Too much yardage

Question
Hi, my 11 year old son has been swimming for 3 years.  The coaches recently moved him up a level in practice groups.  He was swimming 4 days a week for an hour and a half at each practice.  Now he'll be swimming 5 days a week for 2 hours a practice.  He has fast times at meets but I'm worried that this is too much yardage for him.  He has had only 1 practice and he was having a hard time keeping up at that practice (however, he was put in a fast lane).  Should I give it more time?  Does he just need some time to catch up to the other kids who have been swimming at that level all year?

Thanks.

Answer
Lori,
That is a great question.  I am sorry that I didn't reply within 24 hours.  I wanted to talk to my mom about this though.  My family went through something very similar with me.

My first and most important question is "What does your son want?"  This is really what it comes down to.  If he is enjoying the challenge and wants to be at the practice, then that should speak volumes.  Although that shouldn't be the deciding factor, I do think it's important to think about what your son really thinks about this situation.  Is he being influenced by the other kids and/or coaches?  What is his mindset about swimming?

I ask these questions, because swimming is a sport that requires a lot of time and dedication to succeed at certain levels.  I sacrificed many hours in my childhood for swimming.  I am glad that I did it all, however I did give up a more "normal" social life with friends from school.  My best friends were on the swim team.  It is important to make sure that your son is able to balance the pressures of these swim practices with just being a kid.

Ok, now let me speak to the situation you described.

I think that your son is at a pivotal age in swimming.  He is at the point where it is no longer just swim lessons and having fun in the water.  He is transitioning into the more competitive side of the sport.  Dedication and sacrifice are being asked of him.  Swimming 2 hours a day is a huge feat for an 11 year old.  How many other 11 year olds (who don't swim) spend that much time dedicated to a single sport?  Not many.

The coach moved him up to a new level.  Do you know their basis for this decision?  I am assuming that they feel he can handle the pressure and will improve by being with the faster children.  I think that you should give him a couple of weeks.  See how he feels.  Make sure he understands that he doesn't need to be in that practice if he doesn't want to.  I will say this though...11 year olds are VERY resilient.  They bounce back.  You should see some drastic improvements in his practices.  This will only happen if he WANTS to be there though.

I talked to my mom about your question.  She laughed when I read it to her.  She said that I was the one pushing her to move me up.  I was the one who wanted to go to morning practices along with afternoons when I was 11 or 12.  She was very worried that I was biting off more than I could chew.  She was worried that I was going to withdraw from my friends and social life at school.  Being that she was a school teacher at the time, she was very aware of this possibility.

She allowed me to push myself at this time.  Even though she had her reservations, she let me do it.  Remember though, this was my decision.  I didn't understand the bigger picture that my parents were looking at.  I am just very lucky that they were aware of the potential outcomes.  They stood by me but monitored my progress.

Anyway, I suggest that you just monitor right now.  See where things go.  I would be really interested in your feedback on what I have said.  This is a tough situation for you as a parent.  It's like you are walking a tightrope.  I wish you the best of luck.

I don't know if I "answered" your question.  I hope that I gave you some insight though.  Let me know if I can help out anymore.
Eric