Do the top 10U swimmers typically become the top high school swimmers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would say IME 90% no - those who start out on top do not end on top. Had two swimmers spread out who swam in college so saw a lot over the years. The 10U kids who were very good tended to be those who grew early or learned how to swim on the early side. But the generally were caught by the rest of the kids by the time they were 12 or so. There is one exception I can think of where the kid was very fast as 10U, receded a bit relative to the competition and then ended up on top at the end and is swimming in college.

So what do you do if you've been doing swim team since age 6 or 7 and then suddenly (or maybe gradually over the past couple of years) you're no longer near the top at age 11 or 12? Switch to a completely different sport? What sport can you take up and be competitive at at that point?

Are you serious? I hope not.

First swim can be a life long sport and you don't have to be the top of any sport to enjoy it and have it bring you joy. As long as you love it. Do it.

As for other sports. Your kid should be doing them until HS and even then unless trying for a sport in college. So if you have a 13&U only doing swim you might have issues.

As for other sports. Cross country. Track and field. Field Hockey. Water polo.

Get your kid into triathlons since they already mastered the hardest event.

+1 Don't do a sport ONLY because you (or your parents) want to turn pro/"elite" by the time you're in h.s. There's a ton of studies on this already. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31740483/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would say IME 90% no - those who start out on top do not end on top. Had two swimmers spread out who swam in college so saw a lot over the years. The 10U kids who were very good tended to be those who grew early or learned how to swim on the early side. But the generally were caught by the rest of the kids by the time they were 12 or so. There is one exception I can think of where the kid was very fast as 10U, receded a bit relative to the competition and then ended up on top at the end and is swimming in college.

So what do you do if you've been doing swim team since age 6 or 7 and then suddenly (or maybe gradually over the past couple of years) you're no longer near the top at age 11 or 12? Switch to a completely different sport? What sport can you take up and be competitive at at that point?

This is the PP you are quoting. What do you do? Nothing. Not everyone is going to be a top athlete. If the kid loves it, loves the team or the teammates, keep swimming. If not, move to another sport or robotics or theater or whatever else floats your boat.

[Anonymous]

Just depends. Only thing certain is death and taxes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would say IME 90% no - those who start out on top do not end on top. Had two swimmers spread out who swam in college so saw a lot over the years. The 10U kids who were very good tended to be those who grew early or learned how to swim on the early side. But the generally were caught by the rest of the kids by the time they were 12 or so. There is one exception I can think of where the kid was very fast as 10U, receded a bit relative to the competition and then ended up on top at the end and is swimming in college.

So what do you do if you've been doing swim team since age 6 or 7 and then suddenly (or maybe gradually over the past couple of years) you're no longer near the top at age 11 or 12? Switch to a completely different sport? What sport can you take up and be competitive at at that point?

See the Abraham and Isaac story in Genesis 22.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would say IME 90% no - those who start out on top do not end on top. Had two swimmers spread out who swam in college so saw a lot over the years. The 10U kids who were very good tended to be those who grew early or learned how to swim on the early side. But the generally were caught by the rest of the kids by the time they were 12 or so. There is one exception I can think of where the kid was very fast as 10U, receded a bit relative to the competition and then ended up on top at the end and is swimming in college.

So what do you do if you've been doing swim team since age 6 or 7 and then suddenly (or maybe gradually over the past couple of years) you're no longer near the top at age 11 or 12? Switch to a completely different sport? What sport can you take up and be competitive at at that point?

Does the kid even care? All things being equal in terms of technique and fitness, kids go through different phases of growth and that’s just reality. Maybe you notice other kids catching up now, but what happens years later who knows and for what reason.

This area can be brutal for youth sports precisely bc there are a high performing kids in their respective sports by the time they’re in their early teens. On the flip side, a reason why there aren’t as many stories of late blooming success bc it takes some luck and resilience to persist through those teen years when self-comparison is such a thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would say IME 90% no - those who start out on top do not end on top. Had two swimmers spread out who swam in college so saw a lot over the years. The 10U kids who were very good tended to be those who grew early or learned how to swim on the early side. But the generally were caught by the rest of the kids by the time they were 12 or so. There is one exception I can think of where the kid was very fast as 10U, receded a bit relative to the competition and then ended up on top at the end and is swimming in college.

So what do you do if you've been doing swim team since age 6 or 7 and then suddenly (or maybe gradually over the past couple of years) you're no longer near the top at age 11 or 12? Switch to a completely different sport? What sport can you take up and be competitive at at that point?

Are you serious? I hope not.

First swim can be a life long sport and you don't have to be the top of any sport to enjoy it and have it bring you joy. As long as you love it. Do it.

As for other sports. Your kid should be doing them until HS and even then unless trying for a sport in college. So if you have a 13&U only doing swim you might have issues.

As for other sports. Cross country. Track and field. Field Hockey. Water polo.

Get your kid into triathlons since they already mastered the hardest event.

The bolded isn’t necessarily realistic, nor is it necessary. Intense swimming at young ages can be an issue and often leads to burnout. But no one “should” be a multi sport athlete unless they really want to and the family can support that. There are plenty of ways to balance activities (or lack thereof) in young kids.

That said, I completely agree that the earlier PP is focusing WAY too much on the competition aspect of sports. And if your kid is freaking out because they are no longer at the top, the immediate answer isn’t to switch to a sport where they will be.

[Anonymous]

No way to know at age 10. They haven’t gone through puberty. And if they have that explains why they’re at the top.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No way to know at age 10. They haven’t gone through puberty. And if they have that explains why they’re at the top.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would say IME 90% no - those who start out on top do not end on top. Had two swimmers spread out who swam in college so saw a lot over the years. The 10U kids who were very good tended to be those who grew early or learned how to swim on the early side. But the generally were caught by the rest of the kids by the time they were 12 or so. There is one exception I can think of where the kid was very fast as 10U, receded a bit relative to the competition and then ended up on top at the end and is swimming in college.

So what do you do if you've been doing swim team since age 6 or 7 and then suddenly (or maybe gradually over the past couple of years) you're no longer near the top at age 11 or 12? Switch to a completely different sport? What sport can you take up and be competitive at at that point?

What do you do? You keep swimming, if you like it. By definition, most people in any sport can’t be the best. If you don’t like swimming anymore, try something else that sounds fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No way to know at age 10. They haven’t gone through puberty. And if they have that explains why they’re at the top.

Here’s a great article about youth and swimming. Just like kids who are tall with a big vertical are particularly suited towards basketball or volleyball, some kids had a naturally high body position in the water, short legs and long torso that helps them stay buoyant, etc. There is an American swimmer who was a phenom that was noticed by a swim coach because although her strokes were untrained and not refined, he saw how high her body was in the water. He started training her and she was an Olympic medalist as a teen. I can’t remember if it was Katie hoff or Amanda beard or Beth botsford or someone else entirely.

https://coachronusher.com/how-to-tell-if-your-swimmer-is-improving/

[Anonymous]

Some will, some won’t.

It depends on their growth.

Everyone is different

[Anonymous]

Sometimes yes and sometimes no. I have a kid who was among the best on the team/in the state at 10, then struggled for a few years in early teens because he was late to puberty, then finally developed physically and went right back to the top. It’s a long journey.