S/O Talk to me about year round swimming...

[Anonymous]

DD is 6 and on a summer swim team. This is her third summer, as she did the lollipop team the years before. She's really blossoming as a swimmer and athlete. She isn't the best one in her age group by a long shot, but I see a love of the sport and commitment in her that I want to foster. So, we are considering a stroke school or something early in one of the year round swim teams. We are in Alexandria. What are her options? Talk to me about the culture and the different teams around here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is 6 and on a summer swim team. This is her third summer, as she did the lollipop team the years before. She's really blossoming as a swimmer and athlete. She isn't the best one in her age group by a long shot, but I see a love of the sport and commitment in her that I want to foster. So, we are considering a stroke school or something early in one of the year round swim teams. We are in Alexandria. What are her options? Talk to me about the culture and the different teams around here?

I'd start by seeing if her neighborhood pool offers a winter program. these are usually not as intense as year-round leagues. i get that you want to encourage her, but 6 is still kind of young for year-round swimming. i've seen far too many kids burn out. for a place like York or Machine, it's better to start at 9 or older and even then, I know of kids who have stopped by high school. if you do seek out one of the big teams, I'd stick to stroke clinics until 9 or so.