Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 13:39     Subject: Re:Is 8 year old too late to learn swimming to do swim team/ pre swim team for summertime?
Anonymous wrote:Not too late at all but the kid needs very frequent 1:1 lessons. 1x/week won’t do anything.


The biggest “bang for our buck” was to put the kids in lessons at our pool for 30 min/day, 5 days a week, for 2-4 weeks. You need daily instruction with the same teacher to make a breakthrough.

8&U on our NVSL is when kids are explicitly taught breaststroke and butterfly. 9-10s they are expected to be legal in all 4 strokes and the younger kids are taught flip turns because that age group swims 50m races.

It’s not too late, but there will be a window of time, maybe age 8-11/12 where it might be hard to jump in when other kids have been doing it all along. I “walked on” to varsity swim team in HS having never swam competitively and I picked it up quickly - but I see 9-10yr olds at our pool come to swim team for the first time and not have fun because it’s hard to catch up.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 13:28     Subject: Is 8 year old too late to learn swimming to do swim team/ pre swim team for summertime?
Op here. I live close to all these, Kentlands Kingfish , Westleigh or Stonebridge shark. I don't live in any of these 3 mentioned neighborhood. It seems like that I can just pay to join Westleigh, right? How about for Kentland kingfish or stonebridge shark, can I join?

All camps for this summer are fully paid already. We can only think of next summer. Thank you. His summer camp does have daily pool time, but kid just play in pool.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 09:59     Subject: Re:Is 8 year old too late to learn swimming to do swim team/ pre swim team for summertime?
Op, there is also Kentlands Kingfish if Westleigh or Stonebridge is too far from you. They have a pre team as well. I don’t know anything about them.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 09:52     Subject: Is 8 year old too late to learn swimming to do swim team/ pre swim team for summertime?
Anonymous wrote:OP you live near Quince orchard HS??? Come to Westleigh then! We are 5 minutes away from you and pre team just started a couple days ago. The cost is pretty low for a local pool (around $600) and you will meet tons of other parents just like you. Pre team is nurturing and fun, coaches kind and patient, the whole cost is $140 on top of your membership. My son moved from pre team up to main swim team in ONE SUMMER!! He was seven. It’s not too late!! Yes you will have to commit but that’s something you’ll do anywhere. Westleigh is off of route 28 and muddy branch and it’s just great. Pick up Isaac’s or order in potomac pizza and make it a fun night!! I don’t do it for the meets. I do it for the daily swimming, it’s been a huge help and I have loved seeing my little sinker become a little swimmer!!!


+1. We are at Stonebridge, and I have heard very positive feedback about Westleigh pool.

Stonebridge Sharks is across the street on Duffief Mill and we have a pre-team. We definitely have 8 year-olds in pre-team. I know because my DD is in second grade.

Definitely not too late to join the pre-team.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 09:48     Subject: Is 8 year old too late to learn swimming to do swim team/ pre swim team for summertime?
Anonymous wrote:Op here. We don't belong to any pool. I don't know any swim team or pre swim team information. We live near Quince Orchard HS. I can't swim, so I can't teach or show him how to swim. His summer camps ends at 6-6:30pm, and his school days ends at 6pm to 8pm with other activities. We can only do swimming on weekend on top of soccer season/swim class/other activities, so 1x/week group swim, 1x/week private swim & ocassional once a week go to pool is already a lot on our schedules. I have 2 other younger kids as well with me working fulltime.


I can sympathize with the busy part, and the younger siblings! But with a family schedule like that, you might not be able to enroll in summer swim anyway, really. Practices are generally in the late afternoons (and the mornings, too, once school gets out). You might be able to find a summer team that practices in the late evening, but after 6:30 sounds really late to me, especially for pre-team. A better bet for you might be to switch his camp to actual swim camp (such things do exist, although I do not know of one to recommend off the top of my head), where he can have lots of pool time every day.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 09:45     Subject: Is 8 year old too late to learn swimming to do swim team/ pre swim team for summertime?
I think you can do years of weekly lessons or one summer of going to the pool everyday.

Pick your poison.

Also, swim team is a big time commitment. It requires joining a pool, then attending 1 hour daily practices AND weekly meets. There are also volunteer requirements to help run the meets and occasional social events. If you don’t have time to go the pool daily this summer you definitely don’t have time for swim team.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 09:45     Subject: Is 8 year old too late to learn swimming to do swim team/ pre swim team for summertime?
Anonymous wrote:I’m in the same boat with my 7 y/o OP. E we take the kids to the pool after dinner each night. Kid is not embarrassed to be with younger kids. If he were, I’d explain how COVID affected the timing of his swim lessons. Nothing to be embarrassed about.


