Great swim
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El Niño went 28.3 for 50free at the Arena National League South tonight in Dover. 3rd leg of the 4x50 U14 boys relay, so doesnt count on official rankings but a good marker! Not bad considering he is terrible at FC 
He also did 50 Back in the 4x50 medley, 31.16, and does count (first leg of relays from gun count). Thats now an auto qualify time for Summer Regionals! 3 hr round trip, and 3hrs at event for 1min of racing
Open gala tomorrow. Bit more local thankfully.
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Decent average pace and pretty consistent as well
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Cheers, felt pretty comfortable & think I could have a reasonable stab at 100x 100 If had the pool time.
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I might go for the 100 x 100m again, but go a fair bit slower than trying to hold CSS pace for the whole thing
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100x100 at CSS?! 
sounds mental even for a diesel engine
How much rest were you taking?
Our club are doing it on the 27th, I want to go but might end up just going for the cooked breakfast afterwards
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Was coming in around 1:31-1:33 for the first 30, then 1:33-1:35 for the next 20 when I made it to 50
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Hammerer in particular might find this interesting.
The Sheffield & District gala has always had a “Water Babies” cup at its annual gala, it is presented to the youngest swimmer to swim 25m. Since its inception in 1965 only four swimmers have won it twice, which is unsurprising because they’re one year older the second time so must have been really young the first time they “won” it. My lad was one of the double winners.
Since 2000 (i.e. since, via the internet, I could check up on their subsequent times when they were a bit older) it’s been won twice by three swimmers.
All three went on to be decent swimmers but none were anywhere near the top.
I know the most about my lad and it’s still early days for him but I am pretty sure the trajectory has been established, he is small for his age though he has got talent, but, how can I put this, “he lacks the work ethic” ! At the age of five I am pretty sure he was the best swimmer (at Free) in Sheff mainly because I took him a hell of a lot and he had individual coaching. But now, at ten, he’s probably only about tenth, he’s higher than tenth for Back, but still a way off the top. It should be emphasised that it’s still well worth him club swimming but more for social reasons.
Basically, early (certainly very early) achievement in swimming does not seem to translate into later success. Maybe because very early achievement in swimming is more down to opportunity and parental influence ?
Probably due to who grows fastest as well, there can be a big gap between kids that grow faster and those who are late growing.
Similar in a lot of power or speed sports.
Hes only 10, early is anything pre pubescent
Hes 10 kids that age are going swimming to play with their friends. The only ones interested in times and intensities are those being told to be interested by parents. This is , in my opinion, one of the key reasons early “success” doesnt translate to “success” in later years, they are not doing it for themselves, but for their parents.
You only need to look at ASA rankings for Derby’s 13, 14 and 15 years AG history in or Peaty’s SCM progression in those years 2007/08 to see how puberty brings on a kid to become the greatest sprint breaststroker in history. At 13 or 14 he was “just” a club swimmer!
El Niño goes because he loves it, hes grumpy if he cant. He now, at 14, swims every day for 13hrs a week and doesnt want to miss a minute. In just the past year he has knocked 4.5secs off 50back, 10s off 100, his 100breast, free and fly similar. He improved similar the previous year also after Covid. He went from 3 secs / 50 off county times 2022, to 4 times last Jan but not being accepted to now a minimum 6 maybe more , most will get him in, and 2 regional times so far with 1 auto. He has now caught the early achievers and is beating many of them, some have gone backwards as it all evens out in the end. The difference, i am just a taxi dad, i ask first every day , “did you have fun” , “hows Mr X doing today” personal questions rather than put importance on results and performance. I may ask for deeper reflection later on but i dont really care except racing poorly makes him sad. Im similar as a coach and funny enough i get kids back week after week, therefore improving, and the only unhappy people with my laid back attitude are the odd pushy parents who think their child is Alex Yee and should be pushed not supported.
I know Im biased, but even trying to take off the rose tinted specs and with a coaches eye “El Niño” is doing it the perfect way, building every year, and whilst he may not be the next Adam Peaty, he is on the trajectory that it is “who knows”, rather than the conversation i hear every week “my 15year old hasnt pb’d in 2 years and I dont know why” The fact they are having those conversations with other adults gives a reason. Improvement comes mainly because of child growth through puberty into adulthood and training, but those who go every session, and try hard because they truely enjoy it will keep improving technical skills even when there is no growth spurt or strength gain that month, whilst those that were “successful” at 12 , were pushed into it, were early developers, will sometimes grow frustrated as they are caught because they spend sessions goggle fiddling as they hate training and dont truely want to be there.
tl;dr be the Tortoise not the Hare, the kid needs to love what theu do and it needs, in swimming or tri, to be largely social as they spend most of their spare time at that club.
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I agree the social side of a swimming club is very important, maybe the most important, and I would take him for that reason alone even if he stopped doping galas completely.
But my lad really doesn’t work that hard in training he really doesn’t. If he can do a sub 39 sec 50 free then doing 50 reps (with 30 sec rest) in 55 seconds is playing at it really.
What threw it into sharp contrast was a lad who joined his old club a few months after him, and my lad was way quicker than him. But now, one year later, the other lad has gone past him, and I am sure it’s because that lad works harder. And good luck to him, he deserves it.
I just went training this aft and my lad had to come along because my wife went shopping. I didn’t try to force my lad to swim at all in fact spent the time sat on the side reading ! I train for nothing in particular, the only event I compete in is the annual parents’ race ! As I was pushing myself without even much to motivate me (he’s got two galas coming up) it did occur to me that if he had my work ethic, but together with his talent and his superior race psyche (he swims faster than he should in a race, I used to swim slower than I should…) he could be a quick swimmer !
Last swim of the year coming up
Still feels weird to go for an outdoor swim , at night, in December. They are definitely heating the pool now though, rather than cooling it like they do in summer.
Reckon I have probably swum probably somewhere north of 200 times this year… it’s free and right there so why not. Most swims just a steady 1500. Might try a bit more structure next year. Or might not.
Anyways, back on the 
tonight & won’t be doing any open air swimming in Dorset 
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Paging @greta cooling water 
burn him 
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haha stop trying to deflect attention @jeffB with the BA lifetime achievement card 
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See I know better than to click on that. 
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We are learning.
I went back and clicked on it though, just because I don’t want to miss out. Not as bad as some of his previous efforts.
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I have a feeling this post will resonate with more than few on here…
This is rubbish.
OK I am not competing but training is very good (essential I would say…) for my mental health.
Whenever I feel, down or annoyed or frustrated or depressed, the one thing that works 100% of the time to greatly improve my mood is a hard training session.
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Judging by your posts on this forum you’d be an absolute baller on the Master’s circuit 
.
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