Summer Swimming Update

The kids have been having a good season in summer swimming again this year. It’s their fourth year swimming, and both of them are becoming old veterans of the swimming scene. Emily takes it a bit more seriously than Mack at this point, being a bit more focussed on what she wants to achieve. Mack, despite having a shorter attention span than his sister, still manages to work hard every practice. He’s not motivated by any grand goals or anything, he just wants to finish everything first.

This year Mack has a strong competitor in our region for the first time. A little guy from Drayton Valley has been giving Mack some good races through the season, and has handed Mack his hat a couple of times in the IM. Hopefully this will help Mack be a bit more focussed. He works hard in practice, but he doesn’t always put a lot of thought into his technique and such. It helps that his coach is very good at working with him on technique. Thanks to her help he’s become more of a breast-stroke swimmer than I ever was, although admittedly that’s not a particularly impressive feat.

Emily has been dominating her age group in our region all season. She qualified for year-round-swimming’s summer provincials in the very first meet of the year this year, instead of at the last possible meet like last year. At year-round provincials, she won 50 free, got 3rd in 50 fly and 4th in 100 free. She was seventh in 50 back and the ASSA all stars got a bronze medal on the 4×50 free relay. Emily also broke two ASSA all star records, which are basically summer swimming’s long-course records. She broke the 100 free and 50 fly records. She was pretty proud of herself, and so were we. Mack was even impressed watching.

One of the most fun parts of the meet for me was getting Emily to meet my coach from the ’80s at Keyano, Dave Johnson. Dave was the National Team coach for several years, and has returned to his roots (and what he does best, I think) coaching at the club head coach level at Calgary Cascade Swim Club. I also introduced Emily to another coach that I’ve known for many years, Tom Ponting. Tom was a three time Olympian for Canada, and was the best butterfly swimmer in Canada for many years. I don’t know if Emily was impressed or not. At the end of the meet, Dave offered one of his typical backhanded compliments for Emily. He said to me “I watched your daughter swim. She could be good. You just have to get her to kick.” Typical Dave.

Swimming in Alberta and LTAD

There are two types of competitive swimming programs in Canada, summer swimming and year-round swimming. Before I start expounding my opinions, let me just say that I am a product of both programs, but primarily of the year-round program, and I swam competitively from age 7 until I graduated from university at age 24. I also have two kids who are swimmers (among other sports) so I have perspective on these issues from both directions. I’m also about to make some sweeping generalizations, so don’t be offended if your organization has a different philosophy from what is discussed below.

Year-round swimming is a unified program nationally in terms of having an over-arching organization (Swimming / Natation Canada), and a common set of rules. The season starts in September and carries on until the following summer. Nationals and high-level international competitions take place over summer, so for elite swimmers, the season pretty much lasts all year. Swimmers in all parts of Canada participate in meets together including twice-yearly Provincials, age-group Club Nationals and open-age National Championships. National team members also come from the year-round program. Training for many swimmers is every day, with Sunday off, and some do workouts morning and night, before and after school. It can be a major commitment, but that’s how the programs produce internationally successful swimmers.

Summer swimming varies by province. There is no national organization. In Alberta, summer swimming is managed by the Alberta Summer Swimming Association, supported by the Swim Alberta. The season goes from May to August. Kids participate in meets between clubs in the various regions in Alberta, and then each region hosts a regionals. Top swimmers from each regionals go to Summer Swimming Provincials in August. Swimmers generally train about five times per week through the season. It’s a lot more focussed on fun and enjoyment of swimming rather than the performance-oriented focus of year-round swimming. It is also a great sport for developing athletes, because it allows the participation in multiple sports throughout the year.

In Alberta, year-round swimming hosts an age-group Provincials competition. This is the only competition where summer swimmers have the opportunity to race against their age-counterparts in year-round swimming. If summer swimmers achieve year-round-swimming “A” time standards, they qualify for the Alberta Summer Swimming All-stars, which is a multi-club team that goes to Alberta year-round swimming summer Provincials. It’s a fun experience for the summer swimmers, firstly because the summer swimmers get some new kids to race against, and secondly because it’s the only time in summer swimming that kids get to race in a 50m pool. The rest of the summer swimming season is done in 25m pools.

