Reply to Why does VSI have so many faster age group swimmers than PVS?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]PP we moved from PVS to VSI with age group swimmers and I think you are right. The championship qualifying times are faster for age group swimmers and I also think there is a different philosophy regarding meets. There are not as many “mini meets”, most meets are just 12&U. My oldest swimmers in PVS never saw a 200 length race until the age of 9, whereas my current 8&u in VSI has swum both a 200 free and 200 IM and regularly swims 100s and will do a 400 free this summer. We were at a meet last month where 10&u did the 400IM and 200s of all strokes. There are also many more prelims/finals meets for 10&u in VSI. I have no idea what the long term impact is, but in the short term it would seem to set a higher bar and provide a different competition experience.[/quote]
Honestly 8 and unders should not be swimming 200s. The training needed to do those events and do them well is way too much for a kid that age and will lead to overuse injuries. [/quote]

Completely agree.  I am an orthopedic surgeon and this made me want to throw up that kid would swim those lengths that young.  Short term they might be faster but swimming should be viewed as a long game with the intent to peak well after puberty (not before).  Trying too much too young will not have a long term benefit but will have life long injury and pain.  I see too many high school and college swimmers with bad shoulders and pain.  Those same kids will have debilitating pain at 40 and chronic pain impacts social relationships, family and life in general. [/quote]

Former swimmer and I agree. I didn’t necessarily do too much too soon and even I can’t really enjoy swimming as a lifelong sport because my shoulders cannot do it anymore. One of my college teammates has a son in a VSI club and he is one of those kids that was doing the 500 free at 8 years old. I think he is only 9 now and is really fast and went to that meet in Florida for fast swimmers as well as JOs or whatever it’s called in VSI. It is interesting to see him being pushed so young because his mother was a great age group swimmer but stopped growing early (shortest on our team) and did not improve her times at all in college. She hated swimming by the time it ended and I know that she has no interest in swimming as an adult. I’m not sure why she’s setting her kid up for the same fate. [/quote]

Does this person have multiple children who swim? Just wondering if we know the same person! [/quote]

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