Anonymous
Post 04/08/2023 11:00     Subject: Best swim team
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP - I can assure you that it's nearly impossible to tell if a kid has a future in swimming at age 8 so just pick the most convenient pool for you and your family.

At age 8, my son was coming in 1st or 2nd at MCSL All stars, Coaches long course and large championship meets. He was burned out by age 10 and was no longer enjoying competition. By age 11, other kids hit puberty and he didn't and it was really rough. He never gave up and has made a great comeback at 15 and is now 17. He's not the swimmer he was at age 8 though. Sometimes they really do peak at age 8.


That’s great to hear that his perseverance paid off. And I’m sure he had good technique to rely on. I think some kids do peak at 8, but for most, I think it’s less that they peak at 8, and more that the competition pool is pretty small at 8. At 12u, kids get more serious and the ones who started as 10u are no longer beginners. There are also weird years where there are fewer fast kids, so slower kids seem to be excelling, but it’s just relative. At our Jo’s the 10u girls have one such glitch, and the winning times for most events were a good few seconds slower than the 10u boys. At that age, the times are usually pretty similar. Kids who win a lot, but are actually just the top of a slower year sometimes have a hard road ahead because they expect to continue to win and can get burned out. The gist of all of this is that kids have to enjoy it and want to work hard even if they aren’t finishing first, because most kids will not be the fastest (obviously).


I’m not in the area, not even on the east coast

Which JOs is that? The 10U girls in PVS are crazy fast.
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2023 09:07     Subject: Best swim team
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP - I can assure you that it's nearly impossible to tell if a kid has a future in swimming at age 8 so just pick the most convenient pool for you and your family.

At age 8, my son was coming in 1st or 2nd at MCSL All stars, Coaches long course and large championship meets. He was burned out by age 10 and was no longer enjoying competition. By age 11, other kids hit puberty and he didn't and it was really rough. He never gave up and has made a great comeback at 15 and is now 17. He's not the swimmer he was at age 8 though. Sometimes they really do peak at age 8.


That’s great to hear that his perseverance paid off. And I’m sure he had good technique to rely on. I think some kids do peak at 8, but for most, I think it’s less that they peak at 8, and more that the competition pool is pretty small at 8. At 12u, kids get more serious and the ones who started as 10u are no longer beginners. There are also weird years where there are fewer fast kids, so slower kids seem to be excelling, but it’s just relative. At our Jo’s the 10u girls have one such glitch, and the winning times for most events were a good few seconds slower than the 10u boys. At that age, the times are usually pretty similar. Kids who win a lot, but are actually just the top of a slower year sometimes have a hard road ahead because they expect to continue to win and can get burned out. The gist of all of this is that kids have to enjoy it and want to work hard even if they aren’t finishing first, because most kids will not be the fastest (obviously).


Which JOs is that? The 10U girls in PVS are crazy fast.
Anonymous
Post 04/07/2023 20:29     Subject: Best swim team
Anonymous wrote:OP - I can assure you that it's nearly impossible to tell if a kid has a future in swimming at age 8 so just pick the most convenient pool for you and your family.

At age 8, my son was coming in 1st or 2nd at MCSL All stars, Coaches long course and large championship meets. He was burned out by age 10 and was no longer enjoying competition. By age 11, other kids hit puberty and he didn't and it was really rough. He never gave up and has made a great comeback at 15 and is now 17. He's not the swimmer he was at age 8 though. Sometimes they really do peak at age 8.


That’s great to hear that his perseverance paid off. And I’m sure he had good technique to rely on. I think some kids do peak at 8, but for most, I think it’s less that they peak at 8, and more that the competition pool is pretty small at 8. At 12u, kids get more serious and the ones who started as 10u are no longer beginners. There are also weird years where there are fewer fast kids, so slower kids seem to be excelling, but it’s just relative. At our Jo’s the 10u girls have one such glitch, and the winning times for most events were a good few seconds slower than the 10u boys. At that age, the times are usually pretty similar. Kids who win a lot, but are actually just the top of a slower year sometimes have a hard road ahead because they expect to continue to win and can get burned out. The gist of all of this is that kids have to enjoy it and want to work hard even if they aren’t finishing first, because most kids will not be the fastest (obviously).
Anonymous
Post 04/07/2023 20:17     Subject: Best swim team
OP - I can assure you that it's nearly impossible to tell if a kid has a future in swimming at age 8 so just pick the most convenient pool for you and your family.