I think that the other great benefit of the All Stars is that it shows the value of the summer swimming program in comparison to the year-round programs (not the value of summer swimming above year-round swimming, just in comparison to it). Summer swimmers who come and compete at year-round swimmers see that their programs are not inferior, and that they can compete directly with kids who train in swimming all year. Year-round swimming proponents (some of whom stupidly look down on summer swimming as a joke) get incontrovertible proof that summer swimming produces competitive athletes, especially at the younger ages, without unnecessary early specialization in swimming. Unfortunately, the All-Stars team also engenders the equally stupid fear held by many summer swimming organizations that year-round swimming is out to steal athletes from summer swimming, and that having athletes move to year-round swimming somehow harms summer swimming. The pathological dismissal of summer swimming programs by year-round swimming organizations, and the paranoia held about year-round swimming organizations held by summer clubs is a problem that benefits nobody.

Presently, Sport Canada is pushing to adopt a new philosophy, called the Long Term Athlete Development model (LTAD). The LTAD model is a non-sport-specific model for athlete development from early childhood, through youth, to nationally and internationally competitive athletes, to post-competitive active adults. The LTAD considers a lot of scientifically supported information regarding child and adolescent development, as well as athlete development, and long-term health and wellness.

The point of this article is that in terms of Sport Canada’s push to adopt the Long Term Athlete Development model, the existing summer swimming program in Alberta is more appropriate and compatible with the LTAD than the existing year-round swimming program, for the LTAD’s first three stages. Those are: FUNdamentals, Learning to Train and Training to Train. The first three stages encompass young athletes up to ages of about 15 for girls and 16 for boys. The LTAD recommends no sport specialization for the FUNdamentals stage, focusing on at least three sports in the Learning to Train stage, and on two primary sports in the Training to Train stage. Year-round swimming, with it’s intensive training programs and long season, discourages generalization during the Learning to Train stage, and essentially requires one-sport specialization in the Training to Train stage. The LTAD recognizes early specialization as a contributing factor to a lack of basic motor skills, over-training injuries, early burnout and early departure from competitive sport. A requirement for early specialization may also eliminate potential future star swimmers from swimming entirely, because many young athletes are interested in participating in multiple sports, and if participating in one sport precludes other sports, the exclusive sport might be dropped in favour of the others.

The summer swimming program in Alberta, in contrast, fits nicely into the LTAD model for the first three stages. The season is brief, allowing ample time throughout the year for kids to participate in multiple organized sport programs. The attitude of summer swimming is very fun-oriented and light, and most clubs in Alberta even encourage and facilitate participation in other summer sports, like soccer. The program obviously works for the young ages, judging by a direct comparison of 12-and under swimmers at year-round swimming provincials. Athletes who have successful summer swimming careers, and then move onto year-round swimming towards the end of the LTAD Training to Train stage, often have tremendous success and tremendous career longevity in year-round swimming. The Swimming/Natation Canada national team bios contain several stories of national team members who didn’t specialize in year-round swimming until the middle teen years.

As a former participant and beneficiary of both programs, and now as a parent of a couple of budding (no Flowers pun intended) young aquatic talents, I would like the summer swimming program to get rid of its paranoia and start encouraging kids who have outgrown the summer swimming program to consider moving on to year-round swimming. I would also like year-round swimming programs to start recognizing summer swimming programs as valuable sources of developing athletes, and as appropriate programs for multi-sport athletes, and being more supportive and inclusive of summer swimming. Changing attitudes on both sides will benefit both, and more importantly, will benefit the athletes most of all.

Back to Work, Kids Back to Swimming

Wednesday was my first day back at work after my dad passed away April 23. It has been hard to get the brain back into work mode, and accept that life just carries on. Summer swimming has started up this week for the kids, and our short six-week period with no kids’ sporting activities is now over. We’re back into go-go-go mode. It seems wrong to be at swim practice and not see my dad in the bleachers. He was always there when I swam, and he’s been always there when the kids swam for the past three seasons. A lot of things like that will take a lot of getting used to.

