Swim Like A Champion (a real life journal)

[Breeze]

Brett - College Swimming

We took Brett down to Lagrange University this weekend to look at the campus. I wasn't totally familiar with this school so I was surprised to see how nice it was. Very quaint with classic old brick architecture and numerous courtyards throughout the property. A nice baseball stadium and a football stadium that is about the size of a high schools but with concrete bleachers not aluminium. Unfortunately, we couldn't get into the natatorium, but we could see in and it appeared to be a pretty nice facility.

Brett can probably go to Lagrange and swim, but for him to be able to contribute he'll need to improve a good bit as Lagrange has some very strong swimmers and a rather large team.

This trip was more about introducing him to campuses and letting him see what is out there. We are planning to go to King University this weekend to look around there.

[law90026]

Wow really sorry to hear the news. All the best with therapy

[Breeze]

General Update

First morning practice of the season was Wednesday (9/7) and I'm really feeling the effects. Not being able to drink coffee isn't helping any...

[Breeze]

Brett - College Swimming

We visited Emmanuel College on Sunday. We were planning to go up to King University, but it is close to Bristol and they had that UT/VaTech game and we didn't want to deal with that Zoo.

Again the campus was nice classic Georgia brick architecture. The housing area seemed like a new and very nice complex with 4 buildings all surrounding a building that appeared to be a common area for hanging out together.

We did get to walk through the athletic center, and it was very nice. The pool is 10 lanes (though it looked like only 6 were set up for racing), and very nice. The room was a bit hot for my liking, but when you are swimming it probably isn't as noticeable. The basketball and volleyball areas were across the hall and in immaculate condition. They also had an 8 lane bowling alley in the facility and the cafeteria was a Pappa Johns.

It was also interesting...we watched a bit of the soccer team playing a match against someone. We couldn't tell who they were, but later when we went through the athletic facility we saw about 8 girls wearing King University T-Shirts and we figured that had to be who the men were playing in soccer, and that the women had played earlier in the day and were waiting for the men to finish so they could head back to school.

We are planning to go to King this Saturday.

[Breeze]

General Update

So, I've been trying to help Brett coordinate some of these campus visits, and in the process I uncovered some of his writings. Below is something he was writing to a friend (I believe Mary Kate), and I think this gives you pretty good insight into who Brett is:


Ok...so i just read your rant on Instagram. And believe me I know how you feel, it sucks your life away. It becomes your life. you pour your heart and soul into it, and sometimes get nothing in return. It's so incredibly frustrating to watch all my Friends make all this amazing progress, while I seem to be sitting still. And sometimes I hate it, I just wanna quit. But I can't...it's the only thing I've ever known, it's where all of my friends are. Sure, I have Friends at school, but nothing like the ones at swim. And even though swim sucks sometimes, and it's hard and time consuming, think about all that It gives back to you. I'm not 100% certain, but I'm guessing that your much closer to your swim friends than school friends, seeing as how you hate Brittany. U and I have been swimming about the same amount of time...10..freaking...years. Think about all the memories that equals. It's insane...too many to think about. All of the laughs, funny stories , hard practices, embarrassing moments. It's uncountable. So instead of telling your kids you swam for 3 hours and could never do anything you wanted. Tell them that u got the opportunity to grow up around an amazing group, made up of people with good morals, who care about you. witch is why I'm sending you this. Because pretty soon, not tomorrow, next week, or even next year, I'm going to have to come to practice, only I wont have my bag with me, or a suit, or goggles. And instead of drylands, all the graduating seniors including me, will have to look at the best group of friends they could ask for, and say "see Ya later" for the last time. That's probably going to be the hardest thing I'll ever have to do...to look down at everything I had ever wanted sense 3rd grade, a group of the best friends imaginable, and throw it away. And now I'm afraid, that your going to choose to quit, and I'm going to have to say goodbye to a person I never wanted to say goodbye to, much earlier than I thought I would have to.

[Breeze]

General Update - Brett

If you've been reading along you are aware that Brett has been dealing with shoulder issues and has been in PT. While he reports his right shoulder is better but the left is still bothering him. In fact, he basically can only swim for about 1 hour of practice on average. During his last PT the therapist did some needling but was unable to leave them in for the whole time because the shoulder was so red and angry. He instructed Brett to take some time off...so Brett sat our Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday...

