Plateaus

Question
Hello,

My 13 year old daughter has hit an almost two year plateau.  She was phenomenal at 11 after moving from a high distance team to a sprint team (due to a geographic move).  She still enjoys challenging herself at practice and being with the kids but lately meets are so rough.  Most of her best times are when she was 11 and so she may be seeded well but then ends up at the bottom of the heap.  

My question is this....What is the likelihood that she will ever be "fast" again?  Is is possible that she will never really break her plateau..do some girls do that?  I am hoping that as long as we keep it fun for her that someday she will get over it....It is difficult because she is such a hard worker.  She is with now with one of the best teams in our area and so the coaching is not the real issue.  

Appreciate your input. Thanks!!

Answer
Hello Liz,
i hope I can provide some insight into your daughters new swim habits. First and foremost you should know that some children and even adult swimmers reach a point of no return where they had their best times and struggle to maintain or even revert back to them after some time.
Being that your daughter is still so young I do not personally think this will really affect her. She has a new team and a new home and although she may be mentally adjusted, it takes time to physically adjust in training changes. Maybe the sprint team is not offering her the same sort of training that she was receiving. Not to say that it is bad because I am sure she is on an excellent team but her habits and style of swimming may change. You hit the nail right on the head when you stated that as long as you keep it fun for her everything should work out.. all to often are swimmers trapped in a routine and forget the reasons they love the sport. I have seen olympic worthy swimmers because they got rundown and no longer enjoyed the sport.
I suggest lots on encouragement to keep her trying her hardest and if she keeps up her passion for the sport I am confident you will see it reflect on the clock soon.
If there is anything else please do not hesitate to ask.
All make sure she is getting plenty of sleep because that can REALLY effect performance. A phrase that has helped me a lot lately with training is 'constant effort not constant speed' you do not have to be the fastest but if the effort is constant it will pay off later.
Hope this helps!
-Jessica