Hey everyone, wasn't sure were to put this questions so I decided to place it here. I also wanted to get some opinions from knowlageable swimmers like yourselves so I hope you don't mind me asking this.
Here's the story..
My daughter is 9 years old and has been competing for about 8 months but taking swimming lessons since the age of 3. She's extremely descent for her age (about 35 seconds 50 free, 43 seconds 50 fly, 45 seconds 50 back and 43 seconds 50 ***) just to give you an idea. I decided to pull her off the current team as I feel he was not improving enough as her coach did very little technique training and put her in private lessons with someone I think can really help her learn the little things to make her faster.
Anyways, here is the other thing.
During her swim meets I noticed another 9 year old girl who is swimming with times such as 32 seconds 50 free, 32 seconds 50 fly, 38 seconds 50 *** ect and could not believe it. Keep in mind this girl JUST turned 9!
My question is this,
How is it that a 9 year old child can swim times as fast as many of the top 11, 12 or 13 year olds? Is this a freak of nature? Is it just good coaching? Physical strength? or what.
I did not think it was possible for kids this age to swim so fast. Is there any hope for my daughter to "catch up" to kids like this?
I would like to know everyones opinion on youth marvels like this. I believe this kids has gotten as fast as she will get but that's my own personal opinion. She is sort of short and perhaps as she matures other kids will eventually get taller and stronger and catch up to her times?
If you were in my shoes what would YOU do with your daughter to help her attain these kinds of times?
Thanks
It's not easy I'm sure for some of you guys to shove that foot inside that mouth. Call me weird, call me crazy whatever you want but you all were proved wrong and that's simple fact.
I'm not so sure anyone was proved right or wrong at this point. You're only 15 months in.
I think it's great you're supportive and interested in your daughter's development as an athlete. Many of the concerns discussed in this thread were related to burnout, which often happens years later. I understand why you were annoyed with some of the early responses, but they were merely words of advice.
I'm not even going to bother responding to your statement regarding the merits of this board.
I'm not so sure anyone was proved right or wrong at this point. You're only 15 months in.
I think it's great you're supportive and interested in your daughter's development as an athlete. Many of the concerns discussed in this thread were related to burnout, which often happens years later. I understand why you were annoyed with some of the early responses, but they were merely words of advice.
I'm not even going to bother responding to your statement regarding the merits of this board.
Hey now, I think RAC40 is spot on regarding the value of my opinion. :2cents: if that. :applaud:
We are all very pleased with her improvements and it's nice to come back here after all this time and shove it in your face. (speaking only to those who thought I was destroying her life by interfering).
I still don't think you get it but that's fine, she is your child and you are her parent. But I will point out that swimming (or any other athletic endeavor) should be the child's. Parents should be there to support the athlete in anyway outside of the coach-athlete relationship including being thier advocate if there are issues with the coach-athlete relationship. If you are your daughter's coach, I urge you to stop as you risk damaging your parental relationship as your daughter gets older. at 9, she still wants to please you and be around you so the coach-swimmer relationship can still work alongside the parent-child one. But as she approaches puberty there is a very strong chance that the lines will no longer be as clear and both will risk being damaged as she gets older. Your daughter might be one of the very few ones that can keep the two separated but, unless you are a world class coach with years and years of experience, why in the world would you even take that risk????? That
Mind you she is still only 10.
Which is why you haven't "proved" anything ...
If you only wanted validation of your own view, why did you ask our opinion? And your "shove foot in mouth" comment is truly bizarre and suggests too much of your own ego is based on your young daughter's swim times.
BTW, I have only seen one of my 10 year old's swim practices this entire year.
My daughter is on a new team now and has been for awhile now, seems to enjoy it and the entire atmosphere. She continues to train with me and has been since my first post was made about this topic which would be about january of last year. She has now made so much progress in her strokes, achieved sectional times in all 4 strokes, made a number of championship meets and has won no worse than 3rd in most of her events. Her time improvements have progressed this way..
50 Free from 35 to 30
50 Fly from 43 to 35
50 Back from 45 to 36
50 *** from 43 to 39
500 Free about 6:10
100 *** 1:27
100 IM 1:19
I am glad to see that your daughter has progressed as she has. Hopefully swimming is a sport that she can enjoy throughout her life.
I'll bite.
Why do you feel the need, or want, to come back and "shove it in our faces"?
What reasonable adult would come back onto a public forum and do that?
I was actually happy to see that your daughter had improved so much. Good for her. Not you, but her.
You have made the entire topic about you, which you vehemently denied that you were doing.
While we all want is best for our children, and do what we think is best to help them, you quite clearly wanted her to do well so that you could come back and "show us" what a great parent you are.
That's just weird.
It's not easy I'm sure for some of you guys to shove that foot inside that mouth. Call me weird, call me crazy whatever you want but you all were proved wrong and that's simple fact.
Now, excuse me while I leave and I'll be back next year with more wonderful highlights.:banana:
This board sucks something horrible. I find that most of your opinions here are worth only about:2cents: if that.
I love being right.:bliss:
Please, don't come back. (If this board sucks something horrible I'm sure you won't have a hard time avoiding it).
But if you do, I hope you find an excellent family therapist in the mean time, who can help you with your feelings of inadequacy.
And truly, I pray for your daughter.
:agree:
Guess what, she went to a swim camp last year and met Megan Jendrick and Peter Vanderkayy (however you spell that) and she got to race against Megan in the breastroke.
Megan gave her a half pool length lead and it ended up a tie. My daughter could have beaten her though but it was too early in the morning.
My daughter has a book written by Jendrick on how to improve your swimming. Inside she autographed it "Follow your dreams, Megan Jendrick" I thought that was really cool of her.
Swimming with an olympian and holding those gold medals..pressure? nah! lol
I have no doubt that, had the race only been run in the afternoon, Megan would have been seriously schooled. Ah, the vagaries and vicissitudes of life and its schedules...
Best of luck to you and your daughter. I hope each of you find what you are seeking.
