Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. My kids enjoy going to the pool but have never joined swim team. They are thinking of doing it this summer to meet other kids at the pool and for the social aspect. We are new to the area. They would try their best but are not interested in competitive swimming. Is this a bad idea? They are 9 and 11.

Which pool and can they swim all their strokes?

Hunter Mill and no, they can’t. They both can swim but neither has been on a team before. Swimming was not big in old neighborhood and they had basic lessons when they were young. It will be their first summer at the pool and they simply want to meet others. Yes, I’m willing to volunteer and realize they won’t swim on Saturdays.

Swim team will be good for this. Kids who don't swim on Saturday's can still go to the meets and cheer on their team mates. They can also be runners to collect sheets after a race and hand them in to the people scoring the meet. With pep rally's and other activities, they will feel part of the team if you and them make an effort.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. My kids enjoy going to the pool but have never joined swim team. They are thinking of doing it this summer to meet other kids at the pool and for the social aspect. We are new to the area. They would try their best but are not interested in competitive swimming. Is this a bad idea? They are 9 and 11.

Which pool and can they swim all their strokes?

Hunter Mill and no, they can’t. They both can swim but neither has been on a team before. Swimming was not big in old neighborhood and they had basic lessons when they were young. It will be their first summer at the pool and they simply want to meet others. Yes, I’m willing to volunteer and realize they won’t swim on Saturdays.

It's information. Parents need to know

?

Anonymous wrote:

Oh but OP remember your duties. It apparently takes 35 adult volunteers to run a swim meet.

Another one who doesn't want to pull her weight. Each lane needs three timers. Yes, it really does take that many people and if everyone pitches in, it's not that long. Don't sign up if you don't want a big commitment

You're right! We do not do swim team for this reason. It just seems like a huge model of inefficiency. 3 timers? Really?! You can't trust one another? It's recreational not the Olympics.

If we acknowledge you now will you stop posting this on various swim team threads, which you apparently participate in despite the fact that your kids aren’t on a swim team? Thanks.

Anonymous wrote:NP. My kids enjoy going to the pool but have never joined swim team. They are thinking of doing it this summer to meet other kids at the pool and for the social aspect. We are new to the area. They would try their best but are not interested in competitive swimming. Is this a bad idea? They are 9 and 11.

Which pool and can they swim all their strokes?

Oh but OP remember your duties. It apparently takes 35 adult volunteers to run a swim meet.

Another one who doesn't want to pull her weight. Each lane needs three timers. Yes, it really does take that many people and if everyone pitches in, it's not that long. Don't sign up if you don't want a big commitment

You're right! We do not do swim team for this reason. It just seems like a huge model of inefficiency. 3 timers? Really?! You can't trust one another? It's recreational not the Olympics.

At our pool every family has to sign up for 6 volunteer slots or their kid doesn't swim. We do not have PM practices except twice a week so if you are at camp for a week and need to get in your practices--if you don't practice at least twice then you are not eligible to swim in the A meet on Saturday. Anyone can swim in the Monday B meets regardless of times.

We are at a lower-division NVSL team. My kids joined at ages 8 and 10 and it has been a good experience. It is a very intense 6 weeks for me, though. With volunteering at A and B meets and schlepping kids to all the activities, I feel like I barely work during those 6 weeks.

Sounds like your experience really depends on the pool. We've been on two different pools' summer teams and it has always been a fun, laid back, friendship forming experience no matter your skill level.

And agree, if you do sign up, please pull your weight volunteering.

Anonymous wrote:NP. My kids enjoy going to the pool but have never joined swim team. They are thinking of doing it this summer to meet other kids at the pool and for the social aspect. We are new to the area. They would try their best but are not interested in competitive swimming. Is this a bad idea? They are 9 and 11.

Summer swimming isn't that competitive, so they might enjoy it. The meets are usually pretty fun and social. The Saturday meets can be more intense, but they don't have to do those. If you are new to the area, you will really enjoy the social aspect.

NP. My kids enjoy going to the pool but have never joined swim team. They are thinking of doing it this summer to meet other kids at the pool and for the social aspect. We are new to the area. They would try their best but are not interested in competitive swimming. Is this a bad idea? They are 9 and 11.

Mom of HS DD and MS son who have been doing summer swim team since age 6. All that is said about the volunteer load is true. Be ready to volunteer some because you shouldn't expect everyone else to do everything for your kid. It is annoying to be officiating my 4th meet in 3 weeks while the same one or two parents read the paper and sip their coffee at every meet. But, it's acceptable to ease in your first year.

Although it is a time suck, summer swim team it is by far one of my kids' favorite experiences. It is the only youth activity my kids have been in in which they interact with kids significantly older than them. And then before you know it, your kid is a leader carrying around a 7 year-old on his or her back. Seeing a group of kids every summer that you don't see during the year is such an important "touch point" for my kids. They have summer friends who are not in their regular circle and don't even go to their school. That sort of expansion of your social circle helps alleviate the toll social drama takes. Summer ST is also a great way to keep tweens and teens that really age out of camp by age 14 busy in the summer. Many lifeguard and do ST.

I agree that to get the most out of it, a sitter for 3-4 weeks and a break from camps would be great. You could consider hiring a college student that can drive your kid to practice and then let them hang at the pool and do "staycation" activities instead of heavily scheduled camps every week of summer. The summer swim team summer is a throw back. It's insanely intense for kids that are in camp full-time. Some certainly do the evening practices. But most of those kids don't last more than a few years (I'm sure there are exceptions). The kids that love summer ST are either not in camp every week or are too old for camp.

Our summer swim team also has morning and afternoon practices. The morning practices attract the more serious kids. Their parents are prepared and they are the ones with summer nannies or whose parents go in to work late to make it work. It isn't the best place for beginners. The afternoon practices, which do seem to have less experienced coaches, seem more relaxed. Our DC's swim team doesn't do activities like rafting or trampoline parks. They do a few BBQs during the season and they are all in the afternoon. Our pool's practices were late enough that for most camps DC could attend the full day.

OP, the advice you’re getting here about afternoon practices may or may not apply to your team. We have a huge summer swim team and the afternoons are as packed as the mornings. The coaches are the same. The only real bonding stuff they miss with afternoon practice is some of the daytime activities like going rafting or to a trampoline park. In general, swim teams work well as a replacement for the social activities of a camp and are therefore much more demanding in time than a typical sport. If you’re tired of camps, etc, then you can get a summer nanny, and do swim team and then maybe some tutoring or another activity in the afternoon, and you’re good to go. If you want to do camps, you won’t have the full swim team experience. It’s a give and take. We’ve done both. Both are fine.