At age 8, my son was coming in 1st or 2nd at MCSL All stars, Coaches long course and large championship meets. He was burned out by age 10 and was no longer enjoying competition. By age 11, other kids hit puberty and he didn't and it was really rough. He never gave up and has made a great comeback at 15 and is now 17. He's not the swimmer he was at age 8 though. Sometimes they really do peak at age 8.
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2023 14:02     Subject: Re:Best swim team
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
I also am looking for the best swim team for my daughter. The early discussion made me think a move to the RMSC Rays would be a good fit to boost her college resume and win championships. However, i talked with some local parents at her school. They say their kids were recruited to the Potomac Muscles swim team. While most of the people on the team have to drive a long way to get to the pool, apparently the coach puts a strong emphasis on IMX score. I think the muscles may be the better fit long term because of this.


If you are talking about the Potomac Mussels, that is a summer MCSL team and there is NO recruitment allowed in the MCSL so the local parents you talked to were blowing smoke.

Although summer swim is loads of fun and I definitely recommend it, if you are serious about swimming you want to be looking at year round club teams. Rockville Rays and Potomac Mussels are summer league teams.

IMX score means nothing when you are looking at college recruitment.


I was the PP here- your child is not yet on a swim team, yet you are thinking about her college resume and planning for her to win championships? Are you transferring from another state? How old is your child? How is her current swimming? This information would be helpful for posters to provide advice.
Anonymous
Post 03/11/2023 20:01     Subject: Best swim team
Potomac Mussels is such a funny name to me for a swim team. Aren’t mussels known for bunching together and cementing themselves to rocks, not so much swimming? Very original name though! Much more original than makos, sharks, stingrays, dolphins etc.
Anonymous
Post 03/11/2023 18:09     Subject: Best swim team
IMX poster is just messing with us y’all. Probably a bored swimmer!!
Anonymous
Post 03/11/2023 16:33     Subject: Re:Best swim team
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:One of the most important things you need to do in finding a club for a young kid is to find a club that emphasizes a great IMX score. If your kid wants a scholarship or wants any long term success, they need to get this score high. Think of it as the SAT score for swimmers


This is not true.


Swimming events are so different that it doesn’t make sense for colleges (or anyone) to look at something like IMX.
Anonymous
Post 03/11/2023 16:28     Subject: Re:Best swim team
Anonymous wrote:One of the most important things you need to do in finding a club for a young kid is to find a club that emphasizes a great IMX score. If your kid wants a scholarship or wants any long term success, they need to get this score high. Think of it as the SAT score for swimmers


This is not true.
Anonymous
Post 03/11/2023 16:25     Subject: Re:Best swim team
Anonymous wrote:All I am saying is that for every Caelan dressel, there are 9 other top ncaa recruits that had a high IMX score.


Maybe, but only because they were just solid swimmers. That’s who rises to the top and then specializes.

I bet Caeleb Dressel also had a high IMX at 10.

I can tell you in my kids’ group where the majority of 2023/2024s will be swimming D1, they haven’t done IMX as a meet or focused on getting all the events in since they moved to the MS group. It had no bearing on their recruitment. It is a 14u thing that some clubs/groups abandon by 11-12 age group.
Anonymous
Post 03/11/2023 16:11     Subject: Re:Best swim team
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
I also am looking for the best swim team for my daughter. The early discussion made me think a move to the RMSC Rays would be a good fit to boost her college resume and win championships. However, i talked with some local parents at her school. They say their kids were recruited to the Potomac Muscles swim team. While most of the people on the team have to drive a long way to get to the pool, apparently the coach puts a strong emphasis on IMX score. I think the muscles may be the better fit long term because of this.

