SwimSwam welcomes reader submissions about all topics aquatic, and if it’s well-written and well-thought, we might just post it under our “Shouts from the Stands” series. We don’t necessarily endorse the content of the Shouts from the Stands posts, and the opinions remain those of their authors. If you have thoughts to share, please send [email protected].
This “Shouts from the Stands” submission comes from
Allissa Keoughan, a former swimmer and current high school head coach.
When I was a kid (quite long ago), summer swim team days were the best. Waking up at dawn, riding your bike to the pool, hanging out with fellow swimmer besties at your favorite summer spot, green hair, those swimmer tans….And who can forget those all day Saturday swim meets with jello jigglers and facing your swimming foes from neighboring towns.
So, of course, as soon as my kids got to the right age I was ecstatic to sign them up for our summer swim team. I was back!! Except…swimming is now a little different than it was when I was a kid. 10 year old’s swimming their 50 free in 26 seconds (oh ok….), I need to buy my daughter a knee suit that costs how much to match everyone else walking up to the block?? (I’m sorry that’s just ridiculous.) Also, you’re simply not a true swimmer unless you belong to a year round swim club that charges close to, or well over $1000 a season (no traveling fees included.)
Nevertheless, I loved the sport of swimming, and still do, so we were all in. Endless hours in the car driving to practice and meets, thousands of dollars on training fees and ridiculously expensive swim gear. It was all worth it to me to watch my kids practice their hearts out and show up at meets and get that PB, and heartbreaking when they had that really bad meet.
But now they are in their teens and guess what, they’re burnt out. They don’t want to spend all of their time in the car driving to swim practice every day after school. Do they still enjoy the sport? I think they do, but how fun is it to show up and get blown out of the water by kids who are practicing 2 times daily 6 days per week? There are also no programs (at least I haven’t found any) for those who want to just practice 2-3 times per week. Your option is to pay the enormous club fees and commit to several hours of volunteering. The all or nothing approach makes me really sad.
I respect those swim kids who are putting all of those hours in, it is tough work! But are we taking a sport that used to be the most fun sport around and turning it into a job? How many kids are we alienating that may be wanting to swim but don’t have the money or time to commit? Or just simply want to have fun and enjoy the great sport of swimming?
About Allissa Keoughan
I swam for my local swim team from the age of six until 18. I started coaching our summer swim team when my kids were little and have for the past eight years. I was assistant coach for the Newburgh Sea Creatures in Indiana for one season. Since my kids have drifted away from swimming I kind of have also but still enjoy going to watch all of my past swimmers and my nieces compete. I also take my kids to swim laps pretty regularly and I’m head coach for our small high school team, which primarily consists of my kids.
We went through all this with our son, spending thousands upon thousands of dollars, in hopes that he could swim in college. We never bought into the tec suits and private lessons. I put my foot down on two a days, six days a week, once a day was enough. I have always felt that parents have gone mad, and they see their children’s successes and failures as their own, instead of just letting the kids enjoy the sport. My son is not burned out, many of the kids he swam with have left the sport angry. I know that scholarships are few and far between, but just having something he loved to do that was productive, a team to… Read more »
In our area, there are teams that swim for the fun of it. My daughter started out at the age of 8 with the thought of having fun but within a year she became a highly competitive swimmer setting her sights on Regional that year, State the next year and Zones the following year. She attended the practices necessary to make those goals happen. Her goals, not our goals. We have been along for the ride the entire time as we let her go after whatever she wanted to accomplish. For as much as I understand what the author is saying about the sport of swimming and I feel bad that her area does not offer a “fun team” but… Read more »
Yes, but it can also go the other way. My kids are frequently alienated at summer swim because they are year round swimmers. So often I hear, “wow, that kid is fast.” Followed by an eye roll and a “yea, she swims year round.” I always try to keep it on the DL that we swim year round because the kids always seem to lose friends when people find out. It’s pretty sad.
You make a great point here and, as I see in other comments, this is happening in all sports. Kids must be all in early and often. It’s costly and time consuming and how do they really know what sport they’ll love when the commitment level is so high at a young age? They can’t try more than one sport.
Summer swim leagues do still exist. The country club at which our swim team practices has a summer league with fun dual meets. Many of the higher level kids on our team came up through the summer league and expanded their commitment later.
I’ve also seen USA Swimmkng promoting a type of part time registration to keep the… Read more »
Could not agree more. Options for 2-3 squad sessions per week until you choose to take the sport more seriously.
So blessed in my area. Summer swim teams are alive and kicking! 20+ teams in the county, most cost less then $125 for the season.
There is still FINA affiliated Masters Swimming competition with many clubs all over the country and the world. Swim meets are as competitive as you want them to be.
1) I recently started lifeguarding at my local YMCA and I was working during a swim meet this past weekend. I was surprised by the age range and the diversity that I saw. Swimming has always been an expensive sport which in turn led to it sometimes being inaccessible to lower income families. In the upper midwest that meant it was a *very* white sport. I’m so excited to see how the sport has expanded to reach more people in the last decade or so. I’m worried that the growing time commitment (for parents as well as swimmers) and the addition of a million different fees will lead to a step backwards.
2) Burnout is a major problem. In… Read more »