Parents Competitive swimming after gymnastics?

[Blindside]

Hi,
My eldest daughter (13yo, lv7) was a late starter, had a stress fracture on her back about 4 years ago and still suffers often from back pain due to the numerous back and front walkovers they do during warm up and on beam On top of that, beam fears give her anxiety to the point she would like to retire from gymnastics after next season. I have read many successful stories of retired gymnasts becoming divers, pole vaulters, runners and dancers but I cannot find anything about swimming after gymnastics. My daughter was offered to join the swim team at age 9 but decided on gymnastics instead. She masters all strokes and turns and can dive but I do not know how hard it would be for her to catch up with swimmers her age. Any successful stories you know of? Thank you in advanced.

 

[Tmacs]

Me! I wasn't a very competitive gymnast- only one year on team after several years of rec. I had always done summer league swimming while growing up. Then in high school, I joined the high school team and immediately had great success. Went into club swimming and ended up swimming in college. I think core strength, muscle control, and general body position will really help with swimming. I'm already hoping my 8 year old gymnast will switch to swimming in h.s. It's such a great life long sport. My friend started in 8th grade and made the Olympic Trials. So, really, if she's naturally gifted, it won't take her long.

 

[Blindside]

Me! I wasn't a very competitive gymnast- only one year on team after several years of rec. I had always done summer league swimming while growing up. Then in high school, I joined the high school team and immediately had great success. Went into club swimming and ended up swimming in college. I think core strength, muscle control, and general body position will really help with swimming. I'm already hoping my 8 year old gymnast will switch to swimming in h.s. It's such a great life long sport. My friend started in 8th grade and made the Olympic Trials. So, really, if she's naturally gifted, it won't take her long.

That's great to hear! I was a competitive swimmer for a while and I believe she has some natural ability. I agree with you that the upper body and core strength that she has acquired through years of gymnastics can only be helpful. Not to mention the strong work ethic and perseverance. I am actually very excited for her !

 

[txgymfan]

Swimming sounds like a great next step. For now, I would tell her and her coaches that she is not allowed to do walkovers of any kind at any time. If necessary, get a note from her doctor. We have CB members with lifelong back issues from gymnastics.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

Mine does summer league just two months a year and she has managed to keep pace with the summer league girls who also swim year round - she swims as fast in back and fly as any of them. The strength and conditioning from gym means she picks it up super easily. Definitely worth a shot.

Oh and total agreement - level 7 she doesn't really need to do a walkover ever again. Why does she have to do them in practice if they hurt?

 

[gymgal]

I don't have a gymnastics-to-swimming story but my son has been on a swim team since around 5yrs old. The great thing about swimming is that it truly is an individual sport where you are just trying to improve your times. You will find all levels in a club and usually they are all welcomed as long as they are willing to work to their potential. Most clubs will have different groups based on their expertise and speed so they don't have to worry about keeping up with the fastest swimmers. DS's team has a senior development group, which basically is for 13+yr olds who what to be competitive but are not yet to the level of being able to keep up with the seniors in practice. DS is in the senior group, but even there, the team is separated by lanes based on times. If you are faster in one event, then you move to a faster lane.

Honestly, if she is interested in this, you may want to get her involved now - see if they have a sliding fee based on the number practices she attends per week. Even just a couple a week would get her going and allow her to feel more comfortable for when she transitions. Of course, this may not be possible if she is in the gym 5 days/wk. Mine was at L7.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Like in gymnastics, it's also going to come down to her goals in the sport. Swimming can be done at every level, just like gymnastics. Recreational just for fun, fitness and skill. Low level competitive, right through to elite.

I am speaking from my own experience, it might be different in the US, because swimming is pretty much the national sport in Australia. But the kids on the elite path in swimming here, will already be doing around 8 training sessions per week (AM and PM), by 13 years old. They start very young, most kids start formal lessons as babies. My niece just started taking swimming lessons, she is 6 weeks old. From there is just intensifies, so I don't know if the later start to competitive swimming will be an issue for her, but it could be.