Hoping this will calm things down...will keep you updated.

[Breeze]

General Update

Just some quick notes about some of the kid's teammates...

Jack Dalmolin, who is an extremely well liked kid will be heading out to Arizona State to swim for Bob Bowman and Michael Phelps

Jackie Hill committed to University of Kentucky

Emma Cole committed to UNC

[Breeze]

Gold Invite @ Cumming Aquatic Center - 10/14-16


Finally, I have a swim meet to write about. It seems so long since I last updated this journal with any swimming information...again, as I've said numerous times during the start of the season, it is difficult to know how well the kids are going to do in the first meet and in the middle of ramping up their practices (and the coach is really working them hard right now), but regardless here is what they are swimming:

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Bailey

# 1 (d1/s1): G Open 200 Medley (2:24.70Y ) - improved free and breast, but her back is currently a work in progress as she's changing her stroke a bit. I figure she'll be right around her PB
# 3 (d1/s1): G Open 50 Free (27.86Y ) - could improve here as she's continued to work on her freestyle
# 7 (d1/s1): G Open 500 Free (5:49.07Y ) - should improve here because her freestyle is better and she doesn't fear the mid-distance events like she used to
# 41 (d2/s3): G 13-14 200 Free (2:05.69Y ) - Don't think she can get close to 120 seconds...so not sure she'll drop much but a 2:03 wouldn't surprise me.
# 47 (d2/s3): G 13-14 100 Back (1:05.15Y ) - as I mentioned in the IM above, this is a work in progress, hopefully she'll dial it in and we'll see a good swim.
# 53 (d2/s3): G 13-14 200 Breast (2:51.55Y ) - should improve just because there is room for it...hopefully she continues to slowly improve this stroke
# 59 (d2/s3): G 13-14 100 Fly (1:01.25Y ) - she want's sub60...don't think it happens at this meet, but it is a good goal regardless
# 95 (d3/s5): G 13-14 200 Fly (2:13.79Y ) - not sure the goal here, but it wouldn't surprise me to see her beat this time.
# 101 (d3/s5): G 13-14 200 Back (2:17.77Y ) - see 100 back
# 107 (d3/s5): G 13-14 100 Breast (1:22.00Y ) - see 200 breast
# 113 (d3/s5): G 13-14 100 Free (1:00.50Y ) - sub60 or bust!!! actually she'll probably be too tired being the last swim and after the 200 fly and back...but she'll get it this season I'm sure.


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Bear

# 2 (d1/s1): B Open 200 Medley (2:10.22Y ) - I've seen Bear swimming some breast at practice when I pick him up and it looks much better. Fly he said is better, but he says his early grab in the free is off right now and he's trying to clean it up...figure that means a time around his seed.
# 4 (d1/s1): B Open 50 Free (25.50Y ) - If he can get into his good form, could drop...maybe 23+
# 8 (d1/s1): B Open 500 Free (4:59.71Y ) - He's going to want to do well here, but if his form is off, this is a tough race to swim. We should know early based on his splits.
# 42 (d2/s3): B 13-14 200 Free (1:52.15Y ) - similar to the 500...I don't see him beating this time as it is a very strong PB
# 48 (d2/s3): B 13-14 100 Back (1:05.73Y ) - haven't really heard about his backstroke...so no idea
# 60 (d2/s3): B 13-14 100 Fly (1:00.07Y ) - he's going to be pretty upset if he isn't sub60
# 96 (d3/s5): B 13-14 200 Fly (2:08.75Y ) - after seeing his 100, I'll have a better idea on this one
# 102 (d3/s5): B 13-14 200 Back (2:18.94Y ) - see 100 back
# 108 (d3/s5): B 13-14 100 Breast (1:17.09Y ) - not sure why Bailey is doing the 200 breast, but Bear isn't...anyway, I think Bear will drop here if he isn't too tired from the 200 fly and back.
# 114 (d3/s5): B 13-14 100 Free (53.72Y ) - all about form...if he's on, he could drop


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Brett - because of his shoulder injury, Brett was supposed to scratch this meet, but he requested being allowed to do some sprints...

