Piling on. Swim is a lot different than other sports. Summer leagues in this area are supposed to be fun. Most teams have more social activities planned than meets. But the level of instruction and coaching varied from team to team. If coaches are throwing kids in meets (A or B) that cannot make it safely across the pool or everyone is holding their breath to see if they do -- that kid should not have been in that meet. They were not ready. And that shows a callous disregard for that child's safety but more importantly (as another poster stated) the potential damage/embarrassment it would cause that kid. Swimming should be a sport EVERY kid does for at least a few years. You don't want to scare them off.

I have seen parents bully their not ready kids into meets. It never ends well. And it really shows a lack of understanding.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid did summer swim last year for the first time. She had to be able to swim a lap of the pool to be on the team. Not sure why you need to prep a 7yo for this?

Your pool might not be that competitive and/or desperate for bodies. Some teams are overly large and simply do not have the lane space to take every kid.

Can you cite some examples of pools that won't take a kid for the teams that compete in summer weeknight swim meets?

Not OP. But our pool Arlington Forest would put a kid on the mini-Tigers. Most pools in the upper divisions have a mini program where kids are not quite ready for the full team. Generally if your NVSL has a mini program listed on their swim site they have standards. A smattering of pools across varying divisions that have a mini program. I wish more pools would do it so as not to have the doggy paddler/drowing child swimming a B meet and holding it all up.

Poplar Heights
Arlington Forest
Woodley
Dominion Hills
Parklawn
Sleepy Hollow
Holmes Run.

Thank you for sharing examples. So when do you expect kids to be able to learn how to swim the length of the pool if your local pool/team isn't willing to show them how and the swim teams are taking up most of the pool for hours every day? Does your local pool facilitate actualy swim training for first time swimmers? Aren't year-round swim clubs/teams and the meets those teams participate in more appropriate for the scenario you are wishing for? Do you expect a child playing recreational soccer who has never played the sport until age 7 to not get a chance to play/compete during the games on the weekend just because they aren't as good as everyone else (yet)?

To your questions:

1. Swim team is not a learn to swim sport. You have to know how to swim first and this is done with lessons.

2. Most swim teams practice prior to pool opening to the membership - not sure what pool you belong to.

3. Yes, our pool offers swim lessons for first time swimmers. When they have basic fundamentals - free style (with or without rotational breathing) and can float on their backs with some movement in a direction, they move up to a mini program. Mini program does all the fun swim team stuff but doesn't compete in the meets because it would be UNSAFE for them to do so. They work on technique and endurance.

4. Summer league is a league. But it involves an aspect (water) that is one of the causes of children dying - DROWNING. So not everyone can "do it" until it is safe to do so. So swimming has stages in order to get to compete. I have been at meets where a kid gets a third way across the pool and is grabbing lane lines because they have no business being there. Lifeguards have had to save them. That is absolutely on that team for putting a kid not ready in the water. NOW that kid is traumatized by the experience. It was irresponsible of that team to put a kid in the water to race across the pool that was not ready.

MOST swim teams have levels and want the kids to move up. I have seen kids in lessons that just learned it quick and were moved on to the team. It happens.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid did summer swim last year for the first time. She had to be able to swim a lap of the pool to be on the team. Not sure why you need to prep a 7yo for this?

Your pool might not be that competitive and/or desperate for bodies. Some teams are overly large and simply do not have the lane space to take every kid.

Can you cite some examples of pools that won't take a kid for the teams that compete in summer weeknight swim meets?

Not OP. But our pool Arlington Forest would put a kid on the mini-Tigers. Most pools in the upper divisions have a mini program where kids are not quite ready for the full team. Generally if your NVSL has a mini program listed on their swim site they have standards. A smattering of pools across varying divisions that have a mini program. I wish more pools would do it so as not to have the doggy paddler/drowing child swimming a B meet and holding it all up.

Poplar Heights
Arlington Forest
Woodley
Dominion Hills
Parklawn
Sleepy Hollow
Holmes Run.

