Swimming, how do homeschoolers find options?

[rafiki]

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[ScoutTN]

Our community has year round league swimming - on various competitive levels. Inlcuding a homeschool league. Have you check for aquatics leagues in your area?

 

No schools do swim teams here. Only YMCAs, private clubs and large neighborhood pools in the summer.

 

Our Y has instruction available year round and swim and stay fit type programs for all ages year round.

 

If your child comfortably swim 25 meters freestyle and make respectable progress on his back (sounds as though you're well pas this stage), he's plenty ready for swim team if you are ready for the commitment!

Most people here start their kids in summer swim team around age 7 and in year round swimming about 4th or 5th grade.

 

There are serious swimming families represented on this board, so maybe one of them can help?

[WeeBeaks]

Our city has a swim team at the local rec center pools. I was able to find the information by going to the pool, but it was also on the city website with the pool information.

 

Our local YMCA also has swim team.

 

Does your city/area have a homeschooling email loop or list? If so, you might try there too, joining that list and asking the other homeschoolers.

[patchfire]

There are several competitive year-round swim teams in our area. At least one of them has specific homeschool practice times. There's also a group nearby that offers middle & high school sports teams for homeschoolers, including a swim team. (Dd is eagerly waiting for next year.)

[bettyandbob]

If you want to look for serious swimming opportunities you should be looking at USA swimming clubs. http://www.usaswimming.org . It is likely that a swimmer's performance through USA swimming activities counts more than performance on a high school team for scholarships. The YMCA also has it's own progression through national competitions and some Y teams are also USA teams.

 

Since your child is young, I would advise starting with a summer league program and see how it goes. If you then want to do a club program, I would advise researching clubs. I would probably go with the club that has the most low key atmosphere to start, rather than the club that has produced the most Olympians. Burn out is easy to get in swimming. I figure if the swimmer wants more he'll say it's time to try to next level of intensity.

 

For the record I've been involved in swimming my whole life and I teach swimming. My kids do summer league. I'm a volunteer in the summer league. My dd did a Y winter team for 3 years when she was very young (5-8) at her request. Then she decided it was time for another, make that multiple other, activities. We've always kept up summer swim. Dd has some of the best stroke technique I've seen in a summer only swimmer. She stopped ballet after 4 years of intense study (5 days a week) and was considering USA swimming as a replacement. She went to the try out and was accepted into a practice group she was aiming for, but then decided not to do it (after observing practice) and has picked something else to fulfill an exercise requirement I have in my house. I was really excited when she mentioned swimming again and disappointed when she decided against it, but club swimming is very intense. Some clubs say they make practice fun, some say they try to build in social activities. However, within driving distance of my house there are at least 7 USA clubs and really club swimming is work and it needs to come from the child not anyone else. That said, I've seen kids who intensely wanted to do it and it's been a great activity for them. But I've also seen kids who got out of the pool and refused to ever swim again. My niece refused to go back to her club team when she was 13, she never really even played at the pool again. In the end she hated it and it was hard having a parent pushing her and critiquing her. She was talented, but it was no longer about her feelings.

[AnitaMS]

Our current Y (in the D.C. area) and former Y (in the Cincinnati area) both have swim teams. Some Christian schools around here allow homeschoolers to participate in their school teams.

[Donna A.]

Ditto the YMCA, and our town's local community center has a swim team, too. In fact, they compete against each other.

[swimmermom3]

There are several competitive year-round swim teams in our area. At least one of them has specific homeschool practice times. There's also a group nearby that offers middle & high school sports teams for homeschoolers, including a swim team. (Dd is eagerly waiting for next year.)

 

I'm feeling dense. Why would homeschoolers need a different practice time?

 

If you want to look for serious swimming opportunities you should be looking at USA swimming clubs. www.usaswimming.org . It is likely that a swimmer's performance through USA swimming activities counts more than performance on a high school team for scholarships. The YMCA also has it's own progression through national competitions and some Y teams are also USA teams.

 

Since your child is young, I would advise starting with a summer league program and see how it goes. If you then want to do a club program, I would advise researching clubs. I would probably go with the club that has the most low key atmosphere to start, rather than the club that has produced the most Olympians. Burn out is easy to get in swimming. I figure if the swimmer wants more he'll say it's time to try to next level of intensity.

 

For the record I've been involved in swimming my whole life and I teach swimming. My kids do summer league. I'm a volunteer in the summer league. My dd did a Y winter team for 3 years when she was very young (5-8) at her request. Then she decided it was time for another, make that multiple other, activities. We've always kept up summer swim. Dd has some of the best stroke technique I've seen in a summer only swimmer. She stopped ballet after 4 years of intense study (5 days a week) and was considering USA swimming as a replacement. She went to the try out and was accepted into a practice group she was aiming for, but then decided not to do it (after observing practice) and has picked something else to fulfill an exercise requirement I have in my house. I was really excited when she mentioned swimming again and disappointed when she decided against it, but club swimming is very intense. Some clubs say they make practice fun, some say they try to build in social activities. However, within driving distance of my house there are at least 7 USA clubs and really club swimming is work and it needs to come from the child not anyone else. That said, I've seen kids who intensely wanted to do it and it's been a great activity for them. But I've also seen kids who got out of the pool and refused to ever swim again. My niece refused to go back to her club team when she was 13, she never really even played at the pool again. In the end she hated it and it was hard having a parent pushing her and critiquing her. She was talented, but it was no longer about her feelings.

