Swimming Before Gymnastics Meet

[emorymom]

Huh. Our out of state meet this year is at an indoor waterpark.

My daughter's coach is aware that sometimes she does swim team before gymnastics practice. But usually they are on separate days.

What makes more sense to me is if swim teams had a rule that said you should really not do a gym workout in the 12 hours before a swim meet. That would make sense.

'Course we will drive straight from gym to swim meets but that's summer league.

 

[NotAMom]

Well my old coach said that not to go into a hot tube but he didn't say anything about swimming.

Hot tub is definitely bad when it comes to muscle relaxation. Just climbing out of the tube and start walking is hard enough.

Our gym strongly discourages swimming just before a meet with far more emphasis towards the upper levels. Coach from our other sport isn't as concerned so long as they don't soak in the hot tube.

 

[snowbound]

OUr coaches are sort of "anti swimming" but they basically said not more than half an hour in the pool, and/or ten minutes in the hot tub. I figure at a hotel my DD isn't going to get her best night's sleep unless she's thoroughly tired/relaxed, so a dip in the pool usually gets her good and ready to go to bed. she's just playing around in there, mind you, not actually doing a ton of swimming.

snowbound

 

[cathiann]

Our coaches say no swimming the day of a meet

 

[123gymstar123]

before i compete if we stay away then it is a real treat and playing in the pool is really fun!! but when we do swim it is never real swimming it is normally just messing bout and hanging around there is never anything to much and we never stay out long anyway!! if we do want to go proper swimming then we wait till the competition is over and go in then cos it is a nice way to relax after a competition!! =]

 

[Jamarie]

Our gym doesn't have a rule about swimming, but they do have one about hot tubs. The girls are allowed 10 minutes maximum a night if they use one. They say it does something to the muscles, but I don't remember what.

 

[drivingmom]

We have heard the same thing from coaches. We do not have rule and it would be a parents choice anyway. I thought what the heck it fun and she has lots of energy everyday.

I will tell you I didn't think it would make a difference and let her have her fun. Well it was one of her worst meets the next day. I try to only let her swim a very short time the day before or the day of a meet, but it is hard as that is the fun of a travel meet. Every time I allow her to over the amount I think she should swim, she doesn't do as good as normal.

So word to the wise, be careful. We will now be limited to 30 mintues the day before. I want to her to have fun, but we are there for a reason.

 

[taximom]

Our club has the no swimming the night before or day of a meet rule. From what I remember it does something to their muscles I believe makes them too relaxed. This rule applies to all our gymmies no matter what the level. We usually stay in the same hotel as the coaches so the girls usually visit the coaches room for a little while before bed instead of swimming. Folklore perhaps but my gymmie is a rule girl and in her mind what the coach says goes!

 

[eeyoretumbles]

Let them swim! I think it's nice for the stress and just to relax swimming. The girls just want to have fun, these away meets should be fun! I really don't think it takes away that much energy, unless they are staying up really late at night or swimming laps, when they are playing around they should be just fine It can't be much worse than a Friday practice before a meet anyways right?

 

[BlairBob]

There would be hell to pay if I found out they were swimming before a meet. I don't like the very idea of kids going to swim practice and then gymnastics. It's not so bad, vice-versa.

If there was enough time to recover (4 imo is not enough, and I'd rather see 8-12). It depends if swimming was just playing around in the pool or a programmed swimming workout.

 

[Billy]

DH asked our HC/O last night. She said the gym has no rule but her girls (L7 and L9) will NOT be swimming before they compete. I guess that answers my question about it. We'll just change our plans a bit and let her swim after the meet instead of the day before.

 

[gymmom14]

I think there are two different issues here. 1. Real Swimming- laps for a long time and 2. a dip in a hotel pool with friends that involves more splashing and laughing than swimming. I do agree that a short swim the night before a meet is acceptable. I don't see how it can't be. When will this end.... These are not olympic gymnasts. The swim is part of the meet experience for the little ones. They compete for less than 4 minutes. Next, we are going to outlaw hot baths the night before a meet...... Just my 2 cents...

 

[Billy]

I completely agree that getting to swim at the hotel is part of the fun of a travel meet. When we went to Hilton Head a couple years ago, we didn't realize the hotel even had an indoor pool and thus didn't pack for swimming. We regretted it and are going to be prepared from now on. However, DD can have just as much fun swimming after she competes as before and really, the whole point of the trip is the meet. If she weren't competing, we wouldn't be going.

 

[gymmom14]

That does not always work out. For instance, we had a meet last weekend. Sat. 7:30 stretch. The whole team stayed over Friday night, took a quick dip in the pool, ordered in pizza and were in bed by 9 pm and they had a great meet. If they did not swim Friday night before the meet on Sat. they would not have had the opportunity to.

 

[NotAMom]

Yes the trip should definitely be fun but like Shawn said if you didn't have the meet you wouldn't have been there. These things are under your control. Why would you pay tons of money to go to a meet not give the best you can? Swim afterwards if time allows. If not, it's not the end of the world.

Also, many of you tend to neglect one other factor. Assuming that swimming and/or soaking in hot tub relaxes your muscle (juries are still out on that one on this board), what does that mean from a safety stand point? If muscles are not in their optimal state, the gymnast just have to work that much harder to perform at the same level. If the muscles are weak, something may give (not necessarily performance-wise) while a big skill is thrown. (applicable more in upper levels)

For the same reason, we want our kids to have a good night sleep the night before so that they can be more mentally alert. I bet you anything that most of children would rather stay up late and play. So, why not let them?

 

[superflipgirl]

I probably wouldn't swim right before the meet, but nothing could stop me from swimming sometime when we were at a hotel. Our gym doesn't have this rule, and one time I did have to stay in a hotel and we went swimming the night before and the morning of the meet. It's not like we were tiring out our muscles because we were just playing in the water. I think if our gym did have this rule, I would try to sneak out of it and still swim the night before. I think that it's kind of a ridiculous rule, because why would they invite you to an away meet if you had to stay in a hotel and resist not going swimming?

 

[emorymom]

If swimming relaxed the muscles and promoted injuries, wouldn't they put it last in a triathalon instead of first? Just trying to figure this out. Never been told it relaxed muscles.

 

[taylor12097]

Is it bad for gymnasts to go swimming the day or evening before a meet? Some moms are going to stay at a hotel the night before a meet tomorrow and we were talking about it and one of the coaches said they should not swim before a meet because it is bad on the muscles and their body does not have time to recover before the meet? I had never heard this before. What are your thoughts on going swimming the evening before a meet.

i would defineatly not recomend swiming before a meet. i am a level 5 gymnast so i don't have to diffucult routines but i only went swimming for 30 minutes and they next day at my meet i did reall poorly because i as very tired and had no energy. this is your call on whether or not but i would not recomend it. hope his helps.

"A gymnast will be a gymnast forever!!!"

 

[Deleted member D3987]

and the folklore goes on...

 

[CamSeawind]

It isnt very good to swim before a gymnastics meet, neither is it good to swim before a gymnastics practice, you will be tired and there is a more likely chance you could injure yourself, take it from someone who has acctually expirienced it. sometimes it is a good thing though, if you go swimming before a gymansatics practice your acctually making yourself stronger.

You can go swimming all you want the day after a gymnastics meet or a few days before i just wouldnt recommend it the day of or the night before a meet.