A Tale of Two Swimmers...

Emma and Grayson both swam (for competing teams) in a meet today and I got to go watch! They did it last weekend too ... but I sent Monte and my mom then. Cooper and Claire just aren't up for four or five hours poolside.

It was a "swim your own age" meet. Great idea - as the kids are somewhat more evenly matched. I was able to sit with people I knew and each had seven and five year olds. Even better . . . we all cheered for our own kids, each other's kids, and all the kids who gave it their all ... even when they came in last place.

I hadn't seen Emma swim outside of practice in months and I was amazed by the progress she's made in her strokes .. especially butterfly and breaststroke. She swam six or seven events (I lost count) and was pretty tired at the end ... but she gave it her best shot... even in the final relay (where I saw an unprecedented burst of speed and spirit of competition).

Last night before bed she was pretty nervous about the 100 I.M and kept repeating the order of the strokes in her head ... hoping they would stick. I was a little worried for her too - that's ALOT to remember ... even when you haven't been at the pool for four hours and swam several events. When I saw her face as she took her mark, I almost couldn't watch. She looked pretty shaken. She did it ... and finished second in her heat. I didn't see the judge's hand go up to disqualify her .. but it may have. When I saw her come out of the water smiling like she was, it just didn't matter to either of us. To us, it was the most perfect IM ever swam.

Grayson had a fun day too. His confidence grows with each meet he attends. He swam a 25 in all four strokes. It wasn't always legal ... or pretty ... but it was a vast improvement over the beginning of the season ... when he didn't know a butterfly from a breastroke. It just cracked me up the way he touches the wall, then flips his goggles up and looks at the scoreboard. He has no idea what he's looking at .. but that's what the big kids do ... so he does it too!

At the end of the meet, his coach did a little group huddle that brought a tear to my eye. It was the end of his season. I can't say enough about his coach and his group of five year old boys. It takes a special lady to take those boys as far as they've come this season. Thanks Terri! Heaven awaits you. Undoubtedly, so does a stiff drink.

The way the heats were arranged, there were a few times Emma and Grayson were close enough to talk. Once, she even gave him a little pep talk and a high five when it was his turn. Fellow parents, it just doesn't get any better than that.

We finished off the day with a lunch at Steak and Shake - their new favorite. Over cheesefries and milkshakes (and without a baby or preschooler to distract us), I got a chance to really listen to them. They've learned new vocabulary, made new friends, acquired new skills, gained new confidence, and have pride in their progress. Our conversation reassured me that I'd made the right decision - taking them to practices - even when they'd rather watch Scooby Doo.

They may have been faster swimmers at the pool today ... but there were no prouder mamas.