# 50 (d2/s3): B Open 100 Back (1:11.44Y ) - with his lack of swimming I don't expect any personal bests, but he could get close here if he races it.
# 106 (d3/s5): B Open 100 Breast (1:12.60Y ) - this stroke will hurt him more than the other two, because of the way he has to grab the water, so I don't think he'll get close...probably 1:15
# 112 (d3/s5): B Open 100 Free (58.56Y ) - maybe all the kicking he's done will power him in this one, but I suspect somewhere around a 1:01...

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Note: After seeing some of the times from friends that swim for different teams, I'm thinking that staying within a couple of seconds of personal bests will be quite an achievement.

[Breeze]

Gold Invite - RESULTS

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Bailey

# 1 (d1/s1): G Open 200 Medley (2:24.70Y ) – she was disappointed with her fly leg at 30.48…but back was typical time, breast was about a second faster than normal and free was where it has been for a while now, which combined for a time of 2:24.63 a personal best by a whisker.
# 3 (d1/s1): G Open 50 Free (27.86Y ) - form looked better, but time was off by about a half a second 28.45
# 7 (d1/s1): G Open 500 Free (5:49.07Y ) – started our really good. Long arms, high elbows, really appeared to be on target with the stroke. Unfortunately, at about 300 yards fatigue really kicked in and her stroke fell apart. She was able to drop a significant amount of time though, swimming the race in 5:41.91
# 41 (d2/s3): G 13-14 200 Free (2:05.69Y ) - After a good first day I had high hopes here, only it wasn’t to be. Bailey only managed a 2:09.66, later on the way home she reminded me she dropped a bunch of time in this event at the last short course meet of the season when she was tapered. So expecting another drop this quickly was probably asking too much.
# 47 (d2/s3): G 13-14 100 Back (1:05.15Y ) – not a good swim 1:08.35
# 53 (d2/s3): G 13-14 200 Breast (2:51.55Y ) - started out looking ok, had spurts where she was really moving and closing on other swimmers, but there were to many periods of the race were she didn’t seem to move forward enough. 2:53.07
# 59 (d2/s3): G 13-14 100 Fly (1:01.25Y ) – This one irritated Bailey…though coach liked her deeper dig on the pull phase of the stroke – 1:04.76
# 95 (d3/s5): G 13-14 200 Fly (2:13.79Y ) – Added 5 seconds – 2:18.06 – in this one she ended up winning the event by over half a lap, so there was no one for her to actually race. However, I’m starting to think her 2 fly races will be strokes she won’t drop time in anymore unless she is tapered
# 101 (d3/s5): G 13-14 200 Back (2:17.77Y ) – typical add of around 5 seconds – 2:23.76
# 107 (d3/s5): G 13-14 100 Breast (1:22.00Y ) – The better stroke that we saw in phases in the 200 showed up enough in this one to get a personal best 1:21.27
# 113 (d3/s5): G 13-14 100 Free (1:00.50Y ) – Got a drop…but not sub60 - 1:00.33

All in all, not a great meet, but not a terrible one either. She feels once she is more familiar with the 500, and gets in shape to do more mid-distance swims that she can get in the low 5:30s. She’s still confident that she’ll go sub60 in the 100 free and fly…Got to get that backstroke figured out before state though.

