{"id":433008,"date":"2020-05-23T04:39:29","date_gmt":"2020-05-23T11:39:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=433008"},"modified":"2024-10-28T11:38:42","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T18:38:42","slug":"top-100-rankings-for-9-10-11-12-year-olds-is-that-something-we-should-be-celebrating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/top-100-rankings-for-9-10-11-12-year-olds-is-that-something-we-should-be-celebrating\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 100 Rankings for 9-10\/11-12 Year Olds – Is That Something We Should Be Celebrating?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Commentary:<\/em>\u00a0When a member of the Swim Coaches Idea Exchange Group<\/strong>\u00a0posted a question yesterday, he also gave his answer: ‘Is top 100 rankings for 9-10\/11-12 years olds\u00a0<\/strong>something we should be celebrating?’ was followed by the suggestion that the coaching community “needs to get as far away from focusing on age group performances as possible.”<\/p>\n

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The question was sparked by the recent release of teams\u00a0top 100 rankings for 9-10\/11-12 years olds by\u00a0USA Swimming with the American Swimming Coaches Association. There’s fun in the mix of measures but the downside of ranking very young children is lost on few in the sport.<\/p>\n

The young coach\u00a0got a fair few loves and likes and affirmative comments in response. Among them was this from Todd Schmitz<\/strong>, mentor to Missy Franklin<\/strong><\/a>: “Coaches – you don\u2019t want to coach the 10 and under wonder trust me!!!” In words that remind us how hard the journey can be – even for those who make it big – Schmitz added:<\/p>\n

“Long-term development is where it is at.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The world of swimming loves rankings – in context and at specific moments in time and along the thread of history – but even at the pointy, deep end of business, rankings of late have not matched the standards of past eras, neither at the level of proper provision, availability nor accuracy.<\/p>\n

And that’s the deep end. In the birthing pool of talent, the shallow end at the start of long voyages, do rankings even make sense?<\/p>\n

What purpose do they serve? Used as motivation and incentive, some children might harness them to their goals. Even then, would they do so in a way constructive to their own development? Can a nine-year-old, for whom a 40-year-old can feel like something out of the Book of Noah, really fathom what an elite career of 20 years, with a 10-year build up, might look like?<\/p>\n

Probably not. I was eight when I met Shane Gould<\/strong>, 14, for the first time. That same day, I met Forbes Carlile<\/strong>, too. He was 49 – and would grace the swimming world for a further 45 years until Ursula Carlile<\/strong>, Shane and the rest of us lost him on the eve of racing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

Forbes was saved from the booing that rained down from the Rio stands over issues with their roots in governance and culture that Forbes had fought to rid his beloved sport of just about his entire adult life. Those issues run through the thread of this exchange of thought between Don Talbot<\/strong> and Bill Sweetenham<\/strong> <\/a>that Swimming World<\/em> published yesterday.<\/p>\n

The work and views of great stars of the sport in their youth, such as\u00a0Gould<\/a> and Franklin<\/a>, also speak to the wisdom of years and wider issues.<\/p>\n

The trouble with the notion of a 9-12-year-old coupling the improvements they’re working on to rankings is clear: the tool is one that often means more to coach, club and parent than child.<\/p>\n

How do you feel about it? Do you love rankings for nine-year-olds? What are the positives you see? Let us know if you see another side to what follows.<\/p>\n

One of the legacies of Carlile is the eponymous swim program Carlile Swimming <\/strong><\/a>with its many programs across Australia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Michael Gale<\/strong>, recently retired from his role as Senior Assistant Head Swim Coach at Carlile Swimming, was among those who left a comment on the post at the Swim Coaches Idea Exchange Group.<\/p>\n

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Swimming – a big voyage ahead for a nine-year-old – Photo Courtesy: Craig Lord<\/p><\/div>\n

Tapping into his own experience and that of\u00a0Swimming World<\/strong> columnist Wayne Goldsmith<\/strong> and his cross-sports writing on youth sport and related issues, parenting, coaching and the culture and environment of sports in the mix of specifics and generalities, here is what Gale wrote about top 100 rankings for 9-10\/11-12 years olds<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Rankings of 10-12 is an absolute disgrace.<\/em><\/p>\n

