Summer Swim League – GRPA State Championship
Bear’s medley relay was our second race of the day, and we were really hoping Bear could make the finals here, especially knowing Bailey might be in a position to get a gold medal. We really didn’t want him to go home empty handed. With the relay coming in with the 11th fastest seed time, they were going to have to beat someone to make it in.
Things started out bad for Bear. Two teams in the opening heat swam strong, posting times that I didn’t think Bear’s team could match…thus 2 teams that were within striking distance for the relay were now looking safe into the finals, reducing the number of targets that Bear’s team could beat.
Bear’s group was in the 2nd heat, and they were the 3rd fastest team in the heat. The race started, and the backstroker swam a decent lap, getting to the wall in the middle of the pack. The Breaststroker was good as well, getting to the wall a distant 3rd…Bear dove in and closed the ground on, and then passed the team in second place, giving his freestylers a lead for 2nd…which he held on to (
1:07.62) This was a big swim, because by finishing 2nd, they had beaten a team that seeded above them coming into the event.
The 3rd heat was fast with several teams bettering Bear’s time…in fact, Bear’s team was seeded 7th overall going into the last heat. This means if the 2nd place finisher in the fastest heat beat their time Bear would be an alternate. The race started off fast, but other than the top seed the rest of the teams faded in the back half and Bear’s team held on to the 8th seed…by .3 seconds
Here is how the event broke down…
Code:
Cobb - A - 1:02.86
John’s Crk - A - 1:04.25
Fulton – A - 1:05.71
Alpharetta – A - 1:05.85
DeKalb - A - 1:05.86
FCT - A - 1:06.71
Cobb – B - 1:07.40
FCT – B - 1:07.62