 

Betty has pretty much spelled it out. My youngest was moved onto the competitive team at age 7. This is his 5th year. My oldest child started with summer league for two years before beginning club swimming at 12. There are several different paths available for swimmers and you need to pick the one that is best suited to your child's temperament and your willingness to commit a fair amount of resources to the sport. I attended a parent meeting once where the coach talked about the three reasons kids swim: parents, coaches, themselves. The ideal club swimmer swims because they are goal-oriented and are driven to beat their own times. The kids that swim to please parents or coaches face a tough road in club swimming because as Betty said, it's plain hard work and seldom a lot of fun. You have to be driven from the inside.

 

If I sound cautious, I am. I love the sport and enthusiastically support USA Swimming, but am realistic about club swimming. Injury and burn-out are facts of life. So are hard work, self-discipline, and the joy of accomplishment. That, and I am gearing up for the 4-day state championships starting tomorrow. The prospect of wearing my official's garb makes me crabby.:D

 

Do your research and pay attention to your gut instincts when choosing a team. Good luck, Michele. It really is a great sport. Just remember to chant "balance" through the years.

[Denisemomof4]

YMCA's have great swim teams. I wonder if other gyms or health clubs in your area would as well?

[K&Rs Mom]

I'm feeling dense. Why would homeschoolers need a different practice time?

 

 

At dc's gymnastics school they have a "homeschool open gym" that is at 10am, when all the others are in the evening. I guess anyone could go, but we appreciate not having to give up an evening and it's way less busy.

 

For swimming, we have a "club" that is run through the city rec dept and swims at the highschool pool, but I think once they're highschool age the only option is through the school team.

Edited July 29, 2010 by K&Rs Mom

[Dobela]

Our YMCA is the place for a swim team here. They meet daily for an hour or 2 though which is why we opted out. When there was enough interest, they also had a homeschool swim team that met for over 2 hours 2 days a week but as interest wained they combined it with the regular team.

[swimmermom3]

At dc's gymnastics school they have a "homeschool open gym" that is at 10am, when all the others are in the evening. I guess anyone could go, but we appreciate not having to give up an evening and it's way less busy.

 

Thanks. That makes sense.

 

Michele, have you checked with the local health clubs that have pools. Some of our local athletic clubs have teams. I am not sure what leagues they compete on but you could check it out.

[twoxcell]

Our YMCA has a US swim team that is open to anyone as far as I know. They also offer year round lessons. My kids have been taking lessons there for awhile ds 7, and dd 4.5 love swimming.

[rafiki]

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[kaylk in tx]

Just want to encourage you to contact the USA swim club. All the clubs here (Houston) use multiple pools so even though they're listed as being on the other side of town, they might have a location closer to you than you think. Our swim club leases time at the local high school pools for practices so opportunities are spread over a wider geographical area than it would appear if you just looked at the team's mailing address.

[LisaKinVA]

Just want to encourage you to contact the USA swim club. All the clubs here (Houston) use multiple pools so even though they're listed as being on the other side of town, they might have a location closer to you than you think. Our swim club leases time at the local high school pools for practices so opportunities are spread over a wider geographical area than it would appear if you just looked at the team's mailing address.

:iagree:

 

Here in the Fredericksburg area, the RAYS swim at multiple pools, and we also have a few other choices.

 

We're hoping we can pony up the $1k for our kids to swim this year.:tongue_smilie:

[rafiki]

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[naturegirl7]

Havne't read any replies, so forgiven any repeats...

 

 

Does the local middle school have any sort of swim team??

 

Also our local HS pool has open swim for adults in the am - mainly it is just laps and/or fitness classes....you may be able to talk them into atleast letting him swim some laps.

 

Your local pool may not have swim lessons once it is "school time" bt they may also offer adult fitness classes and lap swim times. Try talking to them.

 

Do you have a local YMCA? They usually have pools.

[In The Great White North]

Some teams are actually in the phone book.

 

I've never heard of either a "homeschool" swim team or a middle school swim team, but maybe more populated areas of the country have them. I doubt they would let an 8 year old on either though.

 

Lots of USA swimming teams have satellites, as a pp mentioned, so I'd give them a call even if they're too far away. They will likely know of nearer options too. (I know I can name off all the swim teams in a 50 miles radius, and most of the teams within a 100 miles, and could easily tell anyone around here the name of their nearest team.)

 

The "ideal" age to start (if there is such a thing) would be 7-8. They get to race 25's. It's not the end of the world if they start later. Mine were 7, 10 and 13. We have two swimmers on our team who started last year at 14.

[mrs.m]

My DD10 is on a USA swim team. She can remain on the team until she finishes high school. There are 2 different USA teams in our town! One is associated with the local rec center and the one we're on is associated with the swim school we go to for lessons.

[Lolly]

Here, in the winter, the options are fitness center with indoor pool, summer league teams that practice year round at an indoor facility (small college or community center), and USA swimming. At the fitness center, it would be swimming laps on their own. Perfectly reasonable way to keep a handle on strokes. One summer league team has access to an indoor pool and continues practicing through winter. There are 3 USA teams within an hour of us. We do drive the distance for my kids to swim competitively. Mine started summer league at 5. USA at 9, 7, and 5 (hey, he was already there!). Our USA team has levels for just learning up through Olympic qualifiers. We have some post college aged adults who come to the team to work for Olympic trial cuts. There really is something for everyone there. If you do decide to go with a USA team, just make sure that you keep it light and fun for the kids while they are younger. It is so easy to get caught up in it all and push them to go to practices too often and when they are over tired. 3 practices a week is really enough for kids until they are 10 or 11. Let them participate in other sports too!

[CalicoKat]

:D My kids joined the park district swim team this summer. Their season just ended last night and they won 1st place at their swim club conference.

 

We had to pay out of town rates for them to join but it was worth it. We're looking forward to next summer

[mcconnellboys]

Many Y's have year round teams and many states now offer USA swimming so you might ask around in your area. Most teams offer various levels for kids who do and don't wish to compete.