Summer League

Oh Summer League, It takes a lot of energy to do the summer league practices. The variety of levels that you have makes it hard. Some kids had swim lessons, some have done the competitive stroke class, and others tell me that they learned how to swim from their parents in the backyard pool. It is still fun to do a summer league where the main thing is to just get basics down.

I organized the meets to be similar to USA Swimming Meets, but we added some aid to help the new swimmers and parents. The Staging area being the main one. Everything is pre-seeded, so there is some computer work involved, but that isn't too hard, just takes a little time.

The best part is there is no official times, there are no officials, there are no time standards, there are no ribbons first place. The meets are just to go and race. They all get mini goody bags and the heat winners get a necklace of beads around there neck. No team scores, no winners, no losers, just kids having fun racing. Even the kids who got beat had a lot of fun. We used club swimmers as timers, staging area helpers, announcer, starter, heat winner deliverer. They seemed to have a blast helping out at the meet.

No prior league really existed any longer, so I was able to establish that the purpose of the league is to introduce the sport, and to pursue the sport onward the swimmer would be developed through the club team. A true feeder program that leads kids in the direction to be able to succeed at the higher level of swimming if they choose to do so. The frustration of seeing so many talented swimmers never understand the kind of work necessary to be a national level swimmer, will not be as prevalent as it is laid out, that the club route is the way to reach the highest level.

I think that is my favorite thing about the move here. The CVRSL was a great summer league. The structure had been established over years of being in existence, but it was that tradition that also led so many to never be able to reach their potential. I loved being in the league as a swimmer, but even I had fallen a victim of the CVRSL. Success came as you were talented, and we were led to believe that we worked hard to achieve it. I'm glad that I did work a little under Phil and my father, and was able to have some success, but still so many don't get that opportunity. If only the CVRSL was an actual feeder program to the various club teams in the area, the area would become so much better at swimming, as I know that the talent is there. Only if...

This new summer league is a lot of fun though. It takes a lot of energy, but it is good to teach the beginning levels every once in awhile. Only thing I regret is the short amount of practices. The anxiety to make sure I cover all the main points gets to me at times, and then I let myself overlook some aspects (like when I watched so many of my swimmers touch the wall with one hand on breaststroke). Spending so much time on skills that will help them transition into our first level groups, I forget a simple thing like touching with two hands. The kids are making progress, but they are also getting to know some basic things that I didn't really get to with the Aqua Bears. Those basics will serve them good as they progress, even though I think sometimes the parents wonder why I am not teaching just the strokes all the time, and not having them swim a lot of laps. Oh well.