SWAT, IMX Entries, Developmental Differences Between Age Group & Sr. Swimming
SWAT
IMX Challenge this weekend!
We’re gearing up for the first full weekend of competition at our home pool this weekend. We’re 6 weeks into a 31 week season and this weekend helps set a baseline for the athletes and gives coaches an idea of what the swimmers have been doing in the water and what we need to work on going forward. Get Ready to Race!
Click Here for Individual Meet Entries
Relays are not finalized until we get to the meet. Relays are at the discretion of the coaching staff.
Developmental Differences between Senior and Age Group Swimming:
Spokane Wave is a very young team in comparison to other programs. Many of our athletes are just now beginning to expereince success at the "Sr Level" and are transitioning from the local/age group level to the Sr/Sectional level competition. There are many significant differences between age group swimming and Sr. Swimming and the expectations of the sport as you get older. Below is an article that has outlined a few.
o Age Group Swimmers (13 and Under) are growing at a faster rate than older swimmers. They tend to recover faster because they are replacing and repairing muscle fibers faster. Need less rest to feel better after a heavy training load. Younger swimmers because they are younger and newer to the sport have more inconsistencies in training, make small mistakes and lose focus in practice easier which is normal and is part of being a young athlete. Senior Swimmers as they get older rely less on their parents for all aspects of the sport, they learn how to take ownership of their own swimming and understand the work they put into it is related to the result they get out of it. Senior Swimmers do not grow as quickly and begin developing more muscle leading to a faster “breakdown” and a longer recovery process. Time drops at swim meets do not come as easily, and the focus of training becomes seasonal and annual, focusing on the Championship end of Season and National Competitions. The habits learned as an age group swimmer lay the foundation for training and performance at the senior level.
o Age Group Swimmers are developing daily habits and time management skills that will carry them through High School. Part of the training group progression is designed around teaching the younger swimmers the technical skills, and work ethic it requires to achieve high performance in the pool. Outside the water, time management skills are the foundation of nearly all successful swimmers. If this skill is lost in our age group programs, swimmers tend to fall out of the sport when they become older and challenged with increased training and academic demands. The best are great at both. Most College swimming programs have the highest accumulative GPAs on campus.
o Maturity, both physical and emotional maturityplays a large role in the differences between Age Group and Senior Swimmer, especially when it comes to training and training group placement.
o The transition between Age Group and Sr Swimming coincides with adolescence and transition from middle school to high school. Swimmers are confronted with more responsibilities out of the water and in school and have more distractions or temptations socially. The Age Group swimmer relies on habits developed during younger years as a swimmer to help maintain focus and to get them through the tough times.
o Age Up or Age Down, being aware of what the next age group, next training level or next level of competition requires in order to be successful at that next level.
o Older Swimmers do not grow at the same rate as younger swimmers; older swimmers do not recover as fast because they have more muscle. It is easier for Senior Swimmers to break down leading to more tired swims “In-Season” vs. a “Rested and Shaved” Meet at the end of the season. For Older Swimmers it is easier to get out of shape and it takes longer to get back into shape. A stricter, regimented, and regular training schedule is required to keep the swimmer in the proper physical and mental state. Senior training is about taking Responsibility for your swimming, a seasonal process aimed at developing a rhythm and timing that the body and mind can expect and adapt to. Swimmers must go through a series of training cycles before their body can reach potential performance.
o Make or Break Period in Swimmers Career. This transition from Age Group to Sr. Swimming is the make or break period in a swimmers career. Swimmers with the time management skills, understanding of the sport, work ethic and realistic expectations developed in the age group program have a better chance of making it through Sr/National Swimming and into college swimming. Those who don’t have the skills reach a level of frustration that pushes them out of the sport because they do not have the training habits or knowledge of what the sport requires to be successful.
o Every Yard Counts. Train with a Purpose.Time is valuable, Senior Swimmers understand that if their goal is truly to achieve the highest level, training is the most important thing you will do on a daily basis. Don’t waste time, If the focus of training is not at the right level every day, your performance will suffer. If your goal in swimming is to become more and more competitive at the National level or geared toward a College Scholarship both Parents and Swimmers need to understand they are competing against the rest of the country not locally. College Coaches base recruiting off Times, National Ranking and Level of swimming reached. They need to know the swimmer can handle the pressure that comes with a high level of Competition. If the swimmer can’t score points at the College Conference Meet they will get looked over for someone that can. College coaches recruit from programs that consistently produce well rounded, reliable swimmers. Likewise if the swimmer doesn’t understand the time management skills the sport requires they will not make it through college swimming and risk washing out of the program and losing scholarship money.
