This is all so helpful and in keeping with general thoughts. Things are working well for now so we’ll stick with it for now but it’s a huge relief to know what might be ahead and know there’s likely room to move if appropriate. Thank you.

I have a college swimmer and we moved to a larger more competitive team (further from our home) when he was 13. By then, he was making JO cuts in most events and wanted to go to a team that went to more senior meets (sectionals and NCSAs). The teams we reached out (3 teams) to were open to adding him to their rosters.

Yes, it does get harder to switch clubs as kids get older - but that’s also true of moving up *within* clubs. The advantage is that these clubs tend to open up registration for existing members before allowing new members - but it’s not like they move up slow kids to a fast training group, solely because they’re part of the larger team.

One thing to consider is friends your kid might make on SDS, because that is one thing that can make switching harder at an older age. Or, at least, make switching less appealing it if means leaving a cherished friend group for an entirely new group of people.

At the end of the day, she’ll train more if she’s having fun with it, and it’s easier to support her training if it’s closer to your house. If there’s a different, larger team that is also close by, you could consider switching sooner rather than later, but I don’t know that I’d move to an inconvenient location solely to provide future opportunities. The good news, as a PP mentioned, is there are lots of swimming options in the area.

You are right that it gets harder to jump to higher level clubs in MS and HS because those groups are already largely full, and getting in is entirely driven by times. If your DD loves SDS and is having fun, I wouldn’t jump just yet because she is still young enough that doors won’t be shut for her. If she starts making the cuts for winter champs meets and JOs, that’s where you/she will have to decide if she wants to transition to another club. The transition from 10 and Under to 11-12 is also pretty steep for girls in terms of motivational times and cuts, so I would also see how that transition goes if she’s already 10. Even if you do jump, you can still make sure location is king since there are lots of swimming options in the DMV.

The Rockville Rays are a safe bet. She will earn swim glory and go on to great college success.

Anonymous wrote:It won't close doors. Lots of TCSD kids are on college scholarships without the hyper-competitive stress of the bigger teams where the top becomes cut throat, and specialization is forced too young (often for reasons unrelated to your kid). Of all the teams in the area, this is one that gets life balance right without sacrificing the humanity of the child.

If your goal is college recruiting, know that all that matters is times and upward trajectory in high school. What team you were on when you hit those times matters not at all.

If your kid turns out not to be a recruit level athlete (and you won't know this for years yet), this is a team that will care about keeping them in the sport for healthy reasons that support overall development.

NP. Wait, what? How are “lots” of Sea Devils kids getting college scholarship if there are only 2 kids on the team above the age of 16 who did a meet this year? Sorry, doesn’t add up. Or do you mean these kids are receiving academic scholarships? (Which is not relevant to the OPs question, if so).

With all that said, for now she is 10 so focus on what is most convenient for you all, however if she does end up getting really into the sport she will need to switch teams at some point to a team that actually has older swimmers and the earlier you get on the new teams long term development plan, the better her results will be in down the road.

I am P.P. After a quick look at their top times report for the year their #1 girl in the 50/100/200/500 Free, 200 Back, 200 Breast, and 200 IM doesn’t even have the junior champs cut, and then on the boys side they have 1 single boy on the entire team with junior champs cuts and he is 13.

SDS always has some pretty solid younger swimmers yet they barely ever have any 15&Up swimmers on the team in general (they had only two kids above the age of 16 do a meet this year) so the question to have to ask yourself is why is that and how come it never changes?

It won't close doors. Lots of TCSD kids are on college scholarships without the hyper-competitive stress of the bigger teams where the top becomes cut throat, and specialization is forced too young (often for reasons unrelated to your kid). Of all the teams in the area, this is one that gets life balance right without sacrificing the humanity of the child.

If your goal is college recruiting, know that all that matters is times and upward trajectory in high school. What team you were on when you hit those times matters not at all.

If your kid turns out not to be a recruit level athlete (and you won't know this for years yet), this is a team that will care about keeping them in the sport for healthy reasons that support overall development.

My 10 year old swims on Cap. Sea Devils and loves it. They think she could be a candidate for their select team the year after next due to her age. She is up for a challenge and energized by it. The more she swims the more she’s relaxed. My question is how do I know if this is still the right team for her and if not is it easy to change in the middle school or high school years? I’m thinking switching teams is determined by times and times are determined in part by amount of practice. Truthfully, we’ve been focused on fun and proximity to the house. I’d like to still focus on fun and proximity at the house at this stage but don’t want to inadvertently close doors for my kid if she’s really into the sport. I’d welcome the experience/advice of others.