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Bear

# 2 (d1/s1): B Open 200 Medley (2:10.22Y ) – fly leg was a good sub 28…back was weak at 35+, breast at 40 was good, and in free only managed a 28+…combined he added a couple seconds, 2:12.52…not great, but the fly and breast look much better and when he’s tapered that free will be much faster than a 28+
# 4 (d1/s1): B Open 50 Free (25.50Y ) - was really hoping for a drop here…mostly because this event isn’t typically on his list so he doesn’t get to swim it often, and it is directly related to who swims on the team relays at state/sectionals. Added a blink of an eye 25.53
# 8 (d1/s1): B Open 500 Free (4:59.71Y ) – was off his pace almost immediately. Coach told him right before this race that he probably wasn’t going to do well because he had been killing the distance group in practice leading into this meet. 5:16.26
# 42 (d2/s3): B 13-14 200 Free (1:52.15Y ) - similar to the 500...is exactly right…same basic problems for Bear here as he had the night before, just too worn out to maintain the effort needed to drop time 1:56.91
# 48 (d2/s3): B 13-14 100 Back (1:05.73Y ) - managed to drop time, probably from the excellent turns he was doing. 1:05.35. Coach told him he has to work on his shoulder flexibility in order to get better in this event, so he’s now on a stretching regimen.
# 60 (d2/s3): B 13-14 100 Fly (1:00.07Y ) – amazingly he dropped time but didn’t go sub60…1:00.06
# 96 (d3/s5): B 13-14 200 Fly (2:08.75Y ) – Like Bailey, he dominated this event, winning by 17 seconds. Unlike Bailey he did manage to improve on his personal best 2:08.56
# 102 (d3/s5): B 13-14 200 Back (2:18.94Y ) – couldn’t duplicate the drop in the 100…actually his long underwater turns probably hurt his time a bit, because it really puts him into oxygen deprivation quickly, especially in a 200 yard race – 2:23.25
# 108 (d3/s5): B 13-14 100 Breast (1:17.09Y ) – actually looked good in this one. Held the second part of the pull out a little too long which probably cost him a second or so…1:15.59
# 114 (d3/s5): B 13-14 100 Free (53.72Y ) – couldn’t quite pull another drop 54.73

The 500 was disappointing for him, but it could provide a serious motivator for him to work even harder at practice. Hopefully, the shoulder stretches will help with the back. The breast and fly look a lot better. Given he got several personal bests, and came pretty close on others during a meet that the coach admitted to overworking him coming in, it looks like he might be poised to do really well when he is tapered.


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Brett - because of his shoulder injury, Brett was supposed to scratch this meet, but he requested being allowed to do some sprints...

# 50 (d2/s3): B Open 100 Back (1:11.44Y ) - I told Brett to believe he could drop time even though he’s been out of the pool a bunch, and he agreed…and he did drop time in this one, 2 seconds to be exact 1:09.43. This drop also included a really bad third turn and an obvious fatigued stroke for the last 30 or so yards. He was very excited about this and feels he can drop another 2 or 3 seconds if he gets in shape.
# 106 (d3/s5): B Open 100 Breast (1:12.60Y ) – opened with a pace for a 1:07, but closed with a pace for a 1:30. Clearly fatigue was a problem. However, he just missed his personal best time by a hair 1:12.73
# 112 (d3/s5): B Open 100 Free (58.56Y ) – he really tried to kick through this one, but the kicking hurt his knees and he had to back off after the first 25. Couldn’t get close to his personal best here, but he wasn’t too far off given his status 1:00.26

Given his time out of the water, this was an excellent outcome for Brett. He’s excited about trying to get healthy and back in the pool fulltime, and honestly, he hasn’t always been that focused on getting well. Moreover, his shoulder didn’t hurt him after the meet, which is huge. Hopefully, he can get everything ironed out over the next couple of weeks, and then we’ll have to figure out how to work him back in the pool when the current swimmers are already fully ramped up.

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[Breeze]

College Swimming - Brett

Brett received his first recruiting letter (email) this past week. It was from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN.

[Breeze]

High School Swimming

This year all 3 of my kids will be swimming for South Forsyth. After last year's team roster swelled to 80 kids, this year the coach has implemented a cut time to qualify for the team. The tryouts start today for new swimmers and tomorrow for returning swimmers and club swimmers. To make the team a student must beat one of the following minimum standards:

Girls

50 Free : 32.05
100 Free: 1:10.80
100 Fly : 1:18.65
100 Back : 1:19.85
100 Breast : 1:30.95


Boys

50 Free : 28.45
100 Free: 1:12.90
100 Fly : 1:10.20
100 Back : 1:12.60
100 Breast : 1:22.99


Obviously, based on the times my kids swam last weekend, we should make the team without issue. My biggest concern is with the timing. I'm assuming the timing will be done manually with stopwatches, and I've seen how bad some people are at getting accurate times.

[Breeze]

High School Swimming - Try Out Results


As expected all 3 of the kids made the team, and all 3 made it on the 50 freestyle.

All in all, the team ended up with 28 boys and 53 girls - 81 total - good thing they had tryouts or there might have been around 100 on the team...

[thealmighty]

What is the outlook for the twins on the high school team (top performer, situational swims, etc...)?

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by thealmighty

What is the outlook for the twins on the high school team (top performer, situational swims, etc...)?