Provincials and Summer-Club Over for 2006

The grand finale of the summer-club swimming season, the Provincials, were held in Calgary at Talisman Centre Saturday and Sunday, the 19th and 20th. The kids tried hard and had some best-times and some not-so-great swims, but they had fun and I’m very proud of them. Emily had two seventh-place finishes, in the 50 back and the very competitive 25 fly. Mack was closer to 12th-15th in his swims, but he had a good swim in the fly and just OK in the 25 and 50 free and 100 IM. In the IM in particular, which was his last swim, he looked very tired. The Provincials is one of only two meets during the summer club season in Alberta that runs for two days, so it’s tough on the little kids. Mack was disappointed in his performance, but I told him you can’t have your best meet every time, and you have to just learn and move forward. Besides, Provincials was the only meet of the whole season where he didn’t win an aggregate medal, so he’s got a heck of a lot to be proud of. He also had a blast swimming on the regional relays with his compatriots from the other clubs in our region. In particular he had a good time with Shay from Drayton Valley.

Emily didn’t finish in the medals in any of her individual events or her club relays, but during the regional relays, where she swam on teams with the other fastest girls in our region, they managed to just miss bronze in the medley relay by 1/100th of a second, and they got the bronze in the free relay in another close race. She got to stand on the podium, which was thrilling for her.

Emily was pretty much the fastest nine-year-old at the provincials this year, which means that next year she should be at the top in 9-and-10 girls. Likewise, Mack was either fastest or in the top three seven-year-olds in each of his swims, which bodes well for him next year when everybody faster than him has moved up to 9-and-10.

In any case, they finished the year loving swimming more than ever, which really is the point after all. Now we get a few weeks off, which will be nice, before water polo starts up.

Summer Club Region B Regionals

The kids swam in Regionals for Region B at Fountain Park Pool on the 12th and 13th. They both did pretty well, and qualified for all four of their events in Provincials. Emily got two firsts, in 25 fly and 50 free, and two seconds, in 100 free and 50 back. The 50 free was so close that she only out-touched her rival, Ann from Hinton, by 1/100th of a second. Ann suprised the other 9 and 10 girls by pulling her meet-of-the-year out of her hat, doing all best times and winning 100 free for the first time all season.

Mack had a good day the first day, but on the second day, before he swam any events, he got his big toe jammed under the entrance door at the pool, pulling the toe-nail almost all the way off. He took a lot of encouragment and several band-aids from the lifeguard, but he still swam his last two events. He even managed a best time in 100 IM, despite swimming a lot of it with one toe sticking up out of the water. He won the 25 fly and 25 free, and was second in the 50 free and 100 IM.

Mack (right)

Emily (center)

We’re headed to provincials in Calgary next weekend, where they face the tough competition of the southern regions. Any top-ten finishes would be tremendous swimming for them both, since they are both in the younger age of their two-year age-groups. Emily has the best chance to actually win a medal in her 100 free, where according to best times, she is seeded in the top four or five in the province.

I spent the weekend working the elecronic results system, which is very tiring, but at least I got to be the first to see the result times from the kids’ events. We had a lot of good feedback from other clubs in the region about the way the meet was run, so that feels pretty good, because the pool is our club’s home turf.

Lack of Swimming Entries

I haven’t done a lot of swimming entries lately, and the kids have been doing a lot of swimming. Last weekend was both the A (winter club) Summer Provincials, and the St. Albert Sailfish meet. Mack swam awesomely in the Sailfish meet, winning two events and the 8 & U aggregate, and Emily swam in both meets, also winning two events and the 10 & U aggregate in the Sailfish meet, and having some great races and making two finals in the A provincials. She was one of only three or four nine-year-old girls in the meet. We’re very proud of her. Her best race was the 200 free in the Sailfish meet, which was a 12 & U event, in which she placed 4th (!). Mack’s best swim was his 25 free, and he also had a great 100 IM.

This weekend is the Devon “Freeze or Fry”, so named because we usually do one or the other depending in the weather. This year looks like it might break with tradition and just be mild. (knock on wood).