 

[3cats]

Mu daughter practices with a local swim team once a week just bc the swim coaches are infatuated with her muscles and her willingness to work hard. They keep telling me that maybe once she stops gymnastics she will gravitate towards swim team. She wont, she is just in it for the friends, and doesn't really much like to swim. But your daughter's athleticism will put a twinkle in many a swim coach's eye. If she likes it I bet she can, and will, be very successful.

 

[Blindside]

Swimming sounds like a great next step. For now, I would tell her and her coaches that she is not allowed to do walkovers of any kind at any time. If necessary, get a note from her doctor. We have CB members with lifelong back issues from gymnastics.

Yes the long term back issues is what scares her and myself! We have gone back to her ortho a few times to make sure the fracture has not come back and she's got a note to limit the number of hyperextensions. Even then, after a few weeks she is asked to do the normal warm up, which includes many walkovers and limbers. Also her beam connection for level 7 is BWO-BHS and her gym will not substitute that for any other skill like cartwheel-roundoff...BHS-BHS would be better for her back but mentally she is not ready for that. So tough.

 

[Blindside]

Honestly, if she is interested in this, you may want to get her involved now - see if they have a sliding fee based on the number practices she attends per week. Even just a couple a week would get her going and allow her to feel more comfortable for when she transitions. Of course, this may not be possible if she is in the gym 5 days/wk. Mine was at L7.

Great information -thank you! And I agree in trying to get her involved now. I am going to set up an evaluation with a local club and see what they say. I think their summer practices do not overlap with gymnastics so at least she could give it a try and see if she likes it.

 

[Blindside]

Like in gymnastics, it's also going to come down to her goals in the sport. Swimming can be done at every level, just like gymnastics. Recreational just for fun, fitness and skill. Low level competitive, right through to elite.

I am speaking from my own experience, it might be different in the US, because swimming is pretty much the national sport in Australia. But the kids on the elite path in swimming here, will already be doing around 8 training sessions per week (AM and PM), by 13 years old. They start very young, most kids start formal lessons as babies. My niece just started taking swimming lessons, she is 6 weeks old. From there is just intensifies, so I don't know if the later start to competitive swimming will be an issue for her, but it could be.

Thank you for the information. I believe that here in the US some 13 year olds also train 6-9 sessions/week. At this point her only goal is to find out if she can successfully transition from gymnastics to swimming. It seems that should be possible according to the various replies above. I will set her up for a tryout asap and go from there.

 

[txgymfan]

Yes the long term back issues is what scares her and myself! We have gone back to her ortho a few times to make sure the fracture has not come back and she's got a note to limit the number of hyperextensions. Even then, after a few weeks she is asked to do the normal warm up, which includes many walkovers and limbers. Also her beam connection for level 7 is BWO-BHS and her gym will not substitute that for any other skill like cartwheel-roundoff...BHS-BHS would be better for her back but mentally she is not ready for that. So tough.

I would ask your ortho for a note specifically stating she is not allowed to do any walkovers. If they refuse, ask for a number per practice, like 5 or 3. If your ortho needs an explanation have your DD show her one or send a video. If the gym refuses to limit walkovers then it is not interested in her long term health and does not deserve your money. Leave the gym. Her gym can substitute another skill saying they won’t when a child’s health is at risk is flat out wrong. Tell them she won’t do the skill and if they force it, leave the gym Immediately. It boggles my mind that after she has a note asking her to limit a skill they expect her to do “many “ of them. No, just no, heck no, he** no. She needs her back long after they want her score.

I know I’m being hard about this but we have members, my friends children who will suffer life long back issues because of a childhood pastime.

