Do you consider swimming on a swim team a team sport?

[Anonymous]

I don’t care about swimming. Dabblers, summer swimmers don’t swim, runners don’t run they exercise........you sound so nuts it’s no wonder why your kids choose to participate in athletic exercises that require their head to be underwater. It’s taking a life skill and turning it into a sport and then suddenly it’s a team sport. Call it whatever you want.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Meh. My kids play baseball, basketball, soccer, field hockey. Those are true team sports. They also do gymnastics, diving, track and field and swimming - those are individual sports to me with a strong team element. You care about your team and it is great when you win but the important thing at the end of the day seems to be individual performance more. Though when my daughter's team won track she was very happy that her finish helped push them over the line.

Impossible for your kids to do all those seriously unless some do some and other do others. Or your kids dabble and aren’t serious about any or most of them b

Oh my goodness are you the insufferable about everything or just the sports and leisure activities of children?

NP. I agree with pp that a kid who is on the swim team for 3 years straight, competes in meets, goes to morning practice and participates in Winter Swim.....is probably on more of a team sport than the dabbler who tries every sport out there.

FWIW, both of my kids have both dabbled at times and participated in team sports at times. It's all good.

So, I'm the meh poster...thanks to the one who said they were insufferable First - I didn't realize they had to be hardcore about it to be able to tell whether it is a team sport or not? And I have multiple children so while no one is going to the Olympics - my kids are on competitive teams for these: gymnsatics, diving (make All Stars every summer), swimming - same always divisionals/All Stars during summer - swim and dive at a lighter level during winter to "keep up". baseball and soccer.

Yikes! I just think that with soccer your team is so critical to your individual success. While the team is important in swimming and gymnastics - not the same. Diving really just feells like a cheer squad - which is good!

They don't have to be hardcore about it at all. But the team dynamics are going to vary a lot when you are a dabbler vs an established team member.

God help us. Not that I'm religious at all. And I get that the dynamics are different with dabbler vs. established team member. Were you reading when I said my kids made both Divisionals and All Stars for swimming and diving? Yes, they are mainly summer swimmers but they are very entrenched on their summer swim team - and they are middle school age so this has been going on for a while. My whole point - team element yes but NOT truly a team sport in the way that soccer, baseball and others are. There you are so dependent on your teammates. But the attitude of this one swim parent just astonishes me. Personally, I lvoe that my kids are diversified...we don't get so wrapped up in one thing we can't see beyond it!

What are you ranting about? Swim parents are not these horrible people like you are saying. Our kids enjoy one sport and we know its best to specialize in one so they are successful. You are bragging like your kid does year round swim and multiple sports. You forget that even your summer swim team is ranked and that is by the entire team and the points/scores/swim times that the kids get. There are different rankings and divisions and your kids swim with better teams if they get the higher rankings. Therefore, it is both individual and team. Summer swim is not being a swimmer. That is a dabbler. They may be an established team member but most of the summer teams take anyone in less they are a larger one and can only have so many kids. If kids do too many sports and not focus, they are just marginal at all. Some of our kids actually just choose one and really enjoy it. I don't force my child to go. They choose to go and get upset on days we don't go as they really enjoy it. Swim parents are generally very supportive of each other and the kids, unlike I found in soccer and other sports we tried.

I think that participating in summer swim season after season is more than just dabbling. I know that our team was not super competitive but they all did their best and wanted to improve their times and skills. It felt good to win a meet. They practiced over the winter, did stroke and turn exercises. It doesn't have to be Olympic level competition to be a team sport.

[Anonymous]

I think most swimmers (and track & field participants) care less about whether their "team" wins a meet than whether they, as an individual, win their races. Look at the Olympics, there's no overall team gold.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Meh. My kids play baseball, basketball, soccer, field hockey. Those are true team sports. They also do gymnastics, diving, track and field and swimming - those are individual sports to me with a strong team element. You care about your team and it is great when you win but the important thing at the end of the day seems to be individual performance more. Though when my daughter's team won track she was very happy that her finish helped push them over the line.

