Anyone have kids on swim team?

[Rock'n Robin]

DD#2 is in her second year on swim team. She is now in the 9-10 age group. This is a summer swim team that practices at our local pool outside. It is a short season and only runs until July 21 with 5 meets, starting June 22. She is missing July 2-July 9 and one meet due to our vacation, but she can swim in the next meet affter that since I turned in a note.
My conflict is today--they swim if it is not storming and if it is 60 degrees. Well, last night was our recital and we didn't get home until midnight (went to get shakes with Grandma and Grandpa afterward). With the weather, I was waffling about making her get up and go and DH called and said it is 62 (it is also constant rain throughout the day, the radar is solid green) and to let her sleep. I do feel bad about doing it though! It's time trials but she can make it up Monday. And do you know she already swam 2600 meters this week! 550 Monday and Wednesday, 650 Tuesday and 850 yesterday! That's 102 laps!!!
Anyone else have a little swimmer?
Robin M.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

My DD7 is on a swim team. It is her first year. Her first meet is Tuesday.

Lori

 

[Bob Slydell]

DS is too young right now -- but I hope he'll follow in my footsteps and swim for teams for years (I started swim teams when I was 7 or 8 and swam part of the way through college).

 

[gina2000]

My son is ten and swims competitively. He practises 4 days per week and probably swims between 5 and 7 thousand yards per week. He'll also swim in a summer swim league but will practise with his club team.

I don't see a problem with missing a practise or a time trial at age 10. As a child gets older, though, and moves up the ranks, a lot of clubs are more stringent about missing practises for any reason including illness. It's a tough sport, quite frankly.

 

[vernon]

My elder DD swam in a swimteam from age 7-15 , in the end she decided it was too much hard work. But she did make a few State finals, it built her confidence, it helped her get/keep fit and kept her (just) from getting into too much trouble LOL. She was training 4/5 days a week and 90-120 minutes each day.

As Gina says, it's a tough sport to swim competitively, it takes a lot of time and effort (and that's just for the parents to get them to training LOL). Unlike many other sports there are relatively few financial benefits in terms of a professional career although a lot of the US universities to have good scholarships programs for their swim teams.