...because that is not my intention - swimming is difficult, and as someone who is decent at multiple sports but struggles with swim technique, I have a lot of respect for the dedication it takes to be a successful competitive swimmer.

But what exactly would your son be throwing out the window by not continuing? If he doesn't want to swim in college, then as far as I'm concerned, he's not really missing out on anything in the future. It's not like he is walking away from a potential lucrative professional career - swimming just isn't that type of sport. And as someone else pointed out below, he's already learned about hard work and discipline, as well as being part of a team. Those are all lessons that will serve him well for the rest of his life, and he's not going to forget them just because he isnt swimming anymore.

It sounds like he has actual goals, they just no longer involve swimming. I don't think trying to coerce him to continue will be helpful. It might be different if he simply said, "swimming is hard...I just want to chill". But it sounds like he just wants to pursue other interests, and I think you have to support him in that.

I was a pretty good baseball player as a kid, but my dad tended to take it way more seriously than I did, and by the time I got to high school ball, I absolutely hated it. I put a TON of pressure on myself, both out of my own desire to succeed, but also because I wanted to please my dad. Additionally, the varsity coach was also the type that screamed and yelled a lot, and it ended up just being a miserable experience for me. I quit after my junior year, and looking back, I really don't regret it at all. I had reached the point where I spent the school day dreading practice, and then once practice started, I couldn't wait for it to end. So I can identify with how your son is probably feeling.

I say you let him pursue his other interests right now, particularly while COVID continues to impact things. Perhaps he'll find he really misses it and will want to get back into it at a later date. Or, perhaps he'll find something else he is passionate about and will be much happier. Either way, I don't think you can force him to continue swimming and expect a really positive outcome.

Good luck to you all...I'm sure that this will work itself out in time.