It sure isn’t about whatever brings the most individual glory to your child I can tell you that. |
My kids aren’t year round swimmers, and divisionals has been the end of their summer swim season every year. The idea that divisionals is only about all stars and shouldn’t be swum by anyone who couldn’t do all stars is ridiculous. |
Exactly. |
The amount of 15-18s that scratch every year tells me the prevailing attitude is that the kids who have earned a spot at Divisionals....swim at Divisionals. |
Pretty sure this person is a troll at this point. |
The real answer in most cases is the 5 or so best swimmers per age group (perhaps only 4 best in 8u) on each team swim at NVSL Divisionals. Occasionally another team won’t fill all their slots or someone from your own team will miss Divisionals allowing someone else to sneak in. |
When do kids typically find out (and decide which events they want to do if they are the fastest in more than two?).
It’s my kids first year (8 and under) and don’t totally trust the coaches to guide my kid correctly. There are favorites (who are a bit slower than my DS) and i worry that they could persuade him certain ways to benefit these other kids VS what my child earned and would like to do. |
It is going to vary by team. On our team, we have an A meet this Saturday, and then an IM carnival on Monday. So Tuesday will be the day they start making the lineups for Divisionals, and asking the kids, which stroke do you prefer to do. For our team, as a parent of an 8 and under, you could get ahead of the process, by saying to the coach something like "If there is a choice of strokes, Larla would like to do backstroke and fly at Divisionals" on Monday or Tuesday morning at practice. |
As usual I find it fascinating to read about how other leagues work (seems this thread is primarily NVSL, but also reading about MCSL on other threads).
I love how "chill" PMSL is comparatively! Even in division A. Our coaches do all the Divisional selections. There is no kid choice at all. But I have never heard of a kid opting out of Divisionals even if they knew they wouldn't go to All-Stars. For PMSL (maybe this is different for other leagues?), Divisionals IS a team event and there's a healthy (maybe not always healthy) competition to see if you can beat teams at Divisionals that you may have lost to in a dual meet. |
In NVSL, which the original poster asked about, Divisionals is an individual event. Team standings are final as of the last dual meet which will be this weekend. After that it is individuals competing against their peers in the division and the league for medals (top 6 at divisionals) per event or an IAS bid (top 18 league-wide plus 2 alternates) per event. |
I really hope our coaches make the lineup in a way that maximizes the number of kids who can swim. I have one kid who could swim any event at divisionals based on their ladder spots and one who is just outside the top spots. I am fine with my one kid not necessarily swimming one of their best or favorite events if it gives someone else a chance. For example, putting them in fly or breast instead of free. Likewise it would be nice if the top kids in my other child’s age group, who are in all star range for 3-4 events, swam a possibly less preferred stroke in order to allow my kid to have a spot in one event. |
Wtf. |
I get where you are coming from but it is not fair for the coaches to do this and is a disadvantage to those top kids who have earned their ability to pick what they swim. |
This is NOT the way it should be done nor is it what Divisionals is about. |
If it’s a team event it’s not comparable to NVSL where it’s an individual event. |