The other side of swimming

So many of my posts revolve around swimming which isn't surprising considering how many hours are spent at the pool but I don' think I have done a post on the other side of the pool.

Tonight I captured the excitement that happens in the stands.

Yes, he really is asleep. 

Snoring in fact

Yes, he did actually fall over and sleep like that.

Lily and Sally found it funny, very funny.

It's easy to swim, "fly" when you look like one.

Exciting isn't it? Don't be jealous.


In the defence of Andy he had a rotten headache and just couldn't take the 2 and a half hours of sitting at the pool but wouldn't go back to the car.

Webbed feet

Someone in this family is bound to develop webbed feet soon from all the time spent at the pool. It will probably be me since we all know that kids are resilient. If we aren't at the pool for team or for Rosie's swimming lessons we are now in the pool for fun since the temps here have reached summer highs and it is sweltering.

Rosie went today and she loved it. She had another of Lily's old coaches and couldn't have been happier. Coach Kristina was one of Lily's favourites and apparently one of Rosies too. I have to say that there isn't a bad coach on this team, they are all equally amazing. Each and everyone one of them wins me over every time they coach. Someone was feeling quite goofy today

Making sure her hands were in the correct position

Using only legs to propel through the water. Straight legs at that no spaghetti legs allowed in this pool

Just keep swimming

Her face said it all today. She smiled all the time cos they swam most of the lesson, none of that can you blow bubbles junk.

The swimmer

I never thought I would say this but horse riding was much more fun as a spectator than swimming can ever dream of being. ~yawn~

But I go and I sit twice a week, Daddy takes her once a week and I watch. In between watching I talk with the other mums, a really nice group of ladies, and I watch Rosie having fun with a little girl the same age as her. Dear heaven is this dull. She has improved so much in a few short weeks that it is shocking. She has the speed needed to compete but her form was wacky ( i bet if you look up that term under the heading of swimming you will find it!) but now her form is getting better, pretty good in fact. She loves it and the physical aspect of it is so important for her. Learning to be part of a team never hurt anyone especially anyone as competitive as Lily. Sometimes I can't even figure out which child is mine in the sea of yellow hats and dark bathing suits, at least when her form was "whack" I could tell it was her. When doing freestyle she would take this enormous breath and almost roll over on to her back whilst doing it, I called it the capsize breath but now she has mastered breathing into her armpit. Her butterfly is taking shape but backstroke is her strength, to her breaststroke is hard but she is getting better at it. If they spend a lot of time on breaststroke she always requires a massage afterwards.

We are just really glad that she likes it. I'm also glad that the pool is heated. It's Miami we think anything below 84 is to cold for swimming.

Lily and a team mate. These 2 get on swimmingly and apparently call each other before practice to co-ordinate their suits. LOL




One of their team mates "Andy" is an amazing swimmer. He is in a different age group. He happens to have down syndrome but this doesn't slow him down at all. He went to Beijing and bought home a gold and silver. Some arsehat just stole his medals. For the love of all things holy, who would do something like that and I hate to say it but especially to him? Just when I think I have heard it all I hear this and am left aghast.

First swim meet.

Lily has been a member of the Flying Fish for exactly a month this week. At Wednesday's practice they announced that Friday's practice was cancelled and that there would be a "friendly meet" instead. Lily came running to me begging to attend. Silly goose of course you can attend.

It started at 6.30 but the weather closed the pool so things didn't get underway until 7 something. The head coach spoke first saying: this is a friendly meet, all kids will get ribbons, and candy and cupcakes and as a reward for their hard work he had made arrangements for them all to jump off of the high boards when they were done. Sounded fabulous. He explained that some kids we nervous and asked that we remained silent until the kids entered the water and then we could clap and cheer them on.

The tiny kiddies went first. How sweet they were. Just 25 metres for them which is still a long way. Some of the kids in all the classes are disabled and the cheers for them were fantastic. They often stopped and looked around and when they realised they were the only ones still swimming they looked so defeated so the coaches would yell, "come on parents help bring him/her home" and we would all clap and the kids would keep going. Really really neat to watch.

Finally Lily and her group were pool side and then were told to get into the water. Then "GO" and off she flew. She gave it her all. Lily is so competitive, so wretchedly competitive. A little girl from her class at school is on this team and has been so for 18 months. Lily was not going to let her win. She made up her mind and did it. She did really well in all 4 categories but didn't finish first in her group so she was sad. I talked to her and then the Coach came over and said, "Based on your performance this evening Lily, we are moving you into the advanced class, as of now".

The whole idea was to get them their times so that they had personal goals to beat from here on out. She did really well all things considered. She got 2nd she swam fast. In all fairness to her and this is my fault, she was tired. Richie Rich has been with us and our schedule got all out of whack, She has been going to bed late all week so she would start off strong but fade quickly. Endurance is something that she needs to build and as much as she is a high energy kid she certainly wasn't at her peak last night. But SHE ROCKED IT.

Backstroke. Lily is on the left.

She did really well in this as it was her first race.

heading home
I think this was breaststroke
She finally understood that she did well and that she didn't have to finish first!Lily is the first on the list. She swam with the first group of 4.