Club swim to summer swim

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kid is in the shower sobbing after meets about why they can't cut time, OP here.

Wait, crying because the converted times are slower than club times consistently or crying because they are adding week to week in the summer events? If it’s because of the converted times your kid needs to take a deep breath and let that go. My swimmer is a high level club swimmer and their summer times are always much slower than the converted club times (kid is one of the fastest in PVS at a 50 of a particular stroke but their summer time is a full 3 seconds slower than the converted club time). It’s hot out, they aren’t used to outdoor racing (backstroke especially is brutal), they don’t properly warm up and cool down between events, no attention is paid to nutrition, etc. Converted times mean nothing, really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid is in the shower sobbing after meets about why they can't cut time, OP here.

I could have written this. Turns out a teammate of his (from club and summer) was giving him grief about not being on the top of the ladder anymore. "It must suck to be slow now."

Really wish parents wouldn't share the ladder with their kids, especially if they know their child is emotionally immature.

DP. Those kids are the worst. DC has a friend who is immature and very competitive. The competition is fueled by the adults in this kid’s life. I know for a fact they motivate their kid by telling them to beat my kid. A couple summers ago DC was having a tough time after being high point winner the year before. This friend loved to gloat to my DC whenever they would beat DC. This year the friend posted faster times than my DC early on, and kept rubbing it in DC’s face. Fast forward to now and DC has faster times in most events, and the friend got shut out of their favorite event at divisionals by another kid who doesn’t swim at all in the winter and didn’t even swim the first few meets. Now the friend is whining that it’s unfair.

I am very clear with my kids that they are not to brag or whine about how they are swimming as compared to others especially on their own team. It’s about challenging themselves to improve on their own performance. Sometimes that means a best time, other times it’s improving on something they’ve been working on like their start or underwaters.

Things have a way of working themselves out in swimming, but not always on the timeline our kids would like. It’s a sport that requires a lot of persistence, willingness to accept delayed gratification, and winning and losing with grace. So many good life lessons to be learned if the adults guide them properly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kid is in the shower sobbing after meets about why they can't cut time, OP here.

They should only be comparing summer swim time to summer swim times. You can't compare conversion times, indoors off blocks to outdoor pools without blocks and in the heat.

[Anonymous]

I have a late June birthday kid that barely makes A meets, even when they’re older than their age group. I have a winter birthday kid that makes IAS every year, beating kids that are older than their age group because of their summer birthdays. The age cut-off is only one tiny piece of the puzzle contrary to what many seem to claim. Size, athleticism, genetics, natural talent, and hard work are far more important to swimming than a two month age advantage. Someone will always be advantaged or disadvantaged by a cut off, no matter when it is and it’s simply unreasonable to age-up on your birthday during a 7-week, team-based season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a late June birthday kid that barely makes A meets, even when they’re older than their age group. I have a winter birthday kid that makes IAS every year, beating kids that are older than their age group because of their summer birthdays. The age cut-off is only one tiny piece of the puzzle contrary to what many seem to claim. Size, athleticism, genetics, natural talent, and hard work are far more important to swimming than a two month age advantage. Someone will always be advantaged or disadvantaged by a cut off, no matter when it is and it’s simply unreasonable to age-up on your birthday during a 7-week, team-based season.

You are totally right, except it’s not unreasonable to manage aging up with a Summer birthday. They did it for 20/30/40? years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kid is in the shower sobbing after meets about why they can't cut time, OP here.

Aww, OP. One thing to know is, it's common for winter swim kids to add time in summer. Also, I don't know if it's been mentioned but warmer pools = slower times.

Summer swim is supposed to be about fun and team-building. It's about not only competition but also inclusion. Just keep talking with him about it.

[Anonymous]

Im so sorry your kids is upset. Summer is different. Smaller and shallower pools and warmer water is all much slower than the deep indoor pools as constant temp.