When I found out that joining the swim team was cheaper than having the coach come to our house for private lessons, I knew you were going to be a Bridlewood Torpedo! Shockingly, you weren't excited about it at first but I told you that this was the one sport that I was making you try and, if you didn't like it, you could quit after only 1 season. It was a non-negotiable for me since we have a pool in the backyard -- it's simply a must for us to be proficient swimmers. Lucky for us, there are no try-outs for our neighborhood's team (because, prior to this season, you only knew 1 of the 4 strokes)!
Starting on May 18th, your age division had practice every week day from 4:30 - 5:15. The coaches gave you some great instruction but also kept it fun!
Once school was out for the summer, your practices changed to 8:45 - 9:30.
You loved playing with your friends after practice each morning.
Your first meet was an away meet @ Canyon Creek on June 9th. I spent most of the meet aghast! There were hundreds of people crammed around the pool, construction going on just a few feet away from the lanes, and weather delays. They ended up cancelling all the relay events just to fit it all in. That meant that we drove out there and waited in that miserable heat for HOURS just so you could swim 25M. It was 5 hours of chaos and 29.42 seconds of pure joy as we watched you swim freestyle.
You were too nervous to even attempt the dive block!
A friend told me, "You'll either love swim team or hate it." and, after that meet, I knew which way I was leaning...
Your next meet got a little better. It was also away (@ Heritage) but it was better organized and you swam in 4 different events! Unfortunately, you weren't feeling 100% so your times suffered. You swam the 25M Free in 33.26 seconds and tried the backstroke for the first time and completed 25M in 46.85 seconds. I think your favorite part might be waiting in the corral! Sitting around with your friends, playing games while eating? Heck yeah!
On the way home that night, you asked how many meets you had left. We thought for sure that you were asking because you weren't a huge fan so we said, "Just two more to do, bud." You replied with a disappointing sigh and told us that you wanted the season to be longer!
And that's when we knew that you were hooked on yet another sport!
Your attitude even went on to earn you "Swimmer of the Week" for your age division!
The final two meets were at home and they were the best! We competed against Wellington and Lantana and it was a fun scene being surrounded by neighbors and friends.
Your freestyle improved to 24.23 seconds and your backstroke improved even more - finishing the season with a record of 33.52 seconds.
Everyone celebrated jobs well done by renting out Hawaiian Falls one night. We had the park to ourselves for 3 hours and it was awesome! Your coaches presented awards & then you were off running around with your buddies.
I shouldn't be surprised but it's hard to believe that you're now active in 3 different sports!
Swimming was way better than I ever imagined! It's a great way to condition during the "off season" and you learn invaluable lessons along the way!
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