The Snowball Swim Meet!
Whew. WHAT A DAY! Today was the Pup’s second swim meet, and I promise I’ll quit counting them by meet soon. Ish. Anyway – this time it was in Sister City, where our Piranha’s took on the Salmon, and did very well over all! There were tears, a lot of cheers, and this one crazy lady who kept yelling things into the camera and OMG she is such a dork and should probably be muzzled, but WHATEVER she’s not the only one and it’s not that loud really just because she’s holding the camera it magnifies the sound and OH SHUT UP I’M A HUGE GIANT CHEERING YELLING SCREAMING SUPPORTIVE EMBARRASSING DORK MOM!
Ahem. Anyway.
The Meet. Yes. So the Pup spent the night with Auntie Ladybug n crew, so she could carboload on s’ghetti last night, and also hitch a ride to the warmups this morning. Of course it wasn’t all that smooth going, because she needed her team suit and sweats from here at the house, and she also forgot her Good Luck Charms, so…
…naturally we couldn’t find her little bell. OMG. So before she got here, I dug up a gold dollar coin that had been rattling around in Daddy’s dresser, and wrote her a “Go PUP!” note to read before I got there, and her sister let her hold her tiny puppy, AND to replace the bell, Nana and Papa happened to have a bell that fell off their door chime that was Nana’s Mama’s so is OLDER THEN US BOTH, and tied it to some red yarn and WHEW. The Pup had something to hold onto.
I hear tell her cousins asked why they didn’t have stuff like that, and Auntie Ladybug told them “You don’t need it. You didn’t last year. She does. Leave her be about it.” THANK YOU Auntie Ladybug!
While Nana and I were at breakfast with Papa (thank you papa!) we laughed because for all the rolling eyes we all do, in the need for something or someone’s presence to hold on too? The Pup is exactly like her Auntie Ladybug. So much so that I attended almost every single one of her meets in high school, and Ladybug wasn’t as good a swimmer then as she is now! Some of those races were BRUTAL. Like the 500Freestyle. Oh lordy. But, I went and I yelled and I cheered, and I was there when she needed me. Even when I was 7 months pregnant, and had to FLY to Anchorage to make sure I made it to her meet in time. I was the one who cheered, who got her to calm down, who was on deck when she had an asthma attack and got her calmed down and breathing again. Mom was there too, of course, and cheered every bit as loud! But ya know, sometimes ya need something, someone to focus on. I did that for her, she helps do that for the pup, and well – if a gold dollar coin that’s been in a dresser that was Daddy’s so I can honestly say it was his and if that makes it feel “lucky” then by all means – hold on to it.
So Nana and I got there in plenty of time before the first races, and they were OFF (i THINK the videos are in the right order)! The Pup was the first of our group to swim – in a brand new event for her. She took part in the 200 Medly Relay, swimming a stroke she learned on THURSDAY. Yes. A MERE TWO DAYS BEFORE THE MEET. She stayed after practice with the coach and they worked on the Butterfly because she was the best hope he had for that leg in their age group. You think SHE was nervous? She had nothing on her poor ole Mama! They ended up with a time of 5:19.68, but they DQ’d. Now, there’s the actual story of the DQ, and the Pup’s story. The official ruling is that the girl swimming the breaststroke DQ’d because she didn’t use a two-handed wall touch at the turn. Then the Pup DQ’d for a scissor kick during the butterfly, as well as something else I think.
To hear the PUP tell it? SHE did not DQ. No. The girl BEFORE her did, thus HER stroke was fine. Because SHE didn’t cause the TEAM DQ, so SHE DIDN’T DQ. Ya know, that’s Girl Math if I’ve ever heard it – right up there with “this has no calories if you SHARE it.” and “broccoli is HEALTHY even when drowned in buckets of CHEESE glorious CHEESE!” Yes. Girl Math. Despite the official ruling, you cannot convince that child that she DQ’d too! That’s my girl!
There was lots more swimming – Bug’s Medly Relay, Ladybug’s 25 Free and 25 Back, and then it was the Pup’s turn again to take on her favorite event, the 50yd backstroke! Her previous time was 1:18.20, and she ROCKED it, coming in at 1:11.58! That’s an EXCELLENT time, shaving off -6.55!!! Not only that, but she ALMOST beat her 12 year old cousin D-man’s time in the same event. THAT was very helpful a short time later.. after Bug’s backstroke, and D’man’s race.
Because then the pup tackled ANOTHER new stroke, the 50yd breaststroke. She’s been working on this one, and it’s starting to come together over the last couple weeks. So she decided to try it. Her time was 1:50.70, which is a very respectable time! She, however, DQ’d, due to a full head submersion and a complete pulldown on her arm stroke. She was QUITE upset about it – we had tears, and she seems to think it was because of her legs that crossed, but Auntie said that wasn’t it. We’ll ask coach on Monday – so while I was letting her get my lap all wet and talking her through her disappointment and tears, I pointed out how close she came to D’man’s backstroke time, and that coupled with her uncle’s jokes got her smiling again. Whew!
Meanwhile, Bug had his 50 yd breaststroke, then his 100yd IM, where he DQ’d because of a goggle malfunction/stroke confusion issue, and Kinzie swam her 100yd freestyle relay, and then…
It was time. If you’ll remember, when the pup swam the 50yd freestyle last meet, she had a big goggle malfunction, panicked and barely made it to a 1:48.22 finish. She was nervous. I could hardly breathe. It was time for her 50yd. Freestyle. (Deep breath, Mama. Point A to Point B to Point C. She’ll be fine.) She hesitated a moment, not sure she wanted to start off the blocks, but decided to brave it anyway, despite what happened last time. After all, she’d not had any problems so far today… And then she was off!
Goggles stayed on.
Stroke looked strong.
She barely hesitated at the wall.
She finished…
With a time of 1:13.66!!!!!!! That’s -34.56 off her previous time! She finished the meet on an EXTREME high note, and I almost teared up while telling her her times when she got upstairs to me. Almost.
Seriously, folks – ULTRA PROUD MAMA HERE!
D-man and Bug finished us off in their 50yd Freestyle, and the long morning was over – just in time for showers, hugs, lunch, and home for Pizza Night at Aunties. Where, of course, all the kids were WHUPPED and TIRED and QUIET. Until she got home, of course. Though now? She’s out like a light.
And, of course, you KNOW I got videos. Ignore the screaming crazy woman. I don’t know who that is. She should be muzzled. GAWD. (However, there was another crazy mama who was LOUDER THEN ME the crazy woman. I swear! Ask Nana!) (and yes, there’s a reason for the choice of cheers, the sound, the pitch. It’s what they can hear while swimming – years of practices on my sister taught me how to be heard even when they’re in the water… doesn’t make it any less annoying, I know but I ain’t doing it for ya’ll, now am I? 😛 )
This player is just the Pup’s events, in reverse order. I tried to get them in order! blarg.
This player has ALL the events, in reverse order. I tried to get them in order! blarg.
