Anonymous
Post 06/18/2026 09:08     Subject: swim team - my kid's disappointed, didn't make the cut
All I can add is my DS’s first swim team experience. He was about 9 years old and his swim lesson instructor recommended swim team because lap swimming is necessary to become a good swimmer. This was at a summer YMCA and it was crowded - about 10 kids in each lane. With all those kids, you can only imagine the waves in the pool with all those churning arms. I watched my kid the entire time because I thought he was going to drown! Granted, there was a lifeguard, but there were a lot of bodies in the water. Maybe I am exaggerating, but it was a far cry from a 1:1 organized swim lesson. He was a limp noodle when he was done with his first practice. To the OP, maybe you could watch a practice to see if/when your child would be a good fit. Remember, this is supposed to be fun. Good luck.
Anonymous
Post 06/18/2026 07:38     Subject: swim team - my kid's disappointed, didn't make the cut
We also say if you can make it across the pool, you’re on the team. We have several junior coaches in the water with the swimmers who need to improve mechanics and endurance.
Anonymous
Post 06/17/2026 11:22     Subject: Re:swim team - my kid's disappointed, didn't make the cut
Anonymous wrote:What is pre team like though? Are you sure it’s not swim team lite, which sounds appropriate for your DS’s skill level?

My DS is 8 and is joining a precomp summer swim program with three levels. Level 1 is considered a precomp team as entry level and you have to be able to swim freestyle and backstroke 50m.

Under level 1 is just lessons. Most of the kids in level 1 are age 5-7. Level 2 is 8-11 mostly but has some younger kids who have been swimming year round to get to this level. Level 3 is the top with older kids.


+1 most 7yos in our pool in Bethesda are on preteam. You have to be able to get across the pool to be on it, basically. That's what mine did last year and at 8 he's on team. Some of his friends are still on preteam at 8. It's not for "little kids" as OP is assuming.
Anonymous
Post 06/17/2026 11:19     Subject: swim team - my kid's disappointed, didn't make the cut
This makes no sense.

At my pool the requirement for swim team is that the kid can swim to the other side without stopping in 60seconds (and they’re pretty lax about that tbh.)

There’s a slow lane, a medium lane and fast lanes. Usually only the high school coaches work with the kids in the slow lanes and the adult team coach focuses on the A meet kids.

Swim team is for everyone! You should complain to your pool board.
Anonymous
Post 06/17/2026 11:03     Subject: swim team - my kid's disappointed, didn't make the cut
Anonymous wrote:DS is 7 and we joined our neighborhood pool (which is on the smaller side) last summer. This year he can make it across the pool very slowly (but confidently) freestyle and back, but didn't make the team cuz coach didn't think he could survive the hour-long practices (fair). We've taken swim classes during spring and summer since age 5 but he definitely doesn't have the stamina at the moment to do many laps. He is very disappointed to be in the baby pre-team again though and is the biggest kid there.
His skills would seem perfectly acceptable anywhere else except in Moco where swimming is so damn competitive. I'm wondering if I should just encourage him to accept pre-team, or try to put him in more classes so he can develop that stamina, or ask the coaches if maybe he could join some team practices or what. I'm not that pushy on sports and he just loves to be at the pool with friends (who are on the team, sigh) but he's not asking to do laps year round or anything.


Is your kid actually disappointed or just picking up on your disappointment?
Anonymous
Post 06/17/2026 10:56     Subject: Re:swim team - my kid's disappointed, didn't make the cut
I’m sorry, OP. Our team welcomes anyone who can get across the pool and who seems like they can keep up for 45 minutes. We also have a ton of coaches who can be in the water with the newer swimmers.

If your team doesn’t have sufficient lane space or coaching staff for that, they might have to be more stringent on the stamina issue and have kids work up to it through minis practices which are usually shorter. The last thing you want is to turn your kid off swim because they started before they were truly ready. Everyone gets there at their own pace.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2026 09:47     Subject: Re:swim team - my kid's disappointed, didn't make the cut
Summer swim should not start with hour long practices with swimming the entire team anyways. Thats dumb coaching and I would seriously question any coach who doesnt titrate up in volume, time, etc. Its summer swim.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2026 09:42     Subject: swim team - my kid's disappointed, didn't make the cut
Anonymous wrote:DS is 7 and we joined our neighborhood pool (which is on the smaller side) last summer. This year he can make it across the pool very slowly (but confidently) freestyle and back, but didn't make the team cuz coach didn't think he could survive the hour-long practices (fair). We've taken swim classes during spring and summer since age 5 but he definitely doesn't have the stamina at the moment to do many laps. He is very disappointed to be in the baby pre-team again though and is the biggest kid there.
His skills would seem perfectly acceptable anywhere else except in Moco where swimming is so damn competitive. I'm wondering if I should just encourage him to accept pre-team, or try to put him in more classes so he can develop that stamina, or ask the coaches if maybe he could join some team practices or what. I'm not that pushy on sports and he just loves to be at the pool with friends (who are on the team, sigh) but he's not asking to do laps year round or anything.


They don't have a slow lane at practices where they do more resting in-between laps, especially in the early weeks? Or they do have this but your kid doesn't have the stamina even for that?

Also makes a difference if your kid was just slow, or slow plus exhausted. I have a kid who's a very slow swimmer but has plenty of stamina and no problem swimming in a long practice with minimal breaks-- that kind of kid should absolutely be on the team. But if your kid looked like they were totally wiped out even before they made one length of the pool and barely made it to the end, that might be a legit reason to think even the slow lane for the main team practices would be too much for them this year.
Anonymous
Post 06/01/2026 11:54     Subject: swim team - my kid's disappointed, didn't make the cut
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My 6 year old barely made the big team this year after a year on pre-team. At our MCSL pool they just have to make it across confidently to be in 8U. Practices until school is out are 30 min. I will say he came out completely exhausted after the first practice yesterday. Like collapse tired.
We do have 6,7,8 year olds on pre team as well.


How is one 30 minute swim team practice getting him to collapse tired if he’s been in 30 minutes lessons?


Tell me you’ve never been to a swim team practice without telling me you’ve never been to a swim team practice. . .


But OP said 30 minutes, not even an hour. A 30 minute swim practice is exhausting? Please explain.

Mine is joining a pre team and all year he has been doing 1x-2x/week lessons each 25 minute lesson is laps over and over, with 1 break to tread water. This is considered swim lessons 1 level under being able to even try out for a team. Even the slowest kids are not stopping for breaks or to use the bathroom or anything. These are 6-7 year olds. The rec team (non competitive summer team) my kid is joining runs 1.5 hour practices. The more competitive club team runs 2.5 hour practices at this age.

All swim teams I’ve seen run for at least an hour. I would not have expected any realistic joiners to be absolutely exhausted after just 30 minutes. Lots of the kids I know who swim also do another sport.

No club is running a 2.5 hour practice for 7 year olds.


But even if a practice is 60 minutes, Op said her kid was collapsing exhausted after just 30 minutes. My son has swimming lesson classmates at age 6 or 7 who are leaving the lesson to go to soccer or dance.