The Ultimate Young Triathletes Guide
Each country sets its limits for participating in many Olympic sports, including swimming. According to the Olympic rules, qualifying swimmers of any age are allowed to participate. Team USA currently sets a minimum age of 14 for women and 15 for men.
Human genetics are either in our favor or against the individual, depending on what the desired application might be. Golf swings can be adjusted and perfected, instruments can be practiced, and muscles can be strengthened. However, the physical characteristics we are born with such as height, bone structure, etc., aren’t so easy to change. A 7-foot-tall hulk of a man is not likely to become a world class jockey, any more than a slender woman standing less than 5 feet tall is destined to be an Olympic hammer thrower.
As a general guide, beginner swimmers should not be swimming more than 3 or 4 laps per session (roughly 20-30 minutes max) whereas advanced swimmers can swim for up to 2 hours. However, this figure is subjective as it will depend on the individual swim experience and age group.
Believe it or not, the average age of triathletes across the globe is 43 years old. Even the professionals in this sport, with an average age of 33, would be considered too old to be competitive in many popular team sports.
So, that leads one to ponder- ‘can you forget how to swim ?’ Once one has done enough swimming repetitions to learn the skill this knowledge is stored in the brain as what is known as procedural memory (the same thing that allows one to remember how to ride a bike even when they haven’t ridden one since they were a youngster).
The triathlon sport offers lots of advantages to kids. These advantages include strength building, endurance, self-confidence, and a sense of independence.