Impossible for your kids to do all those seriously unless some do some and other do others. Or your kids dabble and aren’t serious about any or most of them b

Oh my goodness are you the insufferable about everything or just the sports and leisure activities of children?

NP. I agree with pp that a kid who is on the swim team for 3 years straight, competes in meets, goes to morning practice and participates in Winter Swim.....is probably on more of a team sport than the dabbler who tries every sport out there.

FWIW, both of my kids have both dabbled at times and participated in team sports at times. It's all good.

So, I'm the meh poster...thanks to the one who said they were insufferable First - I didn't realize they had to be hardcore about it to be able to tell whether it is a team sport or not? And I have multiple children so while no one is going to the Olympics - my kids are on competitive teams for these: gymnsatics, diving (make All Stars every summer), swimming - same always divisionals/All Stars during summer - swim and dive at a lighter level during winter to "keep up". baseball and soccer.

Yikes! I just think that with soccer your team is so critical to your individual success. While the team is important in swimming and gymnastics - not the same. Diving really just feells like a cheer squad - which is good!

They don't have to be hardcore about it at all. But the team dynamics are going to vary a lot when you are a dabbler vs an established team member.

God help us. Not that I'm religious at all. And I get that the dynamics are different with dabbler vs. established team member. Were you reading when I said my kids made both Divisionals and All Stars for swimming and diving? Yes, they are mainly summer swimmers but they are very entrenched on their summer swim team - and they are middle school age so this has been going on for a while. My whole point - team element yes but NOT truly a team sport in the way that soccer, baseball and others are. There you are so dependent on your teammates. But the attitude of this one swim parent just astonishes me. Personally, I lvoe that my kids are diversified...we don't get so wrapped up in one thing we can't see beyond it!

What are you ranting about? Swim parents are not these horrible people like you are saying. Our kids enjoy one sport and we know its best to specialize in one so they are successful. You are bragging like your kid does year round swim and multiple sports. You forget that even your summer swim team is ranked and that is by the entire team and the points/scores/swim times that the kids get. There are different rankings and divisions and your kids swim with better teams if they get the higher rankings. Therefore, it is both individual and team. Summer swim is not being a swimmer. That is a dabbler. They may be an established team member but most of the summer teams take anyone in less they are a larger one and can only have so many kids. If kids do too many sports and not focus, they are just marginal at all. Some of our kids actually just choose one and really enjoy it. I don't force my child to go. They choose to go and get upset on days we don't go as they really enjoy it. Swim parents are generally very supportive of each other and the kids, unlike I found in soccer and other sports we tried.

I think that participating in summer swim season after season is more than just dabbling. I know that our team was not super competitive but they all did their best and wanted to improve their times and skills. It felt good to win a meet. They practiced over the winter, did stroke and turn exercises. It doesn't have to be Olympic level competition to be a team sport.

In other words: Because swimming is an individual sport, when your kid is very good or very bad it doesn't in any way affect anyone else, so there is no pressure. In soccer, the bad kid affects the team. Maybe you didn't like that aspect. That is why one is a team sport and one isn't.

[Anonymous]

wow.....

clearly 2 definitions of what team means.


team 1
group of players performing simultaneously complex motions pointed toward the same goal (absolutely requires concurrent and local play, not just coincidentally concurrent and local)

team 2
individual actions are tallied together at the end, but during instant competition, athletes do not rely on others for success (training time is not included). team play does not have to be concurrent or local.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh. My kids play baseball, basketball, soccer, field hockey. Those are true team sports. They also do gymnastics, diving, track and field and swimming - those are individual sports to me with a strong team element. You care about your team and it is great when you win but the important thing at the end of the day seems to be individual performance more. Though when my daughter's team won track she was very happy that her finish helped push them over the line.

