Are those 8 year olds truly specializing though? My 8 year old will be doing travel soccer and club swim this year. We purposely chose teams/clubs that don't practice as frequently as some others, so that he can continue both. In the winter the soccer commitment is much less so he will do rec basketball (1 practice and 1 game per week). So far he has been able to try out every sport he's interested in and these are the ones they like the most. There are others he hasn't wanted to try (baseball, lacrosse, tennis) so that makes it easier. I know some kids like literally every sport and their parents are going crazy trying to fit it all in even at the rec level. Both the soccer and swim clubs have told us repeatedly to keep our kids in more than one sport. They aren't pushing specialization at this age. I would stay away from an organization that was pushing this at 8 or making practice schedules such that other sports can't be done at the same time. |
| What are the seniors coaches at MLK like? |
Kids should do the sport that makes them happy, not the sport that makes their friends parents happy. We tried out all the sports when our child was younger. Our child picked swim. So, should we say no because another parent wants them on the soccer team especially when they suck at soccer? |
Okay hold up. We're new to swim so we missed the ability to try out for RSMC. But if they DON'T do technique, then what do they do? What's the point then? We couldn't even try out because too many were registered the week before tryouts? We have found that the 8&Us often have technique emphasized because generally this is their first foray into year round swimming. If you join a club as an age group swimmer through (9 and up) many of the big clubs go into training assuming that you already have the strokes down and are instead focused on endurance and strength so that the swimmers can build up to the longer distances. It completely depends on the coach, club and group you are in. If your child is in advanced its a smaller group with more attention. But, otherwise there are 50-70 kids with 4 coaches. They scream how to do it from the side and when the kids do it wrong, scream some more and that's about it. |
That's a fair point, I don't actually know the commitment of these other teams/clubs. |
You find a swimmer who is at RMSC but is very good. No way did they learn that on their own atRMSC. Become friends with the parents and quietly ask them who helped their kid and promise never to disclose you had this talk. RMSC is known for being mad when kids get lessons and yet they don't do stroke work. They live in complete delusion that they created these swimmers! We started at another club and once my child's strokes were good,we moved to RMSC. Probably should have just gone to NCAP but RMSC worked out because there was a strong foundation and access to lessons. I only disclose the name of our coach for private lessons to a few people I trust. We do about 4 lessons in winter and 3-4 in summer. |
This is a strange comment. My kid is one of the top swimmers in PVS and trains with other top PVS swimmers. I haven’t heard of any from his/her that did private swim lessons. Not saying it doesn’t happen but it isn’t as commonplace as you’re implying, or weirdly secretive. What site were you at? |
Its not a strange comment and very true. We did private as well till covid hit. |
+1 My top level RMSC swimmers have never done a private lesson and while I don’t know exactly what their teammates have done, most of us have been swimming together since the kids were little and private lessons are not commonplace in this group |
That’s because the top level get good coaches and smaller groups. The basic group is huge and gets the worst or new coaches. |
This is definitely true when swimmers reach that point, but minis is minis and no extra lessons for anyone I know. Mine went straight through advanced juniors, but some spent time in juniors and still didn’t add on privates. Just my experience. |
My NTG swimmer has only been at RMSC, since Minis. |
Maybe not for people you know but we and a bunch of others did private. The advanced groups get the better coaches. |
I know, I've seen it. I am one who acknowledges our experience is not the same as the path of those through juniors. I am also one who has commented on this site multiple times that I have rarely heard anything good about a specific coach/group that we were lucky to bypass. I just get frustrated with the "no one" actually learns at RMSC, they don't do "any" stroke work, "everyone" does privates. It just simply isn't true. My guess is privates are most common in the junior groups, especially at a particular site. |
PP is overstating their point. I have one swimming Division I and one in NTGs. When my kids were under 10 they did some privates at our summer pool with older kids, but nothing regular and not in the winter. |