Summer League Swimming -the 3rd Summer

This summer my girlie was more prepared for summer league swimming than in the past two years.  We had her swim with the Potomac Marlins team in the winter and compete in meets about once a month to keep her sharp and to see how she would progress.  I think it was good in a lot of ways to go this route, she really enjoyed swimming with her friends and she got used to doing relays too.  As a bonus we met some wonderful coaches and I got to spend some quality time on deck timing with my good friend, Alicia. 

Awesome relay both free and medley

Once summer league started McB met up with old friends and made new ones too.  The four girls on the relay really formed a nice bond. As the 8 and under girls relay they were a formidable foursome.  They easily won the relay carnival in the 100 meter free relay and were a tenth behind in the medley relay. Then were told they won it when the first team was disqualified.  I think it is pretty fun to win and I think McB figured that out this summer too.  They missed qualifying for All Stars and would have done well in the Relay Championships but didn't get entered in time.  Lesson learned, and as parents we just hope they have another chance to compete in those types of meets again.   

8andU girls hanging on the couch
before a meet with Coach Jon.

McB bettered all her times from last season and as the last meet of the summer got closer I took a look at her yard times from indoor swimming and realized all her meter times were better than the yard times.  I think once I pointed that out she felt a little better.  We'd hit a bit of a plateau and then some in July and she was swimming terrible.  Since I am not competing in swimming, at the moment, I spent a lot of sleepless nights trying to figure out how to fix her strokes, get her back on track, anything.  Turns out since school had gotten out she had grown an inch! That will throw your strokes off right??  It isn't always easy on the 8 year old when her mom is still a competitive swimmer, even worse when that mom has been sidelined with two shoulder surgeries in 18 months and only one swim meet in that entire time. 

Divisionals were at our home pool and her event, the 25 fly was the last of the day.  By then she'd had time to watch her friends swim she was focused and ready and I was a nervous wreck on the sidelines.  I so wanted to video that swim, I knew it would be good, but I was too nervous and Brad was on the other side of the pool taking pictures.  I think the funniest video of the summer would have been one of my swim mom friends videoing me watching her swim!

She ended up tied for 4th with a best time and I think that was a great way for her to end the summer league season.  I was just so happy she pulled out a best time after struggling for the previous three weeks.  Even though I would have loved to have her swim a second event, she said to me the night before the meet; "Mama I'm good with just the fly and it will be a fast swim." That was really all 'somewhat' competitive mom can ask for right?

Best Fly Butt with co-winner, Isiah

That night at the team banquet and awards she got her plaque and medal.  She and her lifelong friend, Ryan were in the running for most likely to be seen together,  but they were robbed...some cute 11 year old boy, Nicco, and all the 11-12 year old girls won, ha ha.  Instead she won for best fly butt with another talented young butterfly swimmer, Isiah.  McB was very cute going up on stage to get her certificate and I realized that she has come so far in a year.  Last summer she would barely go up and get her medal and this year she was so much more comfortable up on stage and talking to all the older swimmers. She has always loved Addie, who is off to college this year, and has been an assistant coach the past three years, but this year she chatted with all the older kids.  She even asked Mason to be her 'legs' for backstroke starts.  She pals around with Sarah, who she will be teammates with this winter as she joins FBST, and an occasional babysitter too. 

Hanging with Mason after 25 back

Hanging on deck with
Sarah

 I think as a parent you want your children to be happy, to find a passion, and to be good, hopefully great, in at least one thing.  It gives them a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of success.  As a swimmer I had all of that and more. It took me until I was in my 30's to accomplish the world championship title and break a world record but when I did (at Masters World Championships in Australia) it was the best feeling in the world. 

When I asked my daughter if she was happy with her summer swims, and if she felt she had accomplished her goals this summer, she told me with her head nodding "Oh yes and it was fun," I asked her about the relays and if she enjoyed swimming on them and she said she did.  I asked what the best part was and she said it was swimming on the relay with her friends.  Then I said "what about winning?" and she said, "winning was fun too but I liked swimming on the relay with my friends."  This is the right attitude when you are 8 and you want them to love to do a sport. Especially when that sport is the one you love too. 



Summer swimming with a very
happy and proud mama

summer and now winter teammates

So for her, it was a great summer of swimming and she is looking forward to joining two of her summer friends on FBST this winter. Hopefully swimming even faster and better next summer. I was very proud of her this entire year and so was her dad.  She can be incredibly competitive and yet at times very much an 8 year old; more interested in getting treats from the cuda shack and playing sharks and minnows.  I hope this next year will be filled with a lot of growth, not just physically but also emotionally and she will be more focused and able to turn that competitiveness on when it's time to race.  I type and think this as I am listening to the World Championships in swimming on TV. Meanwhile, I think she is watching them too, but instead she's watching Judy Moody on the iPad. Ahh well, a  deep breath for Mama, a sip of wine and a nice beach vacation on the horizon for us all.