Reply to Tween DS is amazing at sport he now hates, loves sport he's medicore at

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The middle school years are often tough for swimming. But many swimmers (especially) boys really start to enjoy the sport more in high school. Boys tend to keep getting faster as they get bigger and stronger. Also, it's a sport where they interact with girls a lot.

Is the basketball team where he goes to high school so competitive that he won't be able to play? I know this is often the case. I would tell him that. If he's willing to take that risk, then let him cut back on swimming (I would try to avoid stopping swimming altogether), and let him give more time to basketball. After a year of that, let him choose. [/quote]

Correct. He would not make a freshman school basketball team. He would not make any travel basketball team.

While he is the best boy swimmer for his age on his travel swim team.[/quote]

So what? What matters most, his happiness or being 'the best" or "on travel team"? Focus on the child.[/quote]

No, he's being unduly influenced by idiot boy middle schoolers who think swimming is not cool and basketball is. Swimming is not a sport you can generally stop and pick up later--it's a sport you need to be conditioned for, so stopping can make it very hard to pick it up again.

OP--is there an older boy H.S. boy on his club team or summer team who could maybe talk to him/encourage him? Have you had him talk to his coaches about this? Or could switching to a new club team maybe reinvigorate him.

Middle schoolers don't understand swimming. By high school, all those boys telling him how uncool swimming is will admire your son for his dedication (up at 4am for practice), remarkable physical condition, and regular interaction with the girls on his team. Don't listen to all these people telling you to just let him throw in the towel. Obviously, you can't force a kid to continue in a sport. But you should really make sure he's making the decision to leave the sport for the right reasons.[/quote]

+1. I'm convinced this forum is full of childless misanthropes.[/quote]

I am not childless or a misanthrope. I'm the mother of two swimmers -- both swimming D1 in college. The people on this thread saying "let him play basketball" and "sports are supposed to be fun," clearly know nothing about swimming, the challenges that come with it, and how rewarding it is for kids who stick with it.

OP -- does your kid swim in the summer and on his high school team? Does he have friends on his club team? [/quote]

My brother swam D1, hated it, and never swam again. He still plays pickup basketball and loves it. I quit club swimming in high school but still enjoy it and swim masters. I don’t see the point in forcing a kid to play a sport they don’t enjoy, or stopping them from playing something they do. [/quote]

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