Anonymous
Post 06/25/2024 10:48     Subject: Do A meet families ever take vacation during summer swim season?
Anonymous wrote:The best summer swimmers are year-round swimmers. Year-round swimmers tend to take vacations in August because that's when clubs take a 2-3 week break. No serious swimmer goes on vacation for 2 weeks in July. But some A meet swimmers are probably not particularly serious, so you might catch a break there.


We aren't in the top division, but most of the younger swimmers at our pool are not year-round swimmers yet where the family's schedule is dictated by the 2-3 week break from swimming in August. I'm not missing a family wedding so that my DC can compete at an A meet. Life happens.
Anonymous
Post 06/25/2024 10:23     Subject: Do A meet families ever take vacation during summer swim season?
Our family has taken vacations in late August most every year, long before our kid was a competitive swimmer. This is because daycare and camps are often closed the last two weeks before school starts. We usually go away for two or three nights to visit family in the middle of summer swim season, but at this point my kid refuses to miss A meets.
Anonymous
Post 06/25/2024 08:54     Subject: Re:Do A meet families ever take vacation during summer swim season?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think it depends somewhat on division and pool. Those top pools are hard core! My pool not so much. That said, my kids are A meet swimmers, and we wait until last week of July/August to vacation because my kids love summer swim.


This is a phrase that isn’t even really used at some pools. I’ve never heard it and we’ve been involved for about 14 years. You need 60 swimmers to fill all lanes across the age groups (NVSL). If you are on our team and available to swim you can pretty much plan on being called upon to swim.


for MCSL I would say that it is a rare team that swims everyone on the roster every week. It's also 60 minimum, and I know some teams roster upwards of 150. We have had some gaps and only swam 5 (max of 6) in freestyle in a couple of groups, but some groups/genders are way overpopulated and some are not. I think we have like 15 8U girls for example.
Anonymous
Post 06/25/2024 07:45     Subject: Do A meet families ever take vacation during summer swim season?
We go on vacation and my kid is an A meet swimmer. Sports do not rule our lives.
Anonymous
Post 06/25/2024 07:44     Subject: Do A meet families ever take vacation during summer swim season?
The best summer swimmers are year-round swimmers. Year-round swimmers tend to take vacations in August because that's when clubs take a 2-3 week break. No serious swimmer goes on vacation for 2 weeks in July. But some A meet swimmers are probably not particularly serious, so you might catch a break there.
Anonymous
Post 06/25/2024 07:31     Subject: Re:Do A meet families ever take vacation during summer swim season?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think it depends somewhat on division and pool. Those top pools are hard core! My pool not so much. That said, my kids are A meet swimmers, and we wait until last week of July/August to vacation because my kids love summer swim.


This is a phrase that isn’t even really used at some pools. I’ve never heard it and we’ve been involved for about 14 years. You need 60 swimmers to fill all lanes across the age groups (NVSL). If you are on our team and available to swim you can pretty much plan on being called upon to swim.


My kids are on a big team in MCSL—there are a handful top kids that only swim A meets, and a lot ( like my kids) that swim 1-2 heats in an A meet and the rest in B meets. Mcsl doesn’t do the exhibition thing like in NVSL
Anonymous
Post 06/25/2024 07:13     Subject: Do A meet families ever take vacation during summer swim season?
Anonymous wrote:Not in D1


Unless you swim for Chesterbrook or Tuckahoe kids in D1 miss weekend meets.
Anonymous
Post 06/24/2024 23:52     Subject: Do A meet families ever take vacation during summer swim season?
We do. Less now than when kids were younger. DH refuses to pander to any schedule. And when you have three children all in multiple sports throughout the year, we go when it makes sense for our family in the summer.
Anonymous
Post 06/24/2024 23:16     Subject: Do A meet families ever take vacation during summer swim season?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Depends on the team and age groups- top division teams with top swimmers my guess is no, but lower division teams and kids in younger age groups yes. I think older kids care more and won't miss, younger kids/parents of young kids tend to not care as much.

My kids have swum in A meets for the past 9 years and we only missed 1 A meet the very first year/before we knew our kid would make A meets. Now they would be very angry if we missed.



Why do top divisions and top swimmers not want to miss A meet once or twice? Are they afraid of losing their spots or potentially improving their times

For my kids (nvsl), it’s because they don’t want to let down their team. It has nothing to do with defending their spots or dropping time; A meets are a team sport and they want to be there to help the team win. It’s just like a kid wouldn’t want to let down their team by missing a big baseball or soccer game. I’m not suggesting people shouldn’t vacation, but to answer your question, this is why many swimmers don’t want to miss A meets.
Anonymous
Post 06/24/2024 22:25     Subject: Re:Do A meet families ever take vacation during summer swim season?
Anonymous wrote:I think it depends somewhat on division and pool. Those top pools are hard core! My pool not so much. That said, my kids are A meet swimmers, and we wait until last week of July/August to vacation because my kids love summer swim.


This is a phrase that isn’t even really used at some pools. I’ve never heard it and we’ve been involved for about 14 years. You need 60 swimmers to fill all lanes across the age groups (NVSL). If you are on our team and available to swim you can pretty much plan on being called upon to swim.
Anonymous
Post 06/24/2024 22:14     Subject: Do A meet families ever take vacation during summer swim season?
We have a freshman this year doing marching band. Starts August 1st. So we missed a week of practice for younger kids but did go to both Sat meets. Missed B meet.
Anonymous
Post 06/24/2024 22:10     Subject: Do A meet families ever take vacation during summer swim season?
Pretty common on our team for A meet swimmers to miss a meet at some point in the season. Not usually more than one, but some do miss a couple. And like a PP said, it's correlated with being in a lower division.

We do plan vacations around relay carnival and divisionals. Other than that ... my other kid starts his high school fall sport at the end of July, so we'd never take a vacation if we weren't willing to skip something!
Anonymous
Post 06/24/2024 21:52     Subject: Do A meet families ever take vacation during summer swim season?
My son swims the A meet closest to 4th of July every year. He doesn’t swim A meets other than that one.
Anonymous
Post 06/24/2024 21:46     Subject: Re:Do A meet families ever take vacation during summer swim season?
I think it depends somewhat on division and pool. Those top pools are hard core! My pool not so much. That said, my kids are A meet swimmers, and we wait until last week of July/August to vacation because my kids love summer swim.
Anonymous
Post 06/24/2024 21:38     Subject: Do A meet families ever take vacation during summer swim season?
Die hard summer swim families do not take vacation till after All Stars. Especially in the upper divisions in MCSL.

But some do. Most don’t. We are in the J, K, L And some take vacation. Some skip B meets and come back for the A meet.