Swimming

Most of our summer is spent swimming.  We have afternoon practices which I like better than I thought.  We slept in and then went to a park, the zoo or ocean breeze with friends and then headed to swim practice.  Then by the time we get home its time for dinner and bed.  The kids all moved up into new age groups this year so we weren't sure how they would do. Norah ended up the highest point winner for her age group, Joel most improved.  Colin and Norah made Divisionals and then JOEL was asked to swim in the All Star relay because one boy was out of town and Joel was the next fastest boy.  Norah made All Stars too and Colin was a sad boy. He more than the others want to make All Stars but he was very encouraging to his brother and sister all week leading up to All Stars. It did help when we went to his pulmonologist a week ago and learned Colin's numbers have gone down from 80% to 60% and he needs to go back on a daily inhaler.  I joked that that was why he didn't make All Stars. His doctor used to be a swim coach and actually agreed with me and said that would've made a difference.  So next year will be his year we hope. 

 

 Joel insisted on wearing his swim shirt during the swim meets.  I had to talk him out of it for All Stars.  And he dropped 2 seconds without it.  He said kids would call him fat if he didn't wear it. His friends rallied around him and encouraged him and made sure no one called him fat.  It also helped that he had a friend Hudson sleep over that week and Hudson had told Joel he looked better without his shirt when they were going to bed.

 

 Owen on the left of Colin beat him every time this summer. Colin could always beat Owen in fly but Owen (even though hes 6 days younger than colin grew a lot this year) I tried to tell Colin that from the time he was 7 he just wanted to be able to beat Aaron - the boy to the right of him.  And now he can beat Aaron so he's gotten better.  Max,  the other boy, and Colin are usually right together and take turns outtouching each other at the finish.

 

 Colins first love is butterfly but he has made Divisionals almost every year in backstroke.  I keep telling him he's related to Hannah so of course back will come easy for him.  He looks effortless when he swims and remembers to keep his head back.

 Colin and Issac have been on the team together since they were in guppies.  In fact Issacs mom was Colins guppy coach.

 Anna on the left has always loved Norah and is usually the volunteer in the lanes Norah swims in.  One day during practice Norah got out crying and came over to me and said Anna keeps telling me I'm doing it all wrong!!!!!  It was the beginning of the season when they were teaching breastroke.  I told her Annas best stroke is breastroke so shes trying to help you learn it so you don't get disqualified.  She went back in and then swam it in the meet the next night and didn't get disqualified so she listened to Anna after that without complaining.

 I was at the Divisionals meeting where we picked the Divisionals team. Its the top 2 swimmers in each event.  And then the coaches told us the most improved kids but we didn't go over the highest point because that's never a question - its all printed out.  So I was SHOCKED when Norah got it. Theres a few 8 year old girls who swim year round but Norah never missed a meet so she got the highest points. Not too bad for moving up.

 Joel did improve his times.  One meet Mom and Dad, Sarah and Mary came to watch and they said Joel was just going slow in backstroke and taking his time.  Turns out he did drop time.

 The first time Norah was disqualified all summer was in Divisionals.  They had taught her the breastroke pullout that week and she thought she needed to do that same pull each stroke.  And then for the first time she got disqualified in butterfly.  They said she scissor kicked which she claims she didn't do (she kept her legs together like a mermaid) but it might've been once.  She was so upset.  And she would've made All Stars but there's always next year.

 Shes fast in her relays

 

It was a great season and we are already looking forward to next summer when they will all be at the top of their age groups.