How old should a child be when they start to compete?
Former Member
My granddaughter, who is 4 and a very good swimmer for her age, was just asked to an invitational meet in March. I don't have all the details on the meet, what events she might be swimming, the ages of the other children she might compete against, etc. My daughter will talk to the coach soon. But, I would like to hear from some of you. Any thoughts on participation/competing at this young age? Anyone out there who started this young?
Lainey
Parents
Former Member
There are a lot of fast 5 and 6 year olds that can even beat us master swimmers. It depends upon the child. I didn't start competively until age 12. But my father wanted me to know butterfly. Girls even more than boys develop in swimming early and starting early for them has some advantage. The disadvantage for the child is that a very early start means the child gets bored with the sport by high school. Most age groupers drop out at 13 years old that start early.
There are a lot of fast 5 and 6 year olds that can even beat us master swimmers. It depends upon the child. I didn't start competively until age 12. But my father wanted me to know butterfly. Girls even more than boys develop in swimming early and starting early for them has some advantage. The disadvantage for the child is that a very early start means the child gets bored with the sport by high school. Most age groupers drop out at 13 years old that start early.
