9 yr old swimming frequency

Question
Hi there. I have a nine-year-old daughter who is in the final minisquad levels of the two swim schools she attends. I have been reluctant to involve her with the swimming club in our area, which has been suggested by her instructors, because it requires a six-hour per week commitment, excluding the weekend meets. I feel this is a lot for a child of her age who, although she loves swimming, is also involved in other activities. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on this. Many thanks.

Answer
I apologize for the answering delay, I was the m aid of honor for a wedding and had no computer access out of town. Well anyway Hello Fiona!
Your situation really depends on your daughters other activities. Novice teams in Florida typically practice about about 7-10 hours per week after school etc. This is a lot of commitment I understand and in order to maintain these hours of practice the swimmer must love the sport and the challenge. Although it is physically demanding the coaches do change the work-outs in order for the swimmers not to raise their heart rate too much and also makes sure that they do not get burned out. I assure you that it is a safe amount of athletic activity it all depends on your daughter's enthusiasm for the sport and her outside activities. I hope this helps a bit.
I apologize again for the delay.
-Jessica