Getting a nervous child into the water
What we do in the first three classes, and how you can help at home.
From learner to squad: what competitive swimming asks of a family
Thinking about the competitive squad. The hours, costs, early mornings and meets involved, from parents who have done it.
Every few months a parent watches their child swim a fast length and asks whether they should join our competitive squad. It can be a wonderful path. It is also a big commitment for the whole family, so here is what it involves.
Entry is by a trial swim. Coach Nikhil looks for swimmers aged 9 to 17 who can swim 200 m of freestyle continuously with good technique and who want to race. Wanting to race matters more than speed at this stage. Children who join mainly to please a parent rarely stay.
The squad trains six days a week, from 5.45 to 7.45 am on weekdays and 6 to 9 am on Saturdays, including dryland strength work. That means a 5 am alarm, an early dinner and a 9.30 pm bedtime on school nights. Parents in our squad usually set up a carpool among three or four families to share the early drives.
The fee is ₹3,500 a month. On top of that come racing suits at ₹2,500 to ₹4,000, meet entries at ₹300 to ₹800 per event, and travel to district meets in Pune and state meets in Mumbai, Nashik or Kolhapur, two to four times a year. A family should plan for ₹70,000 to ₹90,000 a year. The coach shares a monthly report with each family, and a swimmer can move back to a fitness batch at any time without fuss. The goal is a child who loves swimming at 18, not just one who wins at 12.
