Starting Swim Team?

Question

I have never been on swim team before and I was wondering of it's too late to begin in 9th grade. I am also considering trying for the dive team. Is there anything I need to do to prepare? Do you have any exercise ideas to get in shape for the winter season?

Answer 1

I joined my swim/dive team at the highschool level as a diver in the 9th grade. But I had gone to a week-long day camp during the summer to prepare, which was the first time I had ever learned to dive in my life. (competive diving, i mean)

Also, just do a lot of cardio, eat healthy, lift weights and do crunches to build muscle, and stretch daily. Gymnastics lessons wouldnt hurt!

(Sorry i could only help you if you wanted to join diving)

Good luck!!! Have fun!

Answer 2

I dont' think that it's too late at all. I'm a freshman this year (I've been swimming for 8 years), but my friend swam for the first time this year. He did pretty good for his first year. He didnt' make it to Regionals or anything, but he was pretty close. There were also two guys who were Sophomores this year who started as Freshman who both did good at Regionals. I say go for it.

Answer 3

yeah you just need to excercise a lot.... stay fit or else it will slow you down and just have fun

Answer 4

Well, the first thing as with ANYthing is... if you want to get involved with something as a beginner THEN you have to get involved with it!

You can join a swim team and you will be one of the last-string swimmers until you develop.  Then you need to work with your coaches on improving your form, your strength, and your knowledge!  As you improve, you can then also experiment in diving, again, telling the diving coach that you want to LEARN diving!  Your coach will advise you and coach you (which is what coaches do) into becoming proficient, so the entire team can benefit from your participation.

Swimming requires lots of swimming, multiple laps and weight training USING THE CORRECT WEIGHTS AND MACHINES... not just any weight machine!!!!!!!  Your coach will advise you on that!

At Huntington Beach High School in California, we did 30 laps of an indoor larger-than-olympic size "T-shape" pool just to warm up for our daily training.  It was designed as one pool but with the end for water polo, which I converted over to.  So it was actually longer than a racing pool at the head of the "T" when we did our laps.  We also had to run!  And we had weight training in the gym, but, mostly we swam lap after lap after lap until every race was merely our use of our muscles!  That is what the daily routine is all for.

Look for your swim coach and ask him/her about what you can do to get on the swim team, and then train to be qualified to be on the team.  It is really just that simple -- provided you are DEDICATED and you are a TEAM PLAYER (SWIMMER)!!!!

And good luck.

Answer 5

No, you are definitely not too late.  One of our best guys this year started as a senior.  We just wished he had started earlier.  Just swim as much as possible, and get in or stay in shape.  Be prepared to be really tired for at least a week or two after starting, until you get used to it, then it gets better, but for the first couple of weeks you'll feel like the pool kicked your butt.

Answer 6

No, it's not too late.  Might be a good idea to do swimming or diving over the summer through your community center or the Y.  Or, there may be "club" diving or swimming where you live.

"Getting in shape" would involve activities that increase flexibility, strength and endurance - running, weight training, maybe Pilates or Yoga.

You might be interested in the USADiving.com website.  There's lots of info about diving and some really cool video, too.

Answer 7

No, not at all. Some very famous swimmers started swimming seriously at 14. Work hard and you can go places.

Weights help for arm strength and look into using a Theraband to strength your Gluteus Maximus. (http://www.thera-band.com/resistive.html under LATEX BANDS.) The Gluteus Maximus strengthing may sound strange and uneeded, but trust me, IT HELPS!

This all helps me and I'm a swimmer. :)

Answer 8

it's never to late to join a swim team or a dive team, you should definetly expect long hours in the pool, lot's of stress, eventually you get used to it, stronger muscles, better figure. you'll love it.

Answer 9

well i don't know about your highschool's team, but I know that mine is pretty hardcore about practices and stuff.  Like we practice 4 hours a day, and you're going to need to work really hard but it's phenomenal exercise and I love it.  I have a friend who is joining in 10th grade and she is going to get lessons then join a local team over the summer.  Its definitely not too late, just remember that it takes some time and you won't be the best at first but its worth it!  I wouldn't recomend doing diving and swimming at the same time though, because both of them take up a lot of time.  I did have one friend who did that, and she had to make a schedule with her coaches.  Just get in the pool a lot! Good luck!

Answer 10

It is never to late to start swimming!!  I swim on a swim team with two girls that began when they were ten and are almost 11 now. They are winning state and other things.  It will take a while to get going but once your used to the practices you will move to different groups and train harder as well as get better.  I am not a diver so I don't know what to tell you.