Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:+100 don't wait. You're right that the 9yo needs to be working this winter in order to be able to enjoy swimming this summer. DC9 doesn't need to be able to keep up with racing times right off the bat, obviously - summer swim is made to be welcoming - but you want them to be able to keep up at practice so they gain fitness, skill, and confidence. They can race B meets as soon as they feel ready and people will cheer loudly for them! But to get there they need to work on (not master) freestyle with breathing and backstroke this winter. The other strokes can come later.
And you've got the whole winter to do it. In addition to the previous recommendations, I'd suggest looking into FINS, where you can also add private lessons as needed, and county lessons, which work best when you register for the concentrated bursts of 3x/week for 2 weeks (or similar). Quantity and frequency of pool time will be key: take them to the public pools to play during open swim, too, so they will get stronger in the water.
+1
I would not throw a 9 year old onto a summer swim team if they can not swim a 50 with flip turns. Sure kids show up who can't do this and yes, they will get better over the summer, but I have also seen a lot of 9 yr olds show up and quit because they are behind their peers and getting crushed even at B meets.
I would do some lessons over the winter. Even rec centers offer private lessons at a reasonable rate.
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