Hey TA,

The twins should both qualify for the High School State meet, and potentially earn points for the team in that meet even as freshmen. So they will be some of the top performers. I'm not sure who is on the team yet to really know how things will breakdown overall. I do know the girls team will be quite strong, maybe as high as top 5 in the state. The boys will trail that by a good bit, so Bear may be more impactful because there aren't as many good boy swimmers.

[Breeze]

So we signed all 3 kids up for the high school team, at $350/kid. That adds up really fast even before you have serious medical bills to deal with. We juggled around some money and bills and found the $1050 needed.

Today (10/28), we just got a call from the team treasurer (who is a CRC Summer League team parent). She told us that she explained our situation to the coach and they are going to refund us $350. They said they wanted to do something to help out and they had enough money to more than cover expenses. They also said we are the only family to have 3 kids on the team so they felt that the cost was pretty high when you have to pay for 3 at 1 time.

I'm completely blown away by this. I'd love to put into words how this feels, but the range of emotions is so broad I'm not sure it's possible. Obviously, there is gratitude, but it goes so much farther. I'm honored that they care enough to do this, but there is also a bit of, if not guilt or a feeling of being unworthy, something close to it. I've never been one to ask for help and it feels odd to have people just give it without solicitation.

[Breeze]

Beach Bash - Westside Park & Aquatic Complex (Greenville, SC), November 11, 2016 - November 13, 2016

This weekend will be the second year round meet of the season. It also marks the start of the high school season, but the Gold meet is out of town so we can't swim both. In fact, we weren't going to swim in this meet due to our current financial situation, but several other parents chipped in so our kids could go.

The wife and I are debating making a day trip over to Greenville to watch the kids swim, but we haven't made a final decision yet. The kids won't probably swim very well as the coach has already stated he won't be tapering the twins, and Brett is still trying to work himself back into a full-time role. I am hopeful that we might get a few personal bests.


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Bailey

# 35 (d2/s3): G 13-14 100 Free (1:00.33Y )
# 39 (d2/s3): G 13-14 200 Back (2:17.77Y )
# 43 (d2/s3): G 13-14 100 Fly (1:01.25Y )
# 51 (d2/s3): G 13 & Over 400 Medley (4:55.19Y )
# 81 (d3/s5): G 13-14 200 Free (2:05.69Y )
# 89 (d3/s5): G 13-14 200 Fly (2:13.79Y )
# 93 (d3/s5): G 13-14 50 Free (27.86Y )
# 101 (d3/s5): G Open 500 Free (5:41.91Y )

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Bear

# 36 (d2/s3): B 13-14 100 Free (53.72Y )
# 40 (d2/s3): B 13-14 200 Back (2:18.94Y )
# 44 (d2/s3): B 13-14 100 Fly (1:00.06Y )
# 52 (d2/s3): B 13 & Over 400 Medley (4:28.79Y )
# 82 (d3/s5): B 13-14 200 Free (1:52.15Y )
# 90 (d3/s5): B 13-14 200 Fly (2:08.56Y )
# 94 (d3/s5): B 13-14 50 Free (25.50Y )
# 102 (d3/s5): B Open 500 Free (4:59.71Y )

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Brett

# 38 (d2/s3): B 15 & Over 100 Free (58.56Y )
# 42 (d2/s3): B 15 & Over 200 Back (2:23.76Y )
# 50 (d2/s3): B 15 & Over 200 Breast (2:34.31Y )
# 88 (d3/s5): B 15 & Over 100 Breast (1:12.60Y )
# 96 (d3/s5): B 15 & Over 50 Free (27.07Y )
# 100 (d3/s5): B 15 & Over 100 Back (1:09.43Y )

[Breeze]

General Update - Brett

A new one to report. Apparently, on Saturday Brett got hit in the nose while swimming at practice. Initially, it was a bit sore, but nothing more than that. ?On Monday, he started to complain about his nose saying it felt like he had a sore in it. Last night we took him to Children's Health Care, and he has an abscess. He's on antibiotics and he's to do heat compresses for the next 48 hours. If it doesn't drain we'll have to go to an ENT to get it drained.

Yea! More doctors...

