Swim team moms or swimming teachers, I need your input...

[msjones]

If you are a swimming teacher or a swim team mom, can you help me out?

 

Is there any way these boys of mine could be ready for very-beginning swim team by June 23rd?

 

My boys can swim. They can jump off the deep end diving board and swim to the side. One of them could swim a length if he had to. The other can't yet -- still struggling to coordinate his arms and breathing. So, they aren't strong swimmers, but recreational swimmers.

 

I have the chance for them to have about 8 free private lessons between now and the end of June. Would 8 lessons be enough to get them ready for a beginning level team? It's a team for 7 - 10 year-olds. The only requirement to be on the team is to be able to swim a length of the pool.

 

What do you think? :confused: I need to know whether to write the check and get them on the roster.

[kaylk in tx]

Yes, IF you can get them into the water in between lessons. If the lessons are once a week and that's the only time they get to practice, it would be harder for them to progress.

 

Just as an example... I'm assistant coach on a summer league swim team this year. We had a girl join (4 weeks ago was our first practice) who couldn't swim a lick.... couldn't float, didn't want to let go of the wall. At our first meet, she was disqualified on both freestyle and backstroke for pulling on the lane lines. One week later at our second meet, she swam both successfully without touching the lane ropes one time. BUT, she's extremely motivated and has been at almost every single practice.

 

So yes, it can be done but I would try very hard to get them into the pool almost every day, even if lessons are only once a week.

[Erin's Mom]

Your sons should do fine with eight lessons. If the teacher is very positive and gives them great feedback they will want to work as hard as they can to show off their abilities. I would just make sure they are able to get into the pool often so your boys are able to work on what they are being taught. (There is nothing better than practice, practice, practice) You might want to have them race with you, brother or one of their friends. Just make sure it is fun for them.

Good Luck:001_smile:

[msjones]

The teacher would be a dear friend of mine, who is mother to some of their best friends. I'm trading some child care for the lessons.

 

They know my friend very well, trust her, and would be happy about going to the lessons since their friends will be there, too. She's given them some impromptu lessons in the past, and they respond very well to her.

 

I'm certainly willing to get them to the pool in between lessons. I've been feeling for some time that they need one last big boost to really become confident swimmers. I've decided that this summer will be the boost.

 

Any suggestions for keeping it fun? I don't think they'll be thrilled about swim team, but I'm pretty sure they'll be willing enough.

[In The Great White North]

I'm a coach too.

 

If the only requirement is to swim a length of the pool, I'd say yes. (Can it be any stroke? Some kids are much better at backstroke at this stage.) They have a month. Eight lessons is only twice a week, which is not enough to build strength. Swimmers only start to improve when they start coming three or more times a week (for practice, not lessons), so swimming in between lesson is important. Every day for half an hour is better than once a week for two hours.

 

Make sure your friend knows the goal (ie. making the team) and has them swim enough yards to build endurance as well as working on their strokes. Strokes do get better as they get stronger. Varying the strokes will help keep it more interesting (free, back and breast - don't worry about fly at all. Some countries start with breaststroke, instead of freestyle, so don't view breaststroke as harder.)

 

On our team, if you sign up, then the coach says they are not ready for swim team yet, you get your money back. Ask your team about this.

 

Ways to keep it fun:

Food! Bring fun snacks, popsicles, get ice cream, whatever. Kids are hungry when they get out of the pool. All kids like to eat and there's probably something they like but don't get often that can be special for after swimming.

 

Racing. Even if it's just you or each other.

 

Games in the pool. Any time spent in the water is great at this stage. Make sure it doesn't become all work and no play. Let them stay and play after the lessons. Marco Polo, balls (if your pool allows them), diving toys, hand stands and somersaults, etc.

 

Bring a friend and make it a playdate.

 

Hope they have a great summer.

[bettyandbob]

Maybe. I teach swimming. Are they personally motivated to do this. What does the 20 foot swim to the side look like. Is it head out the whole time doggy paddle? Is it never lift the head to breath (not always a good sign--not breathing severely limits distances for beginning swimmers).

 

It sounds like they have a good start. It sounds like the teacher simply needs to build endurance. If you go to the pool between lessons I would say there is a chance, but I would not guarantee anything.

 

As for keeping swim team fun--do they have friends on the team? What social activities does the team have? Just about every team has an end of season party. Does the team have other parties? Do the coaches ever build games into practices-like spending the last 15 minutes playing sharks and minnows or having unusual relay races during practice. Keeping swim team fun depends on the coaches and on the atmosphere of the parents. Summer swim team should not be a hypercompetitive atmoshphere (that's what club team are for when you are ready for that level). However, every summer I encounter teams and parents who don't get that when the season is over, it's over. There are no regional or national rankings. It's just summer swim team which should be a good mix of fun and competitive. On our team, we have coaches who mix in special activities/games once or twice a week and managers who plan special social events outside of practices which are optional, but the whole team is invited. Tonight I'm making gallons of hot chocolate, because I expec the pool to be very cold--it's been raining all night.

