Over the years, we've really made some great friends on the team, and I think I look forward to swim season as much as the kids. It forces me to spend a couple of hours each day just enjoying the fresh air, chatting with my friends, and not feeling weighed down with the demands and responsibilities I face at home.
A few years ago, the coaches approached me about helping them create their top secret costumes for Championships. They had heard I could sew and was a little crafty . . .
The first year, I didn't let on what I could do and just made the shoulder banner for this costume:
The next year was the release of the iPhone 4, thus the release of the iSharks:
Last year, the coaches were the Jolly Green Giants (complete with custom-made elf shoes!).
This year, they said they wanted to play off Nascar and be Sharkscar Pit Crew. A few late night crafting sessions with my good friend and fellow team parent Christy, and we created these doozies:
The costumes have become a source of great anticipation for the swimmers and parents for weeks ahead of time. I always ask myself why I don't make time for this type of creativity throughout the year, and just cram it all into the already jam-packed weeks prior to championships. . .
Jack really came into his own this year. He's grown significantly this year, and the added strength and size was really on his side. He ended up with three gold medals and a silver medal at championships. His very first race of the day was the Medley Relay. As he and his teammates were in the lineup area, a swimmer on one of the other relay teams said to him "Don't be sad if you get second place."
Jack didn't say a word in response, but made darn sure to put that other team in their place. Not only did Jack and his relay team win gold, they beat the other team by several body lengths!
He was undefeated in butterfly all season, and it was his race to lose at championships. When he dove into the water, he made it very clear that he was in it to win it. His butterfly time was nearly 4 seconds faster than the silver medal winner!
As one of his New Year's Resolutions, Jack had said he wanted to break a pool record for one of his strokes. Finally, at Championships, Jack's free-relay team broke a 15-year old team record by .4 seconds! It was a huge moment!
The winning relay team, consisting of Jack (aka The King), Trevor (aka Six Pack),
Kyle (aka Coach Kyle), and Joseph (aka Bob Hope)
Grant was his usual charming self all season, preferring to socialize over really getting down to business in the water.
Checking out his competition prior to his race.
At least he kept his hand out of his pants this year!
This was the first year that there was a 6 & under age group for backstroke. And since Grant was the fastest backstroker in that age group on our team, he is now on the board as a record-holder! He's got one more year to retain the title . . .
Olivia gets discouraged sometimes being in the shadow of her brothers on the team. She is a rock solid swimmer, and has shown great improvements over the last couple of years. While she isn't likely to make it to the Olympics for her swimming abilities, I love that she continues to try and push herself to improve her own times rather than compare herself to others.
Olivia has made some great friends on the team, and they
push and encourage each other to be their very best.
It's always a bit of a letdown when swim season ends. The kids miss the daily workouts and playtime with friends (they were all in different practice age groups, so we were there for the long haul every day!). So now begins the 9 month countdown to swim season 2013!
1 comment:
Man, I knew you were talented, but those costumes are absolutely amazing! I could never be that creative!
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