[Breeze]

Beach Bash - Results

We didn't go watch the meet, so I don't have any comments based on my impressions. All these are based on the times, comments from kids, and attitudes

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Bailey

# 35 (d2/s3): G 13-14 100 Free (1:00.33Y ) - Managed to swim a personal best 1:00.20. Thought that this might be a good sign for the meet...

# 39 (d2/s3): G 13-14 200 Back (2:17.77Y ) - added quite a bit - 2:22.48

# 43 (d2/s3): G 13-14 100 Fly (1:01.25Y ) - She swam a 1:04.66...this was a terrible swim for Bailey. Part of it is from the coach changing her stroke, but she swims 1:04s when she's doing 400 IMs. This also indicated the meet wasn't going to be a good one after all.

# 51 (d2/s3): G 13 & Over 400 Medley (4:55.19Y ) - 5:01.63 - starting to look a lot like last season when she consistantly added 5 seconds a race.

# 81 (d3/s5): G 13-14 200 Free (2:05.69Y ) - 2:11.48 - see above

# 89 (d3/s5): G 13-14 200 Fly (2:13.79Y ) - 2:22.14 - she was really disappointed with this one. Said she was almost in tears after the race, and that isn't like Bailey at all.

# 93 (d3/s5): G 13-14 50 Free (27.86Y ) - 28.32

# 101 (d3/s5): G Open 500 Free (5:41.91Y ) - 5:45.55, given the rest of her swims, this was actually a bit better than I expected it would be.

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Bear

# 36 (d2/s3): B 13-14 100 Free (53.72Y ) - Like Bailey, Bear managed a slight drop here - 53.62

# 40 (d2/s3): B 13-14 200 Back (2:18.94Y ) - Added a little 2:20.20

# 44 (d2/s3): B 13-14 100 Fly (1:00.06Y ) - FINALLY - Sub60 59.61

# 52 (d2/s3): B 13 & Over 400 Medley (4:28.79Y ) - Not a good swim here 4:36.77

# 82 (d3/s5): B 13-14 200 Free (1:52.15Y ) - Another poor swim 1:57.52 - Air quality was bad, Bear had to use his inhaler, not sure how that impacted anything (if at all)

# 90 (d3/s5): B 13-14 200 Fly (2:08.56Y ) - 2:06.56 - huge swim here...dropped 2 full seconds with out a taper!

# 94 (d3/s5): B 13-14 50 Free (25.50Y ) managed another personal best 25.12 - still not where his time needs to be though...needs to get to 24 low at least...

# 102 (d3/s5): B Open 500 Free (4:59.71Y ) - much better than last month, but still not a great swim 5:05.73

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Brett

# 38 (d2/s3): B 15 & Over 100 Free (58.56Y ) - Got another personal best 58.22- that makes 3 out of 4 swims this season without being in shape.

# 96 (d3/s5): B 15 & Over 50 Free (27.07Y ) - about a half second off his best - 27.53

Brett didn't swim the rest of his events either because he wasn't ready (200s), didn't know he was entered in the event (backstrokes) or just missed it (100 Breast)...

[Breeze]

General Update - Brett

Brett will be starting to ramp up now that he's been given the go ahead by an orthopedic. He's going to start charting his distances at each practice and work to slowly build up to the point he can make it through the whole thing with the rest of the team.

[Breeze]

High School Meet v. Central @ Cumming Aquatic Center - 11/17

First high school meet for my kids this season and the first one ever for the twins. Here is what they will be swimming...

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Bailey

# 4 Girl Open 200 Free NT
# 12 Girl Open 100 Fly NT
# 2 Girl Open 200 Medley Relay B 2:01.44Y (fly)
# 24 Girl Open 400 Free Relay C 3:57.65Y

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Bear

# 3 Boy Open 200 Free NT
# 15 Boy Open 500 Free NT
# 1 Boy Open 200 Medley Relay A 1:43.87Y (backstroke)
# 17 Boy Open 200 Free Relay A 1:37.22Y

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Brett

# 3 Boy Open 200 Free 2:07.14Y
# 21 Boy Open 100 Breast 1:12.50Y
# 23 Boy Open 400 Free Relay B 4:00.68Y

[Breeze]

High School Meet v. Central - RESULTS

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Bailey

# 4 Girl Open 200 Free NT - Bailey swam well in this one, especially if you consider she swam about 6500 yards in a hard practice about an hour before the meet, and she swam a fly relay leg about 5 minutes before this race. She finished with a 2:08.35, which is only about a second off the state cut, and it's faster than she's swum this race at both of the year round meets this season.