Same, my kid was among the oldest and he didn’t mind. Practice was short for pre team and he played with his buddies before or after.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 09:44     Subject: Is 8 year old too late to learn swimming to do swim team/ pre swim team for summertime?
OP you live near Quince orchard HS??? Come to Westleigh then! We are 5 minutes away from you and pre team just started a couple days ago. The cost is pretty low for a local pool (around $600) and you will meet tons of other parents just like you. Pre team is nurturing and fun, coaches kind and patient, the whole cost is $140 on top of your membership. My son moved from pre team up to main swim team in ONE SUMMER!! He was seven. It’s not too late!! Yes you will have to commit but that’s something you’ll do anywhere. Westleigh is off of route 28 and muddy branch and it’s just great. Pick up Isaac’s or order in potomac pizza and make it a fun night!! I don’t do it for the meets. I do it for the daily swimming, it’s been a huge help and I have loved seeing my little sinker become a little swimmer!!!
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 09:42     Subject: Is 8 year old too late to learn swimming to do swim team/ pre swim team for summertime?
I’m in the same boat with my 7 y/o OP. E we take the kids to the pool after dinner each night. Kid is not embarrassed to be with younger kids. If he were, I’d explain how COVID affected the timing of his swim lessons. Nothing to be embarrassed about.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 09:41     Subject: Is 8 year old too late to learn swimming to do swim team/ pre swim team for summertime?
Anonymous wrote:DS is 8. He has done 2 years of group lessons and he still can't swim. He is still doing group lesson 45 min/week plus starts taking private 1:1 instruction 30 min/week. The instructor says he floats pretty well, bad at kicking, and back stroke is not that bad. She also mentions that he has a lot to work on breathing and others.

Adding private lesson, we hope that increases his chance to learn how to swim & possibly join a swim team or pre swim team one day for summertime only just for experiences if he can ever make it. He loves pool time. His summer camp has pool time daily but he just plays in it. We try to go to pool once a week but he just plays in the pool. He is comfortable at 3.5 ft water depth (but not 4 ft) because he is 53 inches tall. We are not there yet, but can someone share what possible summer pre swim or swim teams option can we look into in montgomery county once he makes enough progress? Are those like summer camps that anyone can sign up or need to be auditioned/invited? Any tips for his swim progress is welcomed as well, thanks.


Not too late!! Join pre team at a local pool where the majority of school friends go. Make it as fun as you can!! If you are in Maryland area come to Westleigh Swim and Recreation off of Muddy Branch in North Potomac, it’s an amazing pool, inclusive community, community oriented, swim team is so fun for all ages and coaches are nurturing and caring. No wait list, year round pickleball and tennis, fantastic value.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 09:41     Subject: Re:Is 8 year old too late to learn swimming to do swim team/ pre swim team for summertime?
Sorry I see your update, and you aren't close to annandale so that wasn't helpful! It is so hard OP, it is tough for some kids to learn with once a week but that is all most of us can make happen while working full time. We were the same and I totally get it. What we did last summer was join a pool and get a summer sitter instead of camps for the weeks that swim team was in session and she took our son to the pool for the pre/mini team each morning and then they played at the pool. That made a big difference doing it everyday but I also know that isn't really a reasonable adjustment all families can make.

I would personally, forget the group lessons and focus on private once a week plus try to get to the pool this summer as much as you can.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 09:39     Subject: Is 8 year old too late to learn swimming to do swim team/ pre swim team for summertime?
The current crop of 7+ year olds all had COVID impact their swim lessons and swim progress with pool closures and parents not comfortable with indoor lessons when vaccines were not available. I think your situation is not as uncommon for this crop of kids, so I would do everything possible to get the kid to be somewhat proficient at swimming soon.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 09:37     Subject: Is 8 year old too late to learn swimming to do swim team/ pre swim team for summertime?
Anonymous wrote:Op here. We don't belong to any pool. I don't know any swim team or pre swim team information. We live near Quince Orchard HS. I can't swim, so I can't teach or show him how to swim. His summer camps ends at 6-6:30pm, and his school days ends at 6pm to 8pm with other activities. We can only do swimming on weekend on top of soccer season/swim class/other activities, so 1x/week group swim, 1x/week private swim & ocassional once a week go to pool is already a lot on our schedules. I have 2 other younger kids as well with me working fulltime.

Swim team involves joining a pool and taking the kid to daily practices. My kids have summer swim practice 5x a week, plus a many hours long meet on Wednesday evening and Saturday morning. There are also volunteer requirements for parents. If you don't have time to go to a pool daily now, nor an interest in joining a pool, then summer swim team isn't going to work for your family.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 09:31     Subject: Re:Is 8 year old too late to learn swimming to do swim team/ pre swim team for summertime?
I agree with others about the question are you a member of a pool? A pre team would be possible right now (and a great option if you can do it) but by next summer would likely be tough (they are usually 8 and under). For the full swim team you usually need to be able to swim laps to participate in practice. Totally fine to join swimming late though! but a pre-team this summer would be great. If you are anywhere near Annandale, Forest Hollow has no waitlist and a great "mini" team that taught my son to swim last year. They have lots of options for practice, mornings or some evening practices. Ideally doing it each day is best (we got a summer sitter) but realize that isn't always possible! Practices just got started so joining now wouldn't be a problem. There were a couple 8 year olds that had very little swimming under their belt when they started last summer and made a lot of progress. I saw them back this year.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 09:30     Subject: Is 8 year old too late to learn swimming to do swim team/ pre swim team for summertime?
[quote=Anonymous]Op here. We don't belong to any pool. I don't know any swim team or pre swim team information. We live near Quince Orchard HS. I can't swim, so I can't teach or show him how to swim. His summer camps ends at 6-6:30pm, and his school days ends at 6pm to 8pm with other activities. We can only do swimming on weekend on top of soccer season/swim class/other activities, so 1x/week group swim, 1x/week private swim & ocassional once a week go to pool is already a lot on our schedules. I have 2 other younger kids as well with me working fulltime.[/quote]

I get it. It is busy. But if the instructor is telling you he is bad at kicking and breathing, he will not improve without more instruction and pool time. I’m not sure what you’re asking for if nothing scheduling wise will change.