here. A few private lessons? Stroke and turn?

What you do is manage your child's expectations. He almost certainly doesn't have the strength for a legal fly, especially if he's barely legal at breast. And his coaches know this, which is why they aren't hammering fly at this point. You should run screaming from a coach who does that with a kid so young.

Also: I watch portions of my kids' practices. Literally every single coach is giving the kids technical advice. Every single one. Whether the kids listen or are able to execute that advice is another story. Also, having sat through many (many) Gears practices in the past, I can tell you that at no time are those kids just swimming "lots of laps." My youngest has felt the same, but in reality, it's a mix of some 25s, a few 50s, lots of technique work/drills, and relays and fun things at the end.

Good to know. I don’t particularly want to watch practice, but I did ask if I could sit on the bleachers and the young woman at the entry table was like parents cannot watch - the parents inside the pool are for swim lessons unrelated to Machine. I don’t mind chilling at Starbucks, but it struck me as odd that parents can’t go inside.

You can sit on the bleachers. I do and see many other Machine parents there. I walk in the front door and past the entry desk - no one has ever stopped me. I don’t watch the whole thing, usually 15 minutes or so towards the end. Otherwise I go for a walk or run errands; those bleacher seats are not comfortable!

But seriously, just go in and watch, if you want to.

[Anonymous]

Kid is complaining heavily about water temperature on TTH, mostly because other kids left for MW because there is a warmer pool available (?) and he has “no friends left.” Kid swims in Lake Superior in June so I don’t think it’s strictly a water issue. Does anyone know what the issue is and if it will get better the second half of year. Cannot go Wed b/c religious school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kid is complaining heavily about water temperature on TTH, mostly because other kids left for MW because there is a warmer pool available (?) and he has “no friends left.” Kid swims in Lake Superior in June so I don’t think it’s strictly a water issue. Does anyone know what the issue is and if it will get better the second half of year. Cannot go Wed b/c religious school.

The water's cold in the main pool. It's a bummer for my TTh Gears kids, too, with a much smaller training group. MW isn't an option for them, either. I don't expect it to improve, so we're doing our best to encourage the kids to swim.

I don't think swimming in a lake is comparable to club swim practice. At the Gears level, the kids aren't necessarily swimming enough to warm up. I have one kid in HP and she never complains - but then she's swimming way more than the younger ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid is complaining heavily about water temperature on TTH, mostly because other kids left for MW because there is a warmer pool available (?) and he has “no friends left.” Kid swims in Lake Superior in June so I don’t think it’s strictly a water issue. Does anyone know what the issue is and if it will get better the second half of year. Cannot go Wed b/c religious school.

The water's cold in the main pool. It's a bummer for my TTh Gears kids, too, with a much smaller training group. MW isn't an option for them, either. I don't expect it to improve, so we're doing our best to encourage the kids to swim.

I don't think swimming in a lake is comparable to club swim practice. At the Gears level, the kids aren't necessarily swimming enough to warm up. I have one kid in HP and she never complains - but then she's swimming way more than the younger ones.

Is there nothing that they can do to warm up the main pool?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid is complaining heavily about water temperature on TTH, mostly because other kids left for MW because there is a warmer pool available (?) and he has “no friends left.” Kid swims in Lake Superior in June so I don’t think it’s strictly a water issue. Does anyone know what the issue is and if it will get better the second half of year. Cannot go Wed b/c religious school.

The water's cold in the main pool. It's a bummer for my TTh Gears kids, too, with a much smaller training group. MW isn't an option for them, either. I don't expect it to improve, so we're doing our best to encourage the kids to swim.

I don't think swimming in a lake is comparable to club swim practice. At the Gears level, the kids aren't necessarily swimming enough to warm up. I have one kid in HP and she never complains - but then she's swimming way more than the younger ones.

Is there nothing that they can do to warm up the main pool?

Thinking teams have anything to do with the water temperature they swim in

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid is complaining heavily about water temperature on TTH, mostly because other kids left for MW because there is a warmer pool available (?) and he has “no friends left.” Kid swims in Lake Superior in June so I don’t think it’s strictly a water issue. Does anyone know what the issue is and if it will get better the second half of year. Cannot go Wed b/c religious school.

The water's cold in the main pool. It's a bummer for my TTh Gears kids, too, with a much smaller training group. MW isn't an option for them, either. I don't expect it to improve, so we're doing our best to encourage the kids to swim.

I don't think swimming in a lake is comparable to club swim practice. At the Gears level, the kids aren't necessarily swimming enough to warm up. I have one kid in HP and she never complains - but then she's swimming way more than the younger ones.

Is there nothing that they can do to warm up the main pool?

No. That's not how it works. That pool serves many groups of people; Machine is just one of them. Keeping the pool cool is beneficial for lap swimmers, even while it's not ideal for young kids who aren't swimming constantly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid is complaining heavily about water temperature on TTH, mostly because other kids left for MW because there is a warmer pool available (?) and he has “no friends left.” Kid swims in Lake Superior in June so I don’t think it’s strictly a water issue. Does anyone know what the issue is and if it will get better the second half of year. Cannot go Wed b/c religious school.

The water's cold in the main pool. It's a bummer for my TTh Gears kids, too, with a much smaller training group. MW isn't an option for them, either. I don't expect it to improve, so we're doing our best to encourage the kids to swim.

I don't think swimming in a lake is comparable to club swim practice. At the Gears level, the kids aren't necessarily swimming enough to warm up. I have one kid in HP and she never complains - but then she's swimming way more than the younger ones.

Is there nothing that they can do to warm up the main pool?

No. That's not how it works. That pool serves many groups of people; Machine is just one of them. Keeping the pool cool is beneficial for lap swimmers, even while it's not ideal for young kids who aren't swimming constantly.

+1 Pools that are intentionally warmer are dedicated learn-to-swim places like Goldfish. You might find a few public rec centers that are on the warmer side, but someone is inevitably going to complain. Agree that for lap swimmers and swim teams, colder is preferable to warmer.

[Anonymous]

Maybe they should also rent the shallow pool on TTh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid is complaining heavily about water temperature on TTH, mostly because other kids left for MW because there is a warmer pool available (?) and he has “no friends left.” Kid swims in Lake Superior in June so I don’t think it’s strictly a water issue. Does anyone know what the issue is and if it will get better the second half of year. Cannot go Wed b/c religious school.

The water's cold in the main pool. It's a bummer for my TTh Gears kids, too, with a much smaller training group. MW isn't an option for them, either. I don't expect it to improve, so we're doing our best to encourage the kids to swim.

I don't think swimming in a lake is comparable to club swim practice. At the Gears level, the kids aren't necessarily swimming enough to warm up. I have one kid in HP and she never complains - but then she's swimming way more than the younger ones.

Is there nothing that they can do to warm up the main pool?

No. That's not how it works. That pool serves many groups of people; Machine is just one of them. Keeping the pool cool is beneficial for lap swimmers, even while it's not ideal for young kids who aren't swimming constantly.

+1

My kids swim competitively and hate a warm pool. If you are actually working in practice you do not want a warm pool. The rec centers are unbearable, even as a spectator.

We've only been to UMD for meets but it is a great facility and my kids would love to practice there.