Thank you for sharing examples. So when do you expect kids to be able to learn how to swim the length of the pool if your local pool/team isn't willing to show them how and the swim teams are taking up most of the pool for hours every day? Does your local pool facilitate actualy swim training for first time swimmers? Aren't year-round swim clubs/teams and the meets those teams participate in more appropriate for the scenario you are wishing for? Do you expect a child playing recreational soccer who has never played the sport until age 7 to not get a chance to play/compete during the games on the weekend just because they aren't as good as everyone else (yet)?

This is what pre-team is for. There is a safety element to swim that isn’t present in rec soccer at the 7 year old level. At a B meet I was at last year someone had to jump in and retrieve a struggling kid who had no business trying to actually swim in a meet. They don’t use a kiddie pool for the meets, it’s a pool with a deep diving well and is 5 feet at its shallowest point. If your kid can’t swim they should be on the pre-team or taking lessons, not trying to swim unaided in deep water at meets.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid did summer swim last year for the first time. She had to be able to swim a lap of the pool to be on the team. Not sure why you need to prep a 7yo for this?

Your pool might not be that competitive and/or desperate for bodies. Some teams are overly large and simply do not have the lane space to take every kid.

Can you cite some examples of pools that won't take a kid for the teams that compete in summer weeknight swim meets?

Not OP. But our pool Arlington Forest would put a kid on the mini-Tigers. Most pools in the upper divisions have a mini program where kids are not quite ready for the full team. Generally if your NVSL has a mini program listed on their swim site they have standards. A smattering of pools across varying divisions that have a mini program. I wish more pools would do it so as not to have the doggy paddler/drowing child swimming a B meet and holding it all up.

Poplar Heights
Arlington Forest
Woodley
Dominion Hills
Parklawn
Sleepy Hollow
Holmes Run.

Thank you for sharing examples. So when do you expect kids to be able to learn how to swim the length of the pool if your local pool/team isn't willing to show them how and the swim teams are taking up most of the pool for hours every day? Does your local pool facilitate actualy swim training for first time swimmers? Aren't year-round swim clubs/teams and the meets those teams participate in more appropriate for the scenario you are wishing for? Do you expect a child playing recreational soccer who has never played the sport until age 7 to not get a chance to play/compete during the games on the weekend just because they aren't as good as everyone else (yet)?

What pool lets their swim team occupy the pool for most of the day? You seem to equate NVSL swim with rec soccer and that not really an apt comparison. The kids are essentially competing for their neighborhoods, so it's something closer to school sports.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid did summer swim last year for the first time. She had to be able to swim a lap of the pool to be on the team. Not sure why you need to prep a 7yo for this?

Because not all 7yr olds can swim a lap?

They probably can but not fast enough for all the other parents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid did summer swim last year for the first time. She had to be able to swim a lap of the pool to be on the team. Not sure why you need to prep a 7yo for this?

Your pool might not be that competitive and/or desperate for bodies. Some teams are overly large and simply do not have the lane space to take every kid.

Can you cite some examples of pools that won't take a kid for the teams that compete in summer weeknight swim meets?

Not OP. But our pool Arlington Forest would put a kid on the mini-Tigers. Most pools in the upper divisions have a mini program where kids are not quite ready for the full team. Generally if your NVSL has a mini program listed on their swim site they have standards. A smattering of pools across varying divisions that have a mini program. I wish more pools would do it so as not to have the doggy paddler/drowing child swimming a B meet and holding it all up.

Poplar Heights
Arlington Forest
Woodley
Dominion Hills
Parklawn
Sleepy Hollow
Holmes Run.

Thank you for sharing examples. So when do you expect kids to be able to learn how to swim the length of the pool if your local pool/team isn't willing to show them how and the swim teams are taking up most of the pool for hours every day? Does your local pool facilitate actualy swim training for first time swimmers? Aren't year-round swim clubs/teams and the meets those teams participate in more appropriate for the scenario you are wishing for? Do you expect a child playing recreational soccer who has never played the sport until age 7 to not get a chance to play/compete during the games on the weekend just because they aren't as good as everyone else (yet)?