It just goes to show how low sport in general has stooped to a level to appease the \u201cSMALL\u201c decision makers in those sports.<\/em><\/p>\n

So what if a child is No. 1 at 10 yrs of age or 12 but has left the sport by the time they reach 16!<\/em><\/p>\n

We want to see the best elite athletes in the world at Maturation Age. Yes, we will get girls 14\/15 who have won an Olympic medal and we will see a 40 yr old win a 50m free race and get an Olympic medal. These are RARE EXAMPLES.<\/em><\/p>\n

We need children to experience a variety of sports when they are young. It\u2019s when they are in that age group of 16-18 where they need to specialise in 1-2 sports and have the time and mental dedication to aspire to be amongst the best.<\/em><\/p>\n

SADLY, it\u2019s at this Age Group where we lose so many people from sport.<\/em><\/p>\n

WHY? Often because they have parents\/coach who have their child marked as a future World Champion. Most often, a child discovers something that they are good at. Not many youngsters will excel at something they dislike and that is a true basis to expose children to a variety of sports.<\/em><\/p>\n

The problem occurs when the child is pushed to a ridiculous training regime that he\/she hates it but continues due to adult pressure but once they are 16-18, they rebel.<\/em><\/p>\n

As a recently retired coach working with the whole spectrum from young kids to elite athletes who represent their country, it sickens me to see 10yr-olds doing 5-7 sessions a week. I\u2019d prefer they do 3, maybe 4, and try other sports.<\/em><\/p>\n

L.T.A.D.\u2014 Long Term Athlete Development, is something all sports Associations and Parents need to be aware of. In these days of computer games, mobile phones, Social Media via the Internet, the days of kids being kids – running around at school and after, being active, playing sport on the weekend – has been greatly eroded.<\/em><\/p>\n

Throw in the commitment of schooling and if you have coaches\/parents pushing young children to undue pressure in all that the child does [it] makes life very stressful for that child.<\/em><\/p>\n

Why are so many YOUNG CHILDREN HAVING TO RESORT TO SPORTS PSYCHOLOGISTS?<\/em><\/p>\n

Simple – PRESSURE OVERLOAD! As a parent, yes, of course we want our children to be successful in all that they do, BUT LOVE AND HAPPINESS are the two most vital things that you can give to a child. I hear parents saying they feel like they are a TAXI SERVICE!<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s only because the parents have committed their child to so many sessions of sport or extra tuition, be it a school subject or music or similar. These same parents that complain are often the group that expect their child to be number 1 (apologies to those who have more than one child doing different activities on the same day).<\/em><\/p>\n

People [looking at the likes of [ top 100 rankings for 9-10\/11-12 ]\u00a0will argue with me that there is alway pressure to perform, be it in a classroom or on a sporting field – true, but not to the extremes we have today.<\/em><\/p>\n

Do you wish to see real competition? Look along the sidelines at weekend sport and observe some of the disgusting screaming, yelling, arguing, whether it be at some official, or the opposition or amongst other parents.<\/em><\/p>\n

These same people think they are an authority on the sport because they have watched it or even studied it on the internet! So with that comes the questioning of the child\u2019s coach\u2019s strategy and methods.<\/em><\/p>\n

My philosophy has always been “if you don\u2019t like what you pay for, go somewhere else!\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

ALL OF THIS FOR THEIR CHILD TO BE THE BEST.<\/em><\/p>\n

Want to read from someone else who travels the world lecturing to a whole range of people about this very subject?<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thanks to the Swim Coaches Idea Exchange Group<\/a> and its members for raising important themes.<\/p>\n

Let us know your thoughts on \u00a0the theme of\u00a0top 100 rankings for 9-10\/11-12<\/strong>\u00a0in comments.<\/p>\n

Gale concludes his own comment by recommending the work of Goldsmith.<\/p>\n

Here, from the archive, are a couple of articles written by Wayne Goldsmith on a theme that may speak to parents who think top 100 rankings for 9 year olds is something they care about, the emphasis on ‘they’, not the child.<\/p>\n