Impossible for your kids to do all those seriously unless some do some and other do others. Or your kids dabble and aren’t serious about any or most of them b

Oh my goodness are you the insufferable about everything or just the sports and leisure activities of children?

NP. I agree with pp that a kid who is on the swim team for 3 years straight, competes in meets, goes to morning practice and participates in Winter Swim.....is probably on more of a team sport than the dabbler who tries every sport out there.

FWIW, both of my kids have both dabbled at times and participated in team sports at times. It's all good.

So, I'm the meh poster...thanks to the one who said they were insufferable First - I didn't realize they had to be hardcore about it to be able to tell whether it is a team sport or not? And I have multiple children so while no one is going to the Olympics - my kids are on competitive teams for these: gymnsatics, diving (make All Stars every summer), swimming - same always divisionals/All Stars during summer - swim and dive at a lighter level during winter to "keep up". baseball and soccer.

Yikes! I just think that with soccer your team is so critical to your individual success. While the team is important in swimming and gymnastics - not the same. Diving really just feells like a cheer squad - which is good!

They don't have to be hardcore about it at all. But the team dynamics are going to vary a lot when you are a dabbler vs an established team member.

God help us. Not that I'm religious at all. And I get that the dynamics are different with dabbler vs. established team member. Were you reading when I said my kids made both Divisionals and All Stars for swimming and diving? Yes, they are mainly summer swimmers but they are very entrenched on their summer swim team - and they are middle school age so this has been going on for a while. My whole point - team element yes but NOT truly a team sport in the way that soccer, baseball and others are. There you are so dependent on your teammates. But the attitude of this one swim parent just astonishes me. Personally, I lvoe that my kids are diversified...we don't get so wrapped up in one thing we can't see beyond it!

What are you ranting about? Swim parents are not these horrible people like you are saying. Our kids enjoy one sport and we know its best to specialize in one so they are successful. You are bragging like your kid does year round swim and multiple sports. You forget that even your summer swim team is ranked and that is by the entire team and the points/scores/swim times that the kids get. There are different rankings and divisions and your kids swim with better teams if they get the higher rankings. Therefore, it is both individual and team. Summer swim is not being a swimmer. That is a dabbler. They may be an established team member but most of the summer teams take anyone in less they are a larger one and can only have so many kids. If kids do too many sports and not focus, they are just marginal at all. Some of our kids actually just choose one and really enjoy it. I don't force my child to go. They choose to go and get upset on days we don't go as they really enjoy it. Swim parents are generally very supportive of each other and the kids, unlike I found in soccer and other sports we tried.

I think that participating in summer swim season after season is more than just dabbling. I know that our team was not super competitive but they all did their best and wanted to improve their times and skills. It felt good to win a meet. They practiced over the winter, did stroke and turn exercises. It doesn't have to be Olympic level competition to be a team sport.

In other words: Because swimming is an individual sport, when your kid is very good or very bad it doesn't in any way affect anyone else, so there is no pressure. In soccer, the bad kid affects the team. Maybe you didn't like that aspect. That is why one is a team sport and one isn't.

You are wrong. If a swimmer slacks off and doesn't perform well, that could wind up costing his team the meet. All the points add up- that's how they win (or lose).

[Anonymous]

Swimming is an essentially individual sport with an artificial team structure imposed on it. Pretty much any individual sport can have a team scoring added to it. Perhaps relays can be the outlier

Then there are the sports that can be either: tennis and other racquet sports (singles or doubles), rowing (single vs. double, quad, 2, 4, 8). Though they can be done individually, there is an essential element of teamwork here that goes beyond just adding scores together.

then the sports that can only be played as intended as a team sport: soccer (football), American football, basketball, volleyball, team handball, ice and field hockey, water polo, lacrosse.

But swimming is typically against the clock and your own time. teams dont have to get promoted to go to higher competitions to compete if your time is good individually. team sports require a whole team to go and perform at the next level competition.

[Anonymous]

Individual players (not entire teams) are drafted from HS/College football teams. Individual performance matters in all sports.

