Anonymous wrote:Of course parents clap for these kids. It doesn’t change the fact that they should never have been entered into that event. Kids are sorted into heats so that everyone has a semi competitive race. If your kid is in the slowest heat and is still unable to at least reasonably keep up then they should not have been allowed to swim that race yet by their coaches. They are not physically ready yet. It is actually a sign of a bad coach.

Take it up with the organizers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course parents clap for these kids. It doesn’t change the fact that they should never have been entered into that event. Kids are sorted into heats so that everyone has a semi competitive race. If your kid is in the slowest heat and is still unable to at least reasonably keep up then they should not have been allowed to swim that race yet by their coaches. They are not physically ready yet. It is actually a sign of a bad coach.

Sometimes kids need to race a distance to prove to themselves that they can do it and then they are motivated to improve afterwards. Sometimes they need to experience what it’s like to go out too fast in a 200 free and then die on the way home to learn how to pace themselves.

You could argue the same for swimmers at the Olympics who had slower times than my 8 year old. This may surprise you, but their swim experience is not about the convenience of the spectators.

Isn’t this what practice is for?

Yes. And when the coach is confident the swimmer has the ability to complete the event, they allow them to enter it. Complete might mean coming in dead last but completing.

In all the years we've gone to meets I've yet to see a child almost drown. Struggle with something tough like fly, of course. But not drown.

I think what people are saying though is that there is no chance a coach was actually confident a kid had the ability to complete some of these events, and in the case of events other than freestyle, complete them legally.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course parents clap for these kids. It doesn’t change the fact that they should never have been entered into that event. Kids are sorted into heats so that everyone has a semi competitive race. If your kid is in the slowest heat and is still unable to at least reasonably keep up then they should not have been allowed to swim that race yet by their coaches. They are not physically ready yet. It is actually a sign of a bad coach.

Sometimes kids need to race a distance to prove to themselves that they can do it and then they are motivated to improve afterwards. Sometimes they need to experience what it’s like to go out too fast in a 200 free and then die on the way home to learn how to pace themselves.

You could argue the same for swimmers at the Olympics who had slower times than my 8 year old. This may surprise you, but their swim experience is not about the convenience of the spectators.

Isn’t this what practice is for?

Yes. And when the coach is confident the swimmer has the ability to complete the event, they allow them to enter it. Complete might mean coming in dead last but completing.

In all the years we've gone to meets I've yet to see a child almost drown. Struggle with something tough like fly, of course. But not drown.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course parents clap for these kids. It doesn’t change the fact that they should never have been entered into that event. Kids are sorted into heats so that everyone has a semi competitive race. If your kid is in the slowest heat and is still unable to at least reasonably keep up then they should not have been allowed to swim that race yet by their coaches. They are not physically ready yet. It is actually a sign of a bad coach.

Sometimes kids need to race a distance to prove to themselves that they can do it and then they are motivated to improve afterwards. Sometimes they need to experience what it’s like to go out too fast in a 200 free and then die on the way home to learn how to pace themselves.

You could argue the same for swimmers at the Olympics who had slower times than my 8 year old. This may surprise you, but their swim experience is not about the convenience of the spectators.

Isn’t this what practice is for?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course parents clap for these kids. It doesn’t change the fact that they should never have been entered into that event. Kids are sorted into heats so that everyone has a semi competitive race. If your kid is in the slowest heat and is still unable to at least reasonably keep up then they should not have been allowed to swim that race yet by their coaches. They are not physically ready yet. It is actually a sign of a bad coach.

Sometimes kids need to race a distance to prove to themselves that they can do it and then they are motivated to improve afterwards. Sometimes they need to experience what it’s like to go out too fast in a 200 free and then die on the way home to learn how to pace themselves.

You could argue the same for swimmers at the Olympics who had slower times than my 8 year old. This may surprise you, but their swim experience is not about the convenience of the spectators.

If the kid is dead they won't learn from their mistake.

Anonymous wrote:Of course parents clap for these kids. It doesn’t change the fact that they should never have been entered into that event. Kids are sorted into heats so that everyone has a semi competitive race. If your kid is in the slowest heat and is still unable to at least reasonably keep up then they should not have been allowed to swim that race yet by their coaches. They are not physically ready yet. It is actually a sign of a bad coach.

Sometimes kids need to race a distance to prove to themselves that they can do it and then they are motivated to improve afterwards. Sometimes they need to experience what it’s like to go out too fast in a 200 free and then die on the way home to learn how to pace themselves.

You could argue the same for swimmers at the Olympics who had slower times than my 8 year old. This may surprise you, but their swim experience is not about the convenience of the spectators.

Anonymous wrote:You can't get an official time if you aren't at a meet. If your times are getting better, keep going to meets. If you aren't getting better, stay in practice until your earn the meet.

People who don't want to swim with you can go form their own club.

This right here.

You can't get an official time if you aren't at a meet. If your times are getting better, keep going to meets. If you aren't getting better, stay in practice until your earn the meet.

