Hi everyone! I need some advice on what to do with my 8 year old daughter. She has been swimming on a team for the past 2 years and loves it. She is not the fastest kid in the pool but she has beautiful strokes (all 4 are legal) with great form. The team we were on for the past 2 years is 45 min from our house... this was the closest indoor pool for us. We had amazing coaches and a nice swimmer to coach ratio of 1 to 10. The swimmers got a lot of personal attention and it showed in their strokes. The county that we live in just built a new indoor pool about 20 min from out house. They started a USA Swimming Team and we were very excited to join and not have to drive as far. We went to practice the first day (there were no tryouts) and we were shocked. There were 40 kids (ages 7-11), 6 lanes and 2 coaches. Because there were no tryouts the skill level of the swimmers was all over the place. Many did not know how to breath to the side, do backstoke or even what breaststroke was. When we asked the coach if our daughter could move up to the next level he said he would evaluate her but he really only wanted ages 9-12 in the next group. The next group has 30 kids, 6 lanes and 1 coach but at least all the kids know how to do each stroke. After evaluating her strokes he said she has the skill for the next level but he wasn't going to move her up b/c he was concerned what type of conversations she might hear from the older kids. Honestly his answer sounded ridiculous to me and I have lost some confidence in him as a capable coach. My daughters previous swim team would take her back in a second but I just can't decide what to do. I don't want to be that parent that keeps changing programs. I was willing to grin and bear it for the sake of my daughter but tonight after practice she got out and said "please can I swim with the older kids, this is so boring, I am not learning anything new. The kids in my lane get mad when I pass them and they pull my legs back". Any thoughts from those of you who have been there done that? Thanks in advance.
On the other hand, driving 45 minutes to and from swim practice can't be fun for you OR your daughter. That in and of itself could make swimming a chore for the both of you.
Former Member
I'd go back to the other team. If your daughter doesn't like the new program she'll stop liking swimming.
Another thought is that the closer program is brand new with absolutely no barriers to entry; I'd be willing to bet it will be 50% smaller in 3 months. Not all kids/families want to make the commitment that a year round program requires.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Your daughter probably has workout buddies on her old team. 1:10 is an excellent coach:swimmer ratio. It means so much for kids to develop good strokes at that age. That convenient team sounds like a disaster.
Closer does not sound better based on your back-story.
There is merit in keeping kids with their peer-group, but if the older team has a better match of skills in her peer group, I would move her back. She will lose interest quickly and swimming will become a chore if she remains with the group as you describe it.
The other option is to talk to the "Head" coach, if such a role exists and make your case.
If your kid was mine, I'd consider taking her back to the other team till she turned 9. Once she turned 9, I'd approach the closer team and see if she could train with the older group.
Also I would ask your dau if she wanted to do other sports & activities,
8's a bit young to completely commit to swimming. If she did, maybe keep her in the closer program and just train 2 or 3 times a week.
At this point she should have fun, be with friends and stay fit.
good luck, let us know what you do
ande
Former Member
My situation is the other way round to yours, but I can empathise with how hard it is to know what to do for the best.
My daughter is only 6 and has done summer league these past 2 years plus the fall program at our pool which is an easy 15 min drive away. She loves it, the coaching is not that great, but she has improved a lot and I'm not paying top $ for it either.
Have I wondered if I should move her to USAS year round for better coaching? Yes, but I'm not ready to make the financial and time committment, plus she has a lot of swimming years ahead of her, so we're staying put for now (despite her complete inability to flutter kick).
In your situation I'd go back with the old team, she was enjoying it and that is the main thing. Perhaps in a year or 2 when the new team has got a bit more established and organised you'll have a better idea of the standard and maybe give it another try. I know our local teams offer a 1 week free trial for swimmers new to the program.
Good luck with your decision and hope she continues to enjoy her swimming:)
Former Member
Keep it fun for her. We can be in too much of a rush to get results too soon.
I have seen parents move their youngsters to coaches that burn the kids out and even make them hate swimming.
Given the additional info you provided
I'd stick with the closer program
Just drop your daughter off at practice & don't watch
These next few months won't make or break her swim career
Former Member
Thanks to all of you who replied. You all had great points. The 45 min drive to and from practice was getting to all of us. Our schools get out at 3:20 and practice starts at 4pm so we are always rushing like crazy, putting on suits in the car (doing that without taking off your seatbelt takes skill...lol) and we were still 5 min late for practice every day. The new program doesn't practice until 6:30 at night so we have time to relax, do homework, have a nice family dinner, etc. My daughter also does gymnastics and violin once a week and her sister does gymnastics and soccer. All of the other activities are in the same area as the pool so if I need to run from swimming to soccer I can. The new program is also filled with kids from her current school. So it's possible to set up carpools.
I spoke to the head coach and got no where. Thankfully the assistant coach (who was our summer coach) saw that I was very frustrated and called me at work to talk. Her son is also in this new group and he has been saying the same things to her as my daughter has been saying to me. She decided that she is going to take the 10 swimmers who have previous swim team experience, put them in 2 lanes and work with them personally. She is frustrated too with the lack of organization and not having tryouts. She said that she would let the head coach handle the "swim lessons" with the other kids. I told her that our old team told me I could bring my daughter back any time I wanted and she asked me to give her one more week. My daughter absolutely loved swimming for her this summer so I will give her one more week.
I completely agree that most of the kids who aren't strong swimmers will quit by Nov. I am amazed at delusional parents who would put a weak swimmer in a 12 1/2ft pool with 8 kids in their lane and not be completely freaked out. I have emailed the Director and Assistant Director of Aquatics for the pool, offered some suggestions for better organization and offered to volunteer my time to get this program up and running. Thanks for all your comments and for talking me down from the ledge!