# 12 Girl Open 100 Fly NT - A disappointing 1:04.91, and 3rd place finish...this goes back to Coach Andy adjusting her stroke for a stronger pull.

# 2 Girl Open 200 Medley Relay B 2:01.44Y (fly) - Bailey's relay did really well here. In fact, the B team was pretty much tied with the A team until the very end of the breast. Bailey dove in about half a second behind the A flyer. I really wish Bailey hadn't practiced right before this meet and she was in top form because she would have closed the gap. As it was she swam well, but lost about half a body length. The good news is the B relay got the State Qualifying time (I think the A team is the only one that gets to swim at State, but it is still a nice accomplishment)

# 24 Girl Open 400 Free Relay C 3:57.65Y - this one was interesting. Bailey was on the C relay, with her good friend Maddie (who's earned a spot on the Gold National team). When the wife saw who was on the B and the C relays on Thursday night, she said, I'll be the C beats the B team. And it didn't just beat the B team, it destroyed the B team. Bailey crew swam a 3:55.95 (good enough for a state cut) and they beat the B relay by 8 seconds. In fact, all 4 C relay swimmers beat the fastest B relay girl's split.

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Bear

# 3 Boy Open 200 Free NT - Bear finished second to a teammate that will be a rival for him at short course state in the mid and distance freestyles. He did manage to swim a 1:53.13, which is really good under the circumstances. It was also a state cut time.

# 15 Boy Open 500 Free NT - Bear lapped everyone in the pool at least 1 time finishing in a respectable 5:03.10. He actually had to sit on the wall for 2.26 minutes waiting for the last swimmer to finish before he could exit the pool. This swim was also good enough for a state cut.

# 1 Boy Open 200 Medley Relay A 1:43.87Y (backstroke) - opened with a really good back stroke split of 28 low. Much better than he's been doing it. And it might be good enough for him to stay on the stroke through the season. We'll have to wait and see once all the swimmers are with the team. Combined the relay won by 4 seconds and earned a state cut with a time of 1:47.17

# 17 Boy Open 200 Free Relay A 1:37.22Y - Another strong swim by Bear and his relay won by 9 seconds over the B team from South. The team's 1:36.59 was another state cut.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brett

# 3 Boy Open 200 Free 2:07.14Y - Given Brett's injury and his lack of practice, especially distance practices, the fact he managed to swim a 2:10.88 was remarkable. He swam basically this same time several meets last year when he wasn't injured.

# 21 Boy Open 100 Breast 1:12.50Y - Brett again managed what I consider to be a remarkable swim posting a 1:12.53 just .03 off his best from last year when he was healthy. Actually shocking and it makes me hopeful that once in shape we'll see some time drops.

# 23 Boy Open 400 Free Relay B 4:00.68Y - not a good swim here. He almost missed the race because the meet went much faster than expected. He also wasn't sure when he dove in if it was time for the exchange or if the swimmer coming into the wall was going to flip so he slow to dive in and he dove way too deep. He did swim well once he surfaced. 4:05.96

[thealmighty]

Does it mean anything for a high school relay to get a state cut. I would think the swimmers would be swimming on club teams at the state meet.

Or is the high school state meet based on time qualifications and not on winning or qualifying at a regional meet of district/area winners (which it is in Texas)?

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by thealmighty

Does it mean anything for a high school relay to get a state cut. I would think the swimmers would be swimming on club teams at the state meet.

Or is the high school state meet based on time qualifications and not on winning or qualifying at a regional meet of district/area winners (which it is in Texas)?

Hey TA,

Good questions...especially due to the fact different states handle swimming differently. In Georgia, the entire high school season is independent of the year round season. The kids making the state meet compete against the same kids they swim against in the year round state meet, but this time they are earning points for their high school.

As for qualifying for relays. Each high school has to earn the right to swim relays by having a team meet the high school cut time, just like an individual event. The interesting thing with relays (as I understand it anyway) is, obviously only 4 kids can swim on a relay, but you can have multiple combinations of swimmers meet the cut time. Each kid must be on one of the relay teams that qualify to be eligible to swim the relay at the state meet. With 3 relays and kids only being allowed to swim in 2, then at least 8 kids will swim relays.