[kah]

It may vary from team to team, but the one who can swim the length of the pool would be fine on our team, and even the one who is struggling to coordinate arms and breathing would be OK, probably. Ours is a fairly young team still, so every year they wind up working with the very-beginning swimmers to get them to the point where they can swim enough to enter at least the freestyle race.

[lgm]

The best thing to do is call the swim club and ask what the criteria is.

 

Our club has a try-out before accepting checks.

The kids accepted are divided into groups according to ability and endurance. The lowest group is for kids that don't have three strokes legal. The next group is for those that do have at least three strokes legal and are working on endurance. Another club we looked at wanted swimmers to be proficient at front crawl and backstroke & able to swim a length of each, and beginning skills at breaststroke and butterfly. So, the ability level needed really depends on the club.

 

Here is a summary of the Red Cross Swim Levels:

http://www.penfield.org/media/rec_swimlevels07.pdf

With my kids, 8 - 16 lessons with a good instructor was enough to master a level.

[Pip]

I swim and have 2 dd's who swim year round. Is this a year round program or summer league?

 

My girls only had to be able to swim the length of the pool without touching the sides. Our team has different levels of instruction and expectations, from learning to swim competitively up to high school.

 

Our team is affiliated with Swim America. If you can find a Swim America program near you, your kids would definitely be ready for a team. They do a great job working on everything from basic strokes to how to swim a 200 IM. You move at your own pace. You do have to pay for the sessions, but they are so good. One of the girls on our team did a Swim America program in Florida and that is how she learned her strokes.

 

However, as the pp poster said, you need to know the expectations of the team. A summer league with a bunch of young kids just starting out would expect far less than a more mature team. Our team is still riding the wave from the Olympics last year so we have a lot swimmers joining without much technique but plenty of drive!

[plansrme]

My anecdotal evidence:

 

My then-5 yo daughter started our neighborhood swim team after 2 years of paddling around in the n'hood pool. She could swim underwater and float, but that was about it. She'd never had a swim lesson, and the coaches, who were all of 14 or 15 years old at the time, had to really coax her to jump in. After a few weeks of half-hour practices, but almost no individualized coaching, she was winning her heat in the 25 free. Last season, at age 8, she was in the first scoring lane for our team for every single event she swam.

 

She started swimming year 'round about 6 months ago, and now that summer swim has started back, the coaches are having her practice with the 15-18 yos. She beats a lot of them, especially in butterfly. She's still never had a lesson. I attribute this all to just getting in that pool and swimming every day for a few weeks of every summer.

 

I'm ridiculously proud of her and tell this story every time I can, because she was such a muppet when we adopted her from China when she was 15 mos old. She had low muscle tone and rickets and didn't walk until she was 19 months old. Our pediatrician thought she would never catch up. Now she races the 100 'fly, and other moms regularly comment on her muscle definition--even mothers of other swimmers who are used to athletic girls. It always makes me laugh.

 

If your kids can make it the length of the pool, you'll be surprised at how quickly they improve once they start daily practice.

 

Terri

[westcoastmom]

If you go to pool lots between now and June 23, I would say yes.

 

My 6 yr old learned to swim a length of the pool 2 years ago in a few weeks when she had lessons 4 days a week.

 

They are both in swim club now, and we are working hard to get our youngest moved from the Baby swimmers group to the regular club.

[Mommyfaithe]

If you are a swimming teacher or a swim team mom, can you help me out?

 

Is there any way these boys of mine could be ready for very-beginning swim team by June 23rd?

 

My boys can swim. They can jump off the deep end diving board and swim to the side. One of them could swim a length if he had to. The other can't yet -- still struggling to coordinate his arms and breathing. So, they aren't strong swimmers, but recreational swimmers.

 

I have the chance for them to have about 8 free private lessons between now and the end of June. Would 8 lessons be enough to get them ready for a beginning level team? It's a team for 7 - 10 year-olds. The only requirement to be on the team is to be able to swim a length of the pool.

 

What do you think? :confused: I need to know whether to write the check and get them on the roster.

 

Yes, They could be ready for a recreational team. The summer can get them ready for a competitive team in the fall.

 

I am a swim mom (HATE that TERM!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and dd is a WSI teacher and a swim team coach. I would have the 8 lessons and do 2 of each stroke and bring them to swim at other times too so they can build their endurance. If the team is for 7-10 year olds there will be a great difference in abilities and the coaches will group them accordingly. Summer swimming should be FUN and they should be able to learn a lot. You will be surprised at how quickly children advance at that age.

 

Good luck,

Faithe

[EarleneW]

Absolutely. All 3 of my oldest swim on a neighboorhood team. Last year my then 7 year old could only swim half the length of the pool at the 1st practice. She was winning her heats by the 2nd meet. My 6 year old this year could not swim halfway at the 1st practice on May 11th- Last week he made it the whole way at the practice meet. Swim team is a great motivator and a great way for them to learn the proper strokes. None of mine knew them when they started.