B/C States

All three kids swam B/C States this weekend on the campus of North Carolina State University. Emma initially qualified for Tarheels States ( a level above) but turns 11 a week prior to the event. Because she will be a year older, cuts are much faster...and she won't qualify. She was bummed.

But...she agreed to swim B/C on Sunday (even after a looong day at her Odyssey of the Mind Tournament in Chapel Hill on Saturday). It made for a tiring and mileage heavy weekend shuffling between Raleigh and Chapel Hill ...but it was a weekend of hard work, sportsmanship and making memories.

Swimming milestones: Claire swam her 25 free in 23 seconds! Her 25 back was 26! Whoo-hoo! I wish she had agreed to swim Sunday too so I could see her do 50 yards in those strokes... but she didn't want to. And I wasn't going to make her.

Grayson met his goal of at least one personal best...and he was in the top 20% in each event. His relay team won the heat and finished second overall. Impressive job...he even agreed to swim two days!

Emma had her last swim as a 10 and under.... and WON her 100 FREE!!! She took four seconds off her time, easily made a BB time...and seeing her name on top of the list was an incredible boon to her confidence. It was a great way to go out.

It didn't all go as planned... it never does. There were some disappointments in the weekend and things that didn't go in our favor. That's life. And that's one of the hardest things to teach them. Losing gracefully is a skill that will take them far in life. And... one they will get the opportunity to practice often.

So... we bought the (dreadfully overpriced) T-shirts and got some ice cream. I'm proud of them... for trying... for putting themselves out there ...for taking risks...and for winning well... and losing gracefully.