Oldest has played soccer from the time he was four years old. Based largely on his physical profile he began to attract a lot of attention from college recruiters (including some decent Division 1 programs). But he had his mind made up from a relatively early age that he wanted to go to Virginia Tech (where he would have absolutely no shot of playing), so we all had to kind of come to terms with that. He still loves the game, does very well on a recreational basis, and also has some intent of staying attached as an adult through coaching or some other support role. But we kind of went through a similar situation a couple of years ago.

My second born son is currently a high school freshman. He's an exceptionally gifted athlete (much more talented than his older brother) and he is already getting a lot of attention for both wrestling and soccer. But he has no interest in attending college -- even if it meant that he could compete as an athlete for a few more years.

If his heart isn't into swimming competitively right now, my opinion is to support his decision to step away for a bit and explore other interests. There are a lot of good paths that young folks can take which lead in directions that we as parents can't even comprehend.