Is Swimming Eating Its Young?

I'll get used to your dead horses too. I think I've used them recently. I haven't swum since last Tuesday. Boo. I've been running on the treadmill during Dolan warm up. I think your training is monotonous because you are doing those miles, Dude. Mix it up. Your Terrapin are crazy people. Fortunately, I'm thinking my secret nemesis might train as little as me.

In pretty much all sports the big age of decision on committment is around 14/15. Geek: Is this really true in NC? That's too old here. Unfortunately, people have to specialize earlier because of the insane practices schedules inflicted on elite atheltes. You know which sport I speak of in particular. Around here, every single sport has become a year round sport. There are no longer any seasonable sports except football. None left. And is that a real picture of you? Did you post it to rebut that Speedo-man picture that Gull keeps posting? Why, you're quite handsome and you look very mindful. Your picture seems at odds, though, with your reputation for the well-placed zing. Now, I don't know if the avatar is quite up to Richjb's former bum avatar, "but" he's ditched is and you're is really, really good. :applaud: Are you playing a guitar?

Glenn, I want you to know you are not alone in this thinking. I think this is why the author of this post started this thread: concern for our children and the possibility that some swim clubs (and parents who want them to excel) may take it too far too soon. It seems many people are hunting for ways for their children to excel and I am not sure exactly why that is. Status? or maybe the pressure of the year 2006 to keep up. I came from the era of climbing trees, hopscotch, seeing how many times I could ride my bicycle around the block with no hands; those things were so much fun. We read books and watched cartoons; no computers whatsoever. A color TV was a luxury. We used to listen to Brer Rabbit, Lady and the Tramp on 76 records. We invented things for fun which led to greater socialization with our friends; we had no aids. Yes, I am dating myself here; I am an old codger, but quite frankly I have tremendous values about things that are important in life. Simplicity is one of them. I entered swimming by total accident. I had polio and I was put in water therapy. I fell in love with water, it became my new best friend. So as I started out as below average, the more I was in it, the happier I was. Thus, eventually, the YMCA and its statewide meets. I was happy with 5th or 6th. And back then, a 5th or 6th was as good as 1st in family eyes and friends' and coaches' eyes. And when I decided to continue competing, I didn't shatter any records. I was just having fun. But I always wanted to do better, something that is still with me. As a child, I found what I wanted to do: swim. And then when I found backstroke, my world changed. I found the natural stroke for me. But as I competed and moved up in ranks, my YMCA coach never forced us to do things we couldn't do. I think most of our workouts were about 1800 yards, maybe, but they sure were quality. I made the conscious choice to try to go big league because I found something I loved more than anything else in the world. But now we are in the early 60s, and coaches were different then. Even now, with coaches trying their best to ensure proper technique to thwart off shoulder injuries, can take a toll on children. The in-depth conversations about this and the drills associated to make it happen, certainly puts a lot of pressure, or maybe even confusion, into children; " hey, where's the fun?" I am sorry this is long, I guess I went down memory lane, but it is a good memory lane. I am with you on a lot of points you made. The difference for me back then and some of the kids nowadays is this (to me): I chose it for personal enjoyment first, competiton was second, and some, only some I am saying here, swim to be the best they can be; that being first is primary so they are driven way too early. Excellence is good in prospective. Maybe because of how small I started out in the swimming world, and had coaches and family encouraging me but not making it so important it over-encompassed my life, is why I am still swimming today; more than 50 years later. I still swim for enjoyment even though I am competitve, which is a personal drive only. I'll swim until I stop breathing. A lifelong love for something like this makes me feel like I won the lottery. My thoughts and experiences; no facts here. Donna

This post has really made me sad. The emphasis today on organized sports is way off base. What I don't see today is kids just playing for the sake of having fun. When we were kids, we would come home after school and "go out and play". I loved playing softball as a kid. We would play for hours without adults, referees, umpires. We played a game of baseball/stickball sometimes with just two people, a pitcher and batter. We played it in the school playground between two three storey brick buildings of the school. A single was below the line on the wall, a double was above the first floor windows, a triple was above the second floor windows etc. It was not only fun, but we were practicing and honing our throwing and catching and batting skills. glenn, thank you for the stick ball memories! i was a street urchin (no organized sports until i joined the swim team in high school). i like to think that the kids i grew up with are none the worse for the lack of organized sports. i do love my swim time now!

