Well I'm a high school Sophomore, and I just came back from a long swim meet which made me wonder about any swimming threads. (I found none open) So I decided to start one because I enjoy to talk about swimming. This are the questions that came to my mind. What is your secondary stroke (Free is always the primary, the other three are Breast, Butterfly and Back). Any tips that you might have.What is your favorite event in a meet. (500 yd freestyle for me) Which is your worst stroke? How many years have you swum? And any times in events that you remember? Anything you need to improve? (stroke, dive, flip turns) Thanks for reading any terms you didn't understand or tips I'll try to answer you with the best of my knowledge.   
-Peace people have a nice day/night
 

I coach a swim team at the YMCA and the kids are 8-13 year olds.  It is generally a pre high school team and they learn stroke correction, technique, flip turns, entering the water off the blocks, and the rest of it.  The thing everyone universally can do better on is their flip turns.  A lot of time is lost on the approach, the turn, and the follow.  If you want to improve yourself, keep working on the flip turn.  You can catch anyone faster than you if you can get moving quickly.
After that, it's all endurance stuff.

I love to swim.  I can swim miles and I haven't competed in a lot of years.  I didn't swim for my HS because I played other sports.  I did compete at a Y for a few years and I loved it.

I used to be I loved it!! I was really good at breast stroke and and freestyle. The butterfly was my worst enemy.

I am in a swim team, and I am in the highest age group, the 14-18 age group. And being at the middle of my age group, I can say that I am pretty good. I normally get a first or second ribbon every race I swim. I swim the IM and Brest Stroke most every time. I need to work on my endurance, but I have only been to 2 practices this year, so that will improve. With the end of school coming up, it has been harder for me to make it to practice with all of my homework and after school activities. I need to work on my back stroke. I can not do it at all. I hate the stroke, and it is the only one that slows me down during my IM. If i was to improve my back stroke so that I could go just a little faster, my IM time would be a lot better. Many people don't like butterfly, and I am one of those people, and not because it is hard, but because it is very tiring. I have been on the swim team for 12 years, ever sense I was 4 years old. I have always been one of the best people on my team, but I don't swim year round. I really don't like swimming, so I do other sports instead of year round swimming. My swim season just started, and im going to have to go to some more practices, like, everyday. Im not looking forward to it, but I am ready. Wish me luck on swimming!

Barathemos :  That's great from my knowledge it takes an impressive amount of skill to swim an IM in the higher levels since you need to know all stroke at least decently, I like back stroke been working to make it my secondary stroke, my butterfly became third since I didn't practice it much (just the kick that was so tiring and it's hard to use it in practice since you may hit other people), My swimming season is almost over first year of competitive swim in an actual swim team it was fun coach impressed with my improvement I believe I can make it to CIF next year (its like state wide in a certain region of California) 

Collapz3 : Years ago I was apart of my High School's Swim Team. When I swam, I generally did IM and Backstroke since I had long arms or a decent wingspan. If I had a tip to give you it would be to have fun. If your not having fun, why are you doing it? If you want to improve on your Swimming then you must practice your Technique, Flip turns and get your Endurance up. If your school has a Water Polo Team, consider joining it if only to maintain and increase your Endurance. Also eat massive amounts of carbohydrates the day before any meet since you will want the Energy Reserves. Oh and don't be ashamed of "shaving" parties since the less drag you have, the better.

My most hated stroke was ironically Breast Stroke. Although Butterfly tired me out, I actually got the hang of doing it over time. I never got Breast stroke the entire time I swam.

I am on the swim team, but I don't often go to meets (I go more for the exercise, and it helps my scoliosis). My secondary stroke is IM (technically, all four, because I'm terrible at each individually). I have great form for butterly because I can really use my arms more than my legs (I have weaker legs due to my medical history), but I tire easily because of that. It's also why I'm terrible at breast, because the kick is so fundamental in the propulsion. It technically is in all strokes, but it's easier to compensate in them as well- in breast, it's really difficult to compensate for a weak kick with a strong stroke. 

My swim season is year-round with a one-month break during August and two weeks off around Christmas time. It drives me crazy because I don't have much time for anything other than swimming and homework and I don't even like the sport... It's okay, I guess, but I just do it for the exercise. I truly enjoy some aspects of it, but others I cannot stand. I get embarrassed at practice a lot because I'm so slow... I think that has a big part of why I don't like it. 

Dragonlord Stephi : Don't be ashamed of going slow. I was one of the slow ones and it made me happy to know that I had a supportive team. They didn't care how I placed so long as I tried and finished my event. Also helped that the team was co-ed since the girls were far more vocal/supportive than the guys were. Swimming is a time consuming sport I will admit but as you noted, the exercise is phenomenal. To this day my former Chemistry Teacher(who I had first period) comment on my eating habits still makes me chuckle because back when I was swimming I would eat 4 large Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast each and every day(and these things weren't tiny... they were huge) and he was like, "How can you eat that many?"

DH110985 :  Thanks for the support. And as for the food thing, I know! I get so hungry after practice, and my mom is always saying, "You're going to eat all that?" I knew a kid who tried to convince his parents to let him eat a whole turkey after practice.