[Anonymous]

Who cares, team or individual, doesn't matter anyway. Swimming is just a skill you use for real sports like water polo or to get back on your surfboard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh. My kids play baseball, basketball, soccer, field hockey. Those are true team sports. They also do gymnastics, diving, track and field and swimming - those are individual sports to me with a strong team element. You care about your team and it is great when you win but the important thing at the end of the day seems to be individual performance more. Though when my daughter's team won track she was very happy that her finish helped push them over the line.

Impossible for your kids to do all those seriously unless some do some and other do others. Or your kids dabble and aren’t serious about any or most of them b

Oh my goodness are you the insufferable about everything or just the sports and leisure activities of children?

NP. I agree with pp that a kid who is on the swim team for 3 years straight, competes in meets, goes to morning practice and participates in Winter Swim.....is probably on more of a team sport than the dabbler who tries every sport out there.

FWIW, both of my kids have both dabbled at times and participated in team sports at times. It's all good.

So, I'm the meh poster...thanks to the one who said they were insufferable First - I didn't realize they had to be hardcore about it to be able to tell whether it is a team sport or not? And I have multiple children so while no one is going to the Olympics - my kids are on competitive teams for these: gymnsatics, diving (make All Stars every summer), swimming - same always divisionals/All Stars during summer - swim and dive at a lighter level during winter to "keep up". baseball and soccer.

Yikes! I just think that with soccer your team is so critical to your individual success. While the team is important in swimming and gymnastics - not the same. Diving really just feells like a cheer squad - which is good!

They don't have to be hardcore about it at all. But the team dynamics are going to vary a lot when you are a dabbler vs an established team member.

God help us. Not that I'm religious at all. And I get that the dynamics are different with dabbler vs. established team member. Were you reading when I said my kids made both Divisionals and All Stars for swimming and diving? Yes, they are mainly summer swimmers but they are very entrenched on their summer swim team - and they are middle school age so this has been going on for a while. My whole point - team element yes but NOT truly a team sport in the way that soccer, baseball and others are. There you are so dependent on your teammates. But the attitude of this one swim parent just astonishes me. Personally, I lvoe that my kids are diversified...we don't get so wrapped up in one thing we can't see beyond it!

What are you ranting about? Swim parents are not these horrible people like you are saying. Our kids enjoy one sport and we know its best to specialize in one so they are successful. You are bragging like your kid does year round swim and multiple sports. You forget that even your summer swim team is ranked and that is by the entire team and the points/scores/swim times that the kids get. There are different rankings and divisions and your kids swim with better teams if they get the higher rankings. Therefore, it is both individual and team. Summer swim is not being a swimmer. That is a dabbler. They may be an established team member but most of the summer teams take anyone in less they are a larger one and can only have so many kids. If kids do too many sports and not focus, they are just marginal at all. Some of our kids actually just choose one and really enjoy it. I don't force my child to go. They choose to go and get upset on days we don't go as they really enjoy it. Swim parents are generally very supportive of each other and the kids, unlike I found in soccer and other sports we tried.

I think that participating in summer swim season after season is more than just dabbling. I know that our team was not super competitive but they all did their best and wanted to improve their times and skills. It felt good to win a meet. They practiced over the winter, did stroke and turn exercises. It doesn't have to be Olympic level competition to be a team sport.

In other words: Because swimming is an individual sport, when your kid is very good or very bad it doesn't in any way affect anyone else, so there is no pressure. In soccer, the bad kid affects the team. Maybe you didn't like that aspect. That is why one is a team sport and one isn't.

You are wrong. If a swimmer slacks off and doesn't perform well, that could wind up costing his team the meet. All the points add up- that's how they win (or lose).

It also impacts how the teams are ranked and who the compete against. Summer teams are ranked and meets are set up according to the rankings. Those rankings are based on who wins each race, especially in the A meets. No one gives the kids a hard time (maybe their parents) if they don't do well but if your kid is swimming 40-60 seconds in a 25, then everyone will be supportive but it does screw up the rankings. I didn't realize that the first few years. But, our kid did not do meets early on as we didn't see the point till he wanted to.

