<p>My D has a swimming All American cut (and missed another by 0.01) as a sophomore and now has mono as she gets ready for the conference championship meet. She is scared and very upset–she refuses to leave the team (which even with mono needs her) but her times this year will be way, way off her sophomore times. Her times as they were from her freshman and sophomore years would on their own (even if she had them as a junior) placed her on radar of most D1 programs. </p>
<p>Her nerves come from the fear that programs will just look at junior numbers and not take into consideration her mono. I told her that they will call the coach–and that her coach can call the colleges in which she has interest and talk to them about her mono. </p>
<p>I think you are crazy to let your daughter swim when she is sick. If you don’t get the proper rest, mono can turn from a few week in to a several month ordeal. SHe needs to listen to her body and her doctor. Luckily, girl’s swim season is in the fall, so she can post some senior times before the LL/ED time period.
The recruiting forms call for best times and allow for narrative-manyathletes have sicknesses and injuries, and mono is not as bad as “torn rotator cuff”
I would make her rest, and explain she’ll recover more quickly…</p>
<p>Prep school season is now…alas. The doctor, while not pleased, also realized that she would be a psychological wreck if not allowed to swim so they compromised-- she isn’t practicing, but just going to meets–so she is both sick and not in top swim shape. She still is a top performer for her team, but her times are way off…</p>
<p>I realize that unlike blowing a shoulder or a knee (as breast strokers can do) mono is a viral illness that isn’t permanent. But she is still nervous…again, I an trying to reassure her-- but she feels as if 10 years of her work is being blown–it saddens me to see her so nervous.</p>
<p>I’m with Oldbaties on this one. Part of being an athlete is recognizing illness and injury, and learning what you need to do to get well. Some very promising college athletes never have a complete season because they never learned how to rest and recover. Posting mediocre times while sick actually send the message that she doesn’t have the wisdom and support to take care of herself. Everybody wants to be a team player, but it’s just not the right thing to do, especially with this diagnosis. She could lose not only her spring swim season, but her conditioning going in to next year if she ends up in bed for a few months. Her grades could tank as well, if she doesn’t take this seriously now. Short-term gain is not worth the long-term risk.</p>
<p>I know a male swimmer who had mono early spring of junior year, right before championships. He was convinced that he had to get back in the water and pressured his doctor to release him. His times were horrid and he continued on that path through long course season. Come high school season, in the fall, he was still way off his best times and didn’t even qualify for states. Needless to say, all the interest from college coaches disappeared. His parents blamed THE DR! He ended up at a state school and swam club, hoping to walk-on the varsity team, but that never happened. After two years of club, he quit. I have often wondered what would have happened if he had listened to medical advice and allowed his body the time needed to fully recover. It seems to me that missing one swim season is a small price to pay for a full recovery.</p>
<p>Fishymom, former USA-Swimming and high school swim coach.</p>
<p>My son is a D1 athlete now in an individual sport. He has been a starter all year and he is also receiving a lot of scholarship money. Well guess what?? He came down with a virus and he has been OUT for 2 1/2 weeks now. Not just kind of out, but out- out, his coach ended up taking him to the ER and he is now home with us resting and getting his strength back.
Thankfully, his coach, the AD, his fitness trainer, teachers etc. (all the people that are involved in his college sports life) are working together to come up with the best game plan to get him back as soon as he is able but carefully. His coaches PRIMARY concern, GET HIM HEALTHY!! That’s it. They know he will not be of any help to the team if he is not able to perform at his best.
A coach does not know you, they will only see times, times that are poor and that will scare them off. Why would they try to recruit a kid who’s times are sub par when there are a ton of others to choose from? Unless you have a personal relationship with coaches that know your kid, you are walking a path of destruction. Get her well first!!</p>