If this upsets your daughter, then it’s a tough life lesson. Mom and dad care about your health more than your gymnastics and you have made a decision in her best interest.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

My daughter had a stress fracture and her coaches have said she never needs to do a walkover again and handstand-BHS often does better in 7 than BWO-BHS anyway. I can not imagine entrusting my kid to them if they didn't care about her health and safety. I have a lot of feelings about coaches who put their ego above their gymnasts' health but they're not exactly fit to print.

Like TXGymFan, I would pull my kid. I realize she's looking to leave after this season anyway, but a whole nother year of being in pain and putting that stress on her spine is no bueno.

 

[Blindside]

@txgymfan and @Sk8ermaiden I could not agree more with both of you! We left a gym a year ago because they were physically and mentally abusive, sigh. The current gym is much better overall. Still, it does not seem to be a good fit for my eldest daughter because of her back problems. I have a younger daughter going into lv8 who is thriving in this gym so I do not dare to say much since I am afraid of negative consequences...silly, I know! At this point I feel it would be better for my 13 yo to retire from gymnastics and move to a different activity. She has been against that for a long time but has finally reached the point where she understands feeling pain all the time and being scared is not worth it. She is eager to try swimming. Fingers crossed she likes it and decides to switch right away! Thank you for everyone's support!

 

[txgymfan]

Awesome! Thank you for understanding that we had her and your best interest at heart. With younger sister there, I agree moving on sounds like the best option.

Please ask your younger daughter to be careful with the walkovers too. Absolutely no more than necessary. Please let us know how everyone is doing.

 

[Tmacs]

That's great to hear! I was a competitive swimmer for a while and I believe she has some natural ability. I agree with you that the upper body and core strength that she has acquired through years of gymnastics can only be helpful. Not to mention the strong work ethic and perseverance. I am actually very excited for her !

I'm excited for her as well. Swimming is such a great community and it seems way less drama/crazy parents than gym but I could be speaking from my own experience from the 80s/90s where sports were just different! It may be worth investing in some privates to get her form the best it can be so she is training correctly from the beginning- the power in swimming comes from the core rotation so if done correctly, she'll be very powerful. She'll see dramatic improvements in times right away so that will be fun.

 

[Ginger]

So is your daughter OK with retiring from gymnastics?

I have 13yr old training for level 7 season also and her beam combo is HS-BHS. She actually haven't done any BWO since she wrapped her L4 season - she competed back extension for L5 beam. Our coaches are very careful about back walkovers and I am so thankful for them (our coaches, not back walkovers). When my DD and her L4 teammates trained the BWOs the coaches always supervised them closely to make sure they do it correctly, and there was only limited BWOs per practice allowed.

Good luck to your daughter! I love swimming and our community also has a great swimming program, too bad my kids aren't swimmers (at least my ODD, also retired gymnast, is competitive diver for her HS team).

 

[Faith]

There’s an olympic swimmer-
Multiple gold medals etc, was a gymnast, went along with her swimmer sister to a swim session when she was ready to give up gym.

Can’t remember her name. Will google.

 

[bookworm]

My youngest was a multi year level 10 who tore her ACL and eventually had to give up gymnastics....and started diving in October of her Freshman year in college and has done quite well!

 

[Blindside]

I'm excited for her as well. Swimming is such a great community and it seems way less drama/crazy parents than gym but I could be speaking from my own experience from the 80s/90s where sports were just different! It may be worth investing in some privates to get her form the best it can be so she is training correctly from the beginning- the power in swimming comes from the core rotation so if done correctly, she'll be very powerful. She'll see dramatic improvements in times right away so that will be fun.

So I took my daughter to be evaluated at a successful swim club in our area and as you and others thought, the coaches loved her! They said that they see her spending a year in one of their junior teams improving her technique and then moving to their senior team. And you know what, they have several ex-gymnasts there and they said they are the most successful ones in butterfly. They did recommend a couple of privates during August but they said not to go crazy with that because in September (after 4 weeks break - I could not believe my ears!!!!), they start from basics for everyone. My daughter loved the coaches and the kids there and can't wait to get started. I am so very happy for her!