You can very much see the difference in the summer swim and year round. There are a few summer swim that can pull it off and only do summer but usually it is the year round who are also doing some private lessons who are at the top.

[Anonymous]

So, I'm the meh poster...thanks to the one who said they were insufferable First - diving (make All Stars every summer), swimming - same always divisionals/All Stars during summer - swim and dive at a lighter level during winter to "keep up". baseball and soccer.

Yikes! I just think that with soccer your team is so critical to your individual success. While the team is important in swimming and gymnastics - not the same. Diving really just feells like a cheer squad - which is good!
They don't have to be hardcore about it at all. But the team dynamics are going to vary a lot when you are a dabbler vs an established team member.

I don't want to quibble but do tell what league you're in to have a kid make it to all stars every summer after swimming a "lighter level" during the school year? While it may appear it is going off track- it isn't. It you're not upfront with he basis for your statements then your statements should be discounted. After the age of 8, no kid is making it to all stars without hard core training year round. (Divisionals is no big deal since crappy kids can make that dependent on the makeup of the team.) to make all stars, you're taking the top 18 kids per age division and sex and stroke - out of thousands of kids. Hundredths of seconds often separate the 21st kid and the 16th kid. We've been a big family swim team for years and I've been an a-meet rep. I have never seen a non serious year round swimmer go to all stars except, on rare occasion, someone less than 8. (You indicated your kids are older than that).

[Anonymous]

NO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NO.

well maybe if you're on a relay team, but otherwise no.

[Anonymous]

Nope. Unless it’s relay, it’s all about you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So, I'm the meh poster...thanks to the one who said they were insufferable First - diving (make All Stars every summer), swimming - same always divisionals/All Stars during summer - swim and dive at a lighter level during winter to "keep up". baseball and soccer.

Yikes! I just think that with soccer your team is so critical to your individual success. While the team is important in swimming and gymnastics - not the same. Diving really just feells like a cheer squad - which is good!
They don't have to be hardcore about it at all. But the team dynamics are going to vary a lot when you are a dabbler vs an established team member.

I don't want to quibble but do tell what league you're in to have a kid make it to all stars every summer after swimming a "lighter level" during the school year? While it may appear it is going off track- it isn't. It you're not upfront with he basis for your statements then your statements should be discounted. After the age of 8, no kid is making it to all stars without hard core training year round. (Divisionals is no big deal since crappy kids can make that dependent on the makeup of the team.) to make all stars, you're taking the top 18 kids per age division and sex and stroke - out of thousands of kids. Hundredths of seconds often separate the 21st kid and the 16th kid. We've been a big family swim team for years and I've been an a-meet rep. I have never seen a non serious year round swimmer go to all stars except, on rare occasion, someone less than 8. (You indicated your kids are older than that).

They probably don't realize how teams are ranked and matched together to compete. I didn't until last summer until someone explained it all to me. Your child's time matters and it impacts if they swim a or b meet. You can clearly tell who is on summer vs. year round but the times. There are huge discrepancies in it usually with 10+ seconds. Yes, most make it fun and no one says anything but they do say stuff to the kids as its a big deal to the coaches and older kids how the overall team is ranked. Little kids, they don't care and just want to have fun but around 8-9 most of the younger ones tend to realize it when they do team year round. We aren't a big swim team family. I don't like swimming but my child choose it. As the kids get older, they swim longer races. To swim 1 day a week in the winter isn't going to build the endurance you need of doing it 3-4 days a week. You may not see it as a team sport, but it very much is. The individual races and relays all get points added up and as a team you get ranked and placed to compete with other teams. Winter teams for little ones don't always compete against other teams and its often just done for practice but even then the scores are posted online and tracked so no matter what team you are on, its tracked (which I do not like).