Summer Swim Team for Club Swimmer - Question

[Anonymous]

That is a very odd rule. The assumption is that club swimmers have an advantage, but that is not universally true. My youngest used to swim winter club because his physical therapist recommends it. He tries his best, but it would be cruel to have him swim up an age group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That is a very odd rule. The assumption is that club swimmers have an advantage, but that is not universally true. My youngest used to swim winter club because his physical therapist recommends it. He tries his best, but it would be cruel to have him swim up an age group.

OP here... I totally agree. When the incident happened last weekend, it caused a ripple effect because then they were questioning the placements of other club swimmers on our team. The next child to race was a 11 year old club swimmer. They pulled her out also and said she should be swimming 13-15. The coach argued it and the kid and my daughter ended up swimming alone just to get times, and were put back into their respective age groups. The 11 year old girl, despite being a club swimmer, did not place top 10 for anything in the 11-12 category.
Just because they swim all year doesn't necessarily mean they are better.

[Anonymous]

I've seen a few kids who were amazing swim up but generally they stay in their age group in less the team has no other swimmers. Is this a small team? I agree with what the coach said. Times are more important than winning but winning is fun for kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is a very odd rule. The assumption is that club swimmers have an advantage, but that is not universally true. My youngest used to swim winter club because his physical therapist recommends it. He tries his best, but it would be cruel to have him swim up an age group.

OP here... I totally agree. When the incident happened last weekend, it caused a ripple effect because then they were questioning the placements of other club swimmers on our team. The next child to race was a 11 year old club swimmer. They pulled her out also and said she should be swimming 13-15. The coach argued it and the kid and my daughter ended up swimming alone just to get times, and were put back into their respective age groups. The 11 year old girl, despite being a club swimmer, did not place top 10 for anything in the 11-12 category.
Just because they swim all year doesn't necessarily mean they are better.

Year round gives them better endurance and has its benefits but an 11 year old should not be swimming with 13-15. Our summer team this summer mixed groups of kids to speed things up but the kids were judged in their age group. Sounds like you need a different team. Don't worry about where they place. Focus on them having fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've seen a few kids who were amazing swim up but generally they stay in their age group in less the team has no other swimmers. Is this a small team? I agree with what the coach said. Times are more important than winning but winning is fun for kids.

Op Here. There's about 40 kids on the team. Generally about 20 show up at meets. DD's time for the 25yd free won gold in 9-10 age group. Same time in 11-12 would have put her in 10th place. She wouldn't have thought that was fun. lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen a few kids who were amazing swim up but generally they stay in their age group in less the team has no other swimmers. Is this a small team? I agree with what the coach said. Times are more important than winning but winning is fun for kids.

Op Here. There's about 40 kids on the team. Generally about 20 show up at meets. DD's time for the 25yd free won gold in 9-10 age group. Same time in 11-12 would have put her in 10th place. She wouldn't have thought that was fun. lol

I didn't realize some leagues swim 25 free after age 8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen a few kids who were amazing swim up but generally they stay in their age group in less the team has no other swimmers. Is this a small team? I agree with what the coach said. Times are more important than winning but winning is fun for kids.

Op Here. There's about 40 kids on the team. Generally about 20 show up at meets. DD's time for the 25yd free won gold in 9-10 age group. Same time in 11-12 would have put her in 10th place. She wouldn't have thought that was fun. lol

I didn't realize some leagues swim 25 free after age 8.

OP here. Agreed. This league has done 25's for all four strokes up to age 12. I'm not seeing the endurance differences in anything other than the 100 IM's where you'll see upwards of 15 seconds between the club swimmers and rec swimmers. The rest are 25yd sprints.

[Anonymous]

I wouldnt question the coach assignment of the age group/races. They do their math how to get a higher score at summer meets and have right to do it. It doesn’t matter after a few years how many 1st or 3rd place ribbons they get, but it’s good to be challenged and it’s always beneficial to compete against older ages
The question is - does she get an All Star designation if she’s 10 or swims as 11 yo? All stars might affect winter clubs hiring decisions and that’s the only issue I would look at

[Anonymous]

What a weird swim league.

[Anonymous]

What a weird swim league.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What a weird swim league.

This.

OP here, I agree! It hasn’t been an issue all summer. Up until this past weekend when some parents from DD’s school noticed her at the meet. After they swam their IM’s and posted the times the parents of the kid from DD’s school flipped out and reported DD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bizarre. It’s the other parents who are pathetic, and jealous to boot. They should take it up with coaches if they have a problem, not bad mouth swimmers and other parents over a rule that they question and don’t seem to understand. I’ve never heard of such rules, btw. In my kid’s summer league kids swim with their age group, period, although I suppose they would be allowed to swim up. The only age related rule that is controversial is kids who age up after June 1 get to continue swimming with the group they just aged out of.

This is not controversial. For summer swim, the age of the child on June 1 dictates what age group the child swims in. The child does not "age out" of a group if his birthday is on June 2. The child is validly swimming in the age group in which he belongs based on his age on June 1. Summer leagues elect to do it this way, versus winter swim where a child "ages up" on his birthday. It benefits some kids, as does any calendar day cutoff for any sport. That doesn't make it controversial or unfair.

Chill. I don’t have a problem with the rule, and don’t need it explained, but have certainly heard complaints from other parents, year after year, when they hear that there’s an older kid swimming with a younger age group. Ergo, it’s controversial.

June 1 isn’t the age up date for all leagues, fwiw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen a few kids who were amazing swim up but generally they stay in their age group in less the team has no other swimmers. Is this a small team? I agree with what the coach said. Times are more important than winning but winning is fun for kids.

Op Here. There's about 40 kids on the team. Generally about 20 show up at meets. DD's time for the 25yd free won gold in 9-10 age group. Same time in 11-12 would have put her in 10th place. She wouldn't have thought that was fun. lol

I didn't realize some leagues swim 25 free after age 8.

+1, here, you only swim 25 until you are turn 9. You must not be in this area. Summer team is over. 40 is a small team. Our summer team wasI forget, maybe over 225 kids.

[Anonymous]

We swim with nvsl in the summer and at !east half the team swims all year and no one swims up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen a few kids who were amazing swim up but generally they stay in their age group in less the team has no other swimmers. Is this a small team? I agree with what the coach said. Times are more important than winning but winning is fun for kids.

Op Here. There's about 40 kids on the team. Generally about 20 show up at meets. DD's time for the 25yd free won gold in 9-10 age group. Same time in 11-12 would have put her in 10th place. She wouldn't have thought that was fun. lol

I didn't realize some leagues swim 25 free after age 8.

+1, here, you only swim 25 until you are turn 9. You must not be in this area. Summer team is over. 40 is a small team. Our summer team wasI forget, maybe over 225 kids.

OP said her kid swims for a country club team.