Some girls are going to be ready for elite competition at quite an early age, A kid who doesn't make a group's attendance recommendations is not going to do well in the group. They generally don't keep up with the group and don't advance to the next level when their teammates are "promoted". I think Elizabeth Biesel was at the PanPacs at age 13. I heard an attendance horror story this weekend. There is a very promising distance swimmer (13) in our region who used to train with Kate Zeigler's group. She missed just a couple practices for obligatory (not voluntary) school functions, and was demoted to the lower group. This seems pretty harsh to me. She joined another team.

Fortress, I want proof of this. What's your daughter's name? I'm not telling you! Good luck with your "research" because she has a different last name than me! :thhbbb:

In no way am I recommending that a swimmer should be doing doubles at age 12. On the flip side, there are certain years where the biggest gains can be made in aerobic capacity. Most of the craziness I've seen is originating from the parents who insist that their kids should do more work. I've seen coaches fired because their team didn't place high enough at the age group championships (based on the parent's idea of what the kids should have been doing). Some of these parents will trot their kid out to a meet every weekend, then by the time they are older the whole family is burned out and the kid has plateued. If you're 12 years old, "stuck" not getting faster, and are already doing 10 workouts a week, there's not much place to go to get faster. I have actually been told that it is a positive thing for kids to have a solid aerobic base. Indeed, there is some research that suggests that aggressive cardiovascular training when young can help you live longer, wholly apart from whatever immediate USS award the kid garners. The problem is how to keep injuries at bay when volume goes up. I think more teams need to focus on pre-hab as their increasing yardage. I agree much craziness is in fact due to parents. Coaching is for coaches, not parents. I know one parent some years ago who took their 12 year old to senior nationals after she swam a 1:05 in the 100 ***. The kid couldn't take the pressure, freaked out and never really recovered to swim anywhere close to that elite level again. Very sad.

Some girls are going to be ready for elite competition at quite an early age, with some 14-year-olds who final at the Olympics. Which brings up another topic: should there be a minimum age requirement for Worlds or the Olympics? There is, for example, in figure skating. Competitors must have turned 15 the July before the Olympics or Worlds to be eligible. So basically they need to be pushing 16 by the time the actual competition rolls around. Kind of strange considering the public perception of figure skating is that it's dominated by really young athletes. My opinion is age limits like this are not a good idea. If someone is that good that young they deserve the chance to compete at the highest level. Especially something like the Olympics which only comes around every four years.

It's Lil, Lil Fortress! Thank you, thank you...available for Weddings and Bat-mitzvahs! I'm here all week! :rofl: That is such a great new avatar. I can tell what you've been watching on TV. Are you gonna keep it for more than a day? My daughter would be quite huffy and offended about being called Lil, Lil Fortress. She's 12 going on 15. I've explained to her that she cannot get married until she's 30 because she will be too busy to meet guys while she is pounding out the yardage. So we won't be needing your services quite yet. :thhbbb:

And I know of a 12-year-old who went to Olympic Trials with a cut in the 100 Fly after beginning year-round swimming less than a year earlier. She did well but 4 years later she had the confidence and experience to qualify for the Olympic team to final in an individual event and take gold/WR on a relay. Wow! That is awesome. :bow: You're right, I guess it just depends on the makeup of the individual kid. Some kids come on early and just keep going; others (like Kate Zeigler) start shining a little later. I did notice at the meet I was at this weekend that some 12 year olds loved the excitement and competition and thrived on it, while others seemed nervous and didn't improve their times at all. Of course, that could be do to many factors too ...