How did you get your kid swimming well enough for swim team?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is it such a priority for her to be on the swim team?
- For more high-level competitive swimmer

Lol, former

[Anonymous]

My kids joined a club swim team at 5. We did group lessons through the county from 3-5 (with fall of their 5th years being when they tried out and made the club team. To qualify, kid needed to swim free and back legally, tread water and do a good dive. The child next to me at my older child’s try out did not make it bc of her imperfect dive.

For those discouraging you - ignore.

Here are some mini meet times for girls from a few months ago:

http://www.pvswim.org/1718meet/18-65rw.html

Obviously the 6 year olds nearly all started when they were 5. Tons of kids do it and can be amazingly good at it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it such a priority for her to be on the swim team?
- For more high-level competitive swimmer

Lol, former

Because I think she'd like it?! She's a high energy kid who loves competition and the water. This is a kid who dove into the pool 2 million times in a row this summer until she figured out how to do a perfectly executed dive off of the diving board. She was still 4. She can quit swim team after one summer if it's not for her, but I'd like her to give it a go. It might be right up her alley.

For the record we've so tried ballet, soccer, gymnastics, ice skating, etc. It's good for 5 yos to try new things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids joined a club swim team at 5. We did group lessons through the county from 3-5 (with fall of their 5th years being when they tried out and made the club team. To qualify, kid needed to swim free and back legally, tread water and do a good dive. The child next to me at my older child’s try out did not make it bc of her imperfect dive.

For those discouraging you - ignore.

Here are some mini meet times for girls from a few months ago:

http://www.pvswim.org/1718meet/18-65rw.html

Obviously the 6 year olds nearly all started when they were 5. Tons of kids do it and can be amazingly good at it.

DP. To be clear the linked times are yards not meters.

[Anonymous]

Maybe you should put her in diving classes too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe you should put her in diving classes too.

She'd love that. Do they have them for a 5 yo?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it such a priority for her to be on the swim team?
- For more high-level competitive swimmer

Lol, former

Because I think she'd like it?! She's a high energy kid who loves competition and the water. This is a kid who dove into the pool 2 million times in a row this summer until she figured out how to do a perfectly executed dive off of the diving board. She was still 4. She can quit swim team after one summer if it's not for her, but I'd like her to give it a go. It might be right up her alley.

For the record we've so tried ballet, soccer, gymnastics, ice skating, etc. It's good for 5 yos to try new things.

I coached summer swim team and it’s not the big deal you’re making it out to be. Plenty of kids join who can’t swim very well and they learn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids joined a club swim team at 5. We did group lessons through the county from 3-5 (with fall of their 5th years being when they tried out and made the club team. To qualify, kid needed to swim free and back legally, tread water and do a good dive. The child next to me at my older child’s try out did not make it bc of her imperfect dive.

For those discouraging you - ignore.

Here are some mini meet times for girls from a few months ago:

http://www.pvswim.org/1718meet/18-65rw.html

Obviously the 6 year olds nearly all started when they were 5. Tons of kids do it and can be amazingly good at it.

DP. To be clear the linked times are yards not meters.

So? They are doing all four strokes legally, many are getting best times and the times are quite good. What’s your point?

[Anonymous]

I told them to practice a bit when we played at the pool. Then I signed them up for swim team - the repetition of it really gets them going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids joined a club swim team at 5. We did group lessons through the county from 3-5 (with fall of their 5th years being when they tried out and made the club team. To qualify, kid needed to swim free and back legally, tread water and do a good dive. The child next to me at my older child’s try out did not make it bc of her imperfect dive.

For those discouraging you - ignore.

Here are some mini meet times for girls from a few months ago:

http://www.pvswim.org/1718meet/18-65rw.html

Obviously the 6 year olds nearly all started when they were 5. Tons of kids do it and can be amazingly good at it.

Seriously - what nazi boot camp is this? Do they beat up the kids that can’t dive well enough too?
On my kids’ swim team - in a high division mind you- you have rows and rows of adorable little kids poorly diving into the pool at the B meets.
My kids just cannonballs in and it’s fine.

Your team stinks!

[Anonymous]

It really depends on the team. We are on a public swim team in the summer that is so large they do not have preteam and are only really taking kids who can do at least a 25 in a few of the strokes (not great but at least get side to side). Sure, its great to have a team that takes everyone but its not always an option once the team is that big.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids joined a club swim team at 5. We did group lessons through the county from 3-5 (with fall of their 5th years being when they tried out and made the club team. To qualify, kid needed to swim free and back legally, tread water and do a good dive. The child next to me at my older child’s try out did not make it bc of her imperfect dive.

For those discouraging you - ignore.

Here are some mini meet times for girls from a few months ago:

http://www.pvswim.org/1718meet/18-65rw.html

Obviously the 6 year olds nearly all started when they were 5. Tons of kids do it and can be amazingly good at it.

DP. To be clear the linked times are yards not meters.

So? They are doing all four strokes legally, many are getting best times and the times are quite good. What’s your point?

Why are you getting all excited about 25 meter swim race times swim by 6 and 7 year olds? You really need to change your medication out!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids joined a club swim team at 5. We did group lessons through the county from 3-5 (with fall of their 5th years being when they tried out and made the club team. To qualify, kid needed to swim free and back legally, tread water and do a good dive. The child next to me at my older child’s try out did not make it bc of her imperfect dive.

For those discouraging you - ignore.

Here are some mini meet times for girls from a few months ago:

http://www.pvswim.org/1718meet/18-65rw.html

Obviously the 6 year olds nearly all started when they were 5. Tons of kids do it and can be amazingly good at it.

These are year round swimmers and at age 5-6 joining a club like RMSC is nuts. They will all burn out and will hate swimming soon. -Former Division I college swimmer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids joined a club swim team at 5. We did group lessons through the county from 3-5 (with fall of their 5th years being when they tried out and made the club team. To qualify, kid needed to swim free and back legally, tread water and do a good dive. The child next to me at my older child’s try out did not make it bc of her imperfect dive.

For those discouraging you - ignore.

Here are some mini meet times for girls from a few months ago:

http://www.pvswim.org/1718meet/18-65rw.html

Obviously the 6 year olds nearly all started when they were 5. Tons of kids do it and can be amazingly good at it.

DP. To be clear the linked times are yards not meters.

So? They are doing all four strokes legally, many are getting best times and the times are quite good. What’s your point?

The OP seemed most familiar with Summer swim which is usually meters so I wanted to flag that for her. Plus those are also some of the best 6 y/o swimmers in the area and I didn’t want her to think most 6 y/o are Swimming that fast or all 4 strokes legally.

OP you should look at the requirements to join your team. For some, it’s the ability to swim 25m free.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know why people are giving you a hard time, OP. Your reasoning and approach sound sensible to me. I have a 5 year-old who loved the minis this summer so we are doing once a week swim lessons with Ann’s Aquatics this winter. It’s in MoCo so probably not convenient for you. If my kid likes it, we will do more. If not, we’ll stop. Exposure is a good thing at 5 to see where a kid’s interests lie.