2 Swim meets and a triathalon

The kids swam in two meets the past two weekends. First was the Whitecourt meet two weekends ago, then the Hinton meet this weekend. Whitecourt was the first one of the year. Both Em and Mack did well, doing some best times and both winning an aggregate medal, Mack the gold and Emily bronze.

Last weekend at Hinton, Emily swam her first 800 free race. Did I mention she’s in the 10 & under category? Wow, it was amazing to watch her siwm that. I ran the length counter for her, and the first time I stuck the card in the water as she was coming into her third turn, she looked up at me through her pink goggles and gave me a dirty look. She was pretty proud of herself for swimming that race, and she should be. She was the only one younger than about 14 in the race. She finished fifth and got the silver medal aggregate overall, because of her other two wins in 50 free and 25 fly, and a 3rd place in 100 IM. Mack has a little competition now that he’s moved up to 8 & under this year. He got the gold in the meet, with a first in 25 free, first in 25 fly, 2nd in 50 free and 2nd in 25 back.

We got home from Hinton Saturday evening, and Sunday morning we got up early so they could go in the St. Albert Kids of Steel Triathalon. They competed as a team together with their friend from school Evan Beaubien. Emily swam, and came first out of the pool in her group. Mack biked, and went very hard, but was a bit out of his league against kids up to 10 years old. Evan ran very hard, and despite some cramps, sprinted through the finish line. It was the first time any of them had been in a triathalon, but from the kids’ reactions, I doubt it will be the last. Emily’s already said she wants to compete as an individual next year. She was especially happy that her grandma came out to watch them.

I hope they stay athletic like this. We’re trying to instill a lifelong love of sport in them, with an emphasis on having fun and getting lots of activity. So far so good.

Stony Plain Swim Meet

The kids got their first chance to swim in an outdoor meet this year today. It was also their first time swimming outdoors during crappy rainy weather. Considering the conditions, they did well and I’m proud of their performance.

Emily did the 25 back, 25 breast, 25 free and 100 IM. She won them all, even the breast, which is not traditionally a family-best stroke. Mine always sucked, and until the last few weeks Emily always struggled with it. The coaches at the Sailfish have been doing an excellent job working with her though, and she has come a long way in breast. She won the 8 & U girls aggregate at the meet.

Mack swam 50 free, 25 back, 25 breast and 25 free. He held his own, considering there was no 6 & U age group at the meet and he had to swim with the 8 & U boys. He placed 5th in the 50 free, 2nd (!) in the 25 back, 6th in the 25 free, and got dq’ed in the 25 breast. He worked hard, and just had a little lapse of concentration on technique in the breast that got him dq’ed.

The Brand kids did well today too, with Brianne moving up the rankings and Evan showing some best times. Evan also swam the 100 IM for the first time ever, which was exciting.

The Sailfish team did well too, with a total of eight age group aggregate medals, several of which were gold. Not a bad showing for a cold day in the rain.

St. Albert Sailfish Meet

The kids swam in their second St. Albert Sailfish meet on Saturday. Mack won his second age group high point gold medal at the event and Emily won her first. Both of them won all four events they entered. Emily did two best times and Mack did three. Mack lost his goggles on the dive in the 50 free, so he was pretty mad about that. Emily is ranked very close to the top in 25 fly and 25 free in 8 and under in the province right now, but there are some really good girls in her age group in the other regions. Provinicials should see some heated competition. I’m very proud of how hard they both work at swimming, and I always get excited when I watch them race. I was timing in lane 4, so I got to time a couple of Emily’s races, and I saw Mack race in the next lane over twice. Each time I got so excited cheering them on that I nearly forgot to stop the stopwatch when the swimmer in my lane finished.

First Summer Swim Meet of Year Tomorrow

The kids and I are off to Hinton tonight for the first meet of the summer tomorrow. Emily’s been very excited to go and race for months now. She can’t wait to get out there and give her best. She’ll be one of the older girls in her age group this year, unlike last year, and she should be near the top of the competition. Mack is in the same situation. I’m excited to watch them race. It brings back a lot of good memories from my own swimming history.