People who don't want to swim with you can go form their own club.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course parents clap for these kids. It doesn’t change the fact that they should never have been entered into that event. Kids are sorted into heats so that everyone has a semi competitive race. If your kid is in the slowest heat and is still unable to at least reasonably keep up then they should not have been allowed to swim that race yet by their coaches. They are not physically ready yet. It is actually a sign of a bad coach.

For the sake of responding I’ll agree with you, although I’d say it’s debatable. What’s most important and goes back to the very first post is that no matter what the scenario it is absolutely disgustingly wrong for parents to badmouth those kids. Period, full stop.

100% agree. I’ll badmouth the coaches though

Anonymous wrote:Of course parents clap for these kids. It doesn’t change the fact that they should never have been entered into that event. Kids are sorted into heats so that everyone has a semi competitive race. If your kid is in the slowest heat and is still unable to at least reasonably keep up then they should not have been allowed to swim that race yet by their coaches. They are not physically ready yet. It is actually a sign of a bad coach.

+1, I always clap for those kids while still thinking they should never have been entered in that event.

Anonymous wrote:Of course parents clap for these kids. It doesn’t change the fact that they should never have been entered into that event. Kids are sorted into heats so that everyone has a semi competitive race. If your kid is in the slowest heat and is still unable to at least reasonably keep up then they should not have been allowed to swim that race yet by their coaches. They are not physically ready yet. It is actually a sign of a bad coach.

For the sake of responding I’ll agree with you, although I’d say it’s debatable. What’s most important and goes back to the very first post is that no matter what the scenario it is absolutely disgustingly wrong for parents to badmouth those kids. Period, full stop.

Of course parents clap for these kids. It doesn’t change the fact that they should never have been entered into that event. Kids are sorted into heats so that everyone has a semi competitive race. If your kid is in the slowest heat and is still unable to at least reasonably keep up then they should not have been allowed to swim that race yet by their coaches. They are not physically ready yet. It is actually a sign of a bad coach.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I wrote the comment about kids swimming events they don’t belong in yet. I have 2 swimmers..one is pretty speedy and the other is not. They both love to swim and I love watching them both. That being said I am not entering my slower swimmer in a 200 fly or 200IM because even if she does finish it won’t be a positive experience. A 100IM sure…but if your kid isn’t competitive in a shorter race why would you ever put them in a longer one? There are plenty of short races to choose from in the 11-12 age groups and down

Because for some kids simply finishing successfully is a positive experience. When 100 or more kids are entered in an event do you really think most of them are there to consider themselves competitive? No. They have other goals in mind.

Like not drowning because physically they are not ready to race that longer distance? I’m not talking about kids with slower times…I am talking about the kids that you are worrying about someone needing to jump in after because the coach had no business letting them swim that event

Who's almost drowning at swim meets? Besides, the thread is about swimming in nice pools, not swimming events YOU think they should be banned from.

Tell me you’ve never been to a 12U session without telling me you’ve never been to one. There are frequently kids swimming events that they have no business being in. Like the 100 fly when after 50 they can’t keep their arms above water and look like they need rescuing, or the 200 free where after a 100 they are barely swimming.

Why is that a problem? Obviously you're not actually talking about real-life drowning; you're talking about kids whose technique and stamina make even just completing the event into a huge challenge. There's a reason the spectators typically cheer for that last finisher: that kid was _brave_, super brave, to do something that right now they can barely do, in front of peers and hundreds of spectators, when they _know_ they can't yet keep up. Would you be brave enough to do that, in any activity you are just learning? Most adults wouldn't. Clap for that kid, even when you have calculated that you've lost a half-hour off your day by the end of things, and hope that people would do the same for your kid if they struggled with something, anything, and overcame it. The world needs kindness more than it needs ego.

I’ve overheard comments about my swimmers and it really stings. If anything it’s a good reminder for me to be very mindful about saying anything about anyone, ever, in public because really you never know who hears.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wrote the comment about kids swimming events they don’t belong in yet. I have 2 swimmers..one is pretty speedy and the other is not. They both love to swim and I love watching them both. That being said I am not entering my slower swimmer in a 200 fly or 200IM because even if she does finish it won’t be a positive experience. A 100IM sure…but if your kid isn’t competitive in a shorter race why would you ever put them in a longer one? There are plenty of short races to choose from in the 11-12 age groups and down

Because for some kids simply finishing successfully is a positive experience. When 100 or more kids are entered in an event do you really think most of them are there to consider themselves competitive? No. They have other goals in mind.

Like not drowning because physically they are not ready to race that longer distance? I’m not talking about kids with slower times…I am talking about the kids that you are worrying about someone needing to jump in after because the coach had no business letting them swim that event

Who's almost drowning at swim meets? Besides, the thread is about swimming in nice pools, not swimming events YOU think they should be banned from.

I’ve seen it at a swim meet. Twice in the past year.