There is no RMSC Rays. It’s the Rockville Rays and while they are coached by an RMSC coach and a lot of his RMSC kids swim on this team, you do not have to be a member of RMSC to swim for the Rays. The Rays are an MCSL summer league team, and summer league results or championships don’t impact recruiting. I have never heard of Potomac Muscles. There is a club team called the Potomac Marlins, but they are based in VA, so if you are interested in RMSC or the Rockville Rays, swimming club for the Marlins makes no sense.


I’m pretty sure that was sarcasm

There is a team “mussels” in MCSL, and I do think it’s Potomac Swim Club, but still I think this person was being funny.
Anonymous
Post 03/11/2023 15:42     Subject: Re:Best swim team
All I am saying is that for every Caelan dressel, there are 9 other top ncaa recruits that had a high IMX score.
Anonymous
Post 03/11/2023 12:43     Subject: Re:Best swim team
Anonymous wrote:
I also am looking for the best swim team for my daughter. The early discussion made me think a move to the RMSC Rays would be a good fit to boost her college resume and win championships. However, i talked with some local parents at her school. They say their kids were recruited to the Potomac Muscles swim team. While most of the people on the team have to drive a long way to get to the pool, apparently the coach puts a strong emphasis on IMX score. I think the muscles may be the better fit long term because of this.


If you are talking about the Potomac Mussels, that is a summer MCSL team and there is NO recruitment allowed in the MCSL so the local parents you talked to were blowing smoke.

Although summer swim is loads of fun and I definitely recommend it, if you are serious about swimming you want to be looking at year round club teams. Rockville Rays and Potomac Mussels are summer league teams.

IMX score means nothing when you are looking at college recruitment.
Anonymous
Post 03/11/2023 11:16     Subject: Re:Best swim team
Anonymous wrote:
I also am looking for the best swim team for my daughter. The early discussion made me think a move to the RMSC Rays would be a good fit to boost her college resume and win championships. However, i talked with some local parents at her school. They say their kids were recruited to the Potomac Muscles swim team. While most of the people on the team have to drive a long way to get to the pool, apparently the coach puts a strong emphasis on IMX score. I think the muscles may be the better fit long term because of this.


Ok, I think you’re asking about club swimming, RMSC (fyi, the Rays are a summer team) and the Potomac Marlins. RMSC, is a much larger club and the Rockville site is quite large, in particular. Unlike the other RMSC locations, it is managed by the city of Rockville so there are some slight differences. It’s not the strongest RMSC site but because it is linked to the larger RMSC club, you’ll have access to many of the bigger meets like NCSAs. How old is your swimmer and do they lean towards being a sprinter or distance?

I’m not very familiar with Potomac Marlins. I believe they are based out of Virginia, so either I’m thinking of the wrong club or like your post mentioned, you’re willing to commute.

Just a fair warning, as your swimmer approaches the upper levels of training, there are a LOT of practices. This involves a lot of driving early in the morning and late at night. Not great during the dark winter months. Just something to consider. You might want to aim for a location near your daughter’s school or near your house. RMSC also has locations in “North” Bethesda (KSAC), Germantown, Olney and Silver Spring). There are a ton of other high quality clubs in NOVA and MOCO. Most have a select/ntg group that produce fast swimmers. If you want, name the area you are near.

Finally, don’t focus on IMX scores. And if this is IMX dad or mom or a troll having fun with this thread, ya got me! 🤪
Anonymous
Post 03/11/2023 10:58     Subject: Re:Best swim team
Anonymous wrote:
I also am looking for the best swim team for my daughter. The early discussion made me think a move to the RMSC Rays would be a good fit to boost her college resume and win championships. However, i talked with some local parents at her school. They say their kids were recruited to the Potomac Muscles swim team. While most of the people on the team have to drive a long way to get to the pool, apparently the coach puts a strong emphasis on IMX score. I think the muscles may be the better fit long term because of this.


Pick a team near you that is sustainable. It is a lot of living at the pool.