As for how this impacts my kids...it is very likely Bear swims on at least 1 relay at State. There are a few older kids that will be the main relay power - Cooper, Jack, Harrison, and his buddy Riley - after that you could argue Bear is the 5th or 6th best swimmer and he should certainly be in the top 8. Bailey on the other hand will have a problem getting on a relay. She's likely to be one of the two alternates. There are just too many girls that are slightly better than her who will get the nod. Her best bet is the fly leg on the medley relay, but she's probably 3rd best and about 1 second off of getting on the relay (and with no taper she probably isn't going to leapfrog that other swimmer).

[Breeze]

Lawrence of Arabia Meet @ Cumming Aquatic Center - 12/2 - 12/4

We are at a very interesting time of the season, and it is a new experience for our family. We have this year round meet running Friday through Sunday, but there is a high school meet on Saturday. Complicating matters is the Senior State Championship Meet next weekend (that's the State meet for 15 and Up). This is new to us because this is the twins first high school season and both of the twins have Senior cuts so they will swim next weekend. Unfortunately though, they only have a couple of senior cuts and this will be the only taper time of the season leading up to the Age Group State Championships in February. It is a lot to work in during this 10 day or so window. Plus the twins still have state cuts for Age Group that they need to get, especially Bailey.

Here is what's on the schedule for this weekend (we are swimming only Friday and Sunday, allowing kids to swim Saturday for the High School Team).

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Bailey


# 1 (d1/s1): G 13 & Over 200 Medley (2:24.63Y ) - Surprisingly, Bailey needs a big drop of about 7 seconds to get this cut, which I don't think is going to happen but she should close the gap a bit if she takes the taper well.
# 5 (d1/s1): G 13 & Over 50 Free (27.86Y ) - Needs a 26.19, could get it, but I'm betting she's around a 26 high.
# 9 (d1/s1): G 11 & Over 500 Free (5:41.91Y ) - Needs to drop a good bit of time here...needs a 5:26, which even though she's started to push in this event more, isn't likely.
# 81 (d3/s4): G 13-14 100 Free (1:00.20Y ) - She needs about a 4 second drop in this one as well, and I expect more like a 58 middle.
# 87 (d3/s4): G 13-14 200 Back (2:17.77Y ) - This one she's only a fraction of a second off...needs about a .7 drop...I expect she gets this one.

She could surprise us in some of the other events. It's been so long since I've seen her race with a taper I just don't have a good feel for how much she might drop.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bear


# 2 (d1/s1): B 13 & Over 200 Medley (2:10.22Y ) - Bear has the AG Cut, would need to drop 5 seconds for the Senior Cut.
# 6 (d1/s1): B 13 & Over 50 Free (25.12Y ) - Needs a 24.29 - all depends on if he's cleaned up his turn enough.
# 10 (d1/s1): B 11 & Over 500 Free (4:59.71Y ) - Needs a 4:54.59 for a senior cut, again turns are probably key.
# 82 (d3/s4): B 13-14 100 Free (53.62Y ) - 52.09 is the Age Group Cut, he's fast enough to get this, but again Turns are key.
# 100 (d3/s4): B 13-14 100 Fly (59.61Y ) - 58.99 is the cut, he's looked good in fly this season, hopefully this carries over.
# 106 (d3/s4): B 11 & Over 1000 Free (10:09.27Y ) - Not sure Bear will swim this one, they may save his taper for the Senior State meet as this is his one event next weekend.

Bear being a more of a distance guy and because he has more cuts than Bailey won't get as big a taper coming into this meet.

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Note: Due to the fact he's still recovering from his injury Brett will not swim this meet.

[Breeze]

General Update - Brett

So Brett's run of bad luck continues. Ever since he got really sick on the travel meet over the summer Brett has had to deal with one thing after another. This time he came into our bedroom about 4 A.M. yesterday morning (Wednesday) complaining about pain in his stomach. He said initially his whole stomach hurt but now it was just the one side.

I asked, "Which side"

"Right"

"Is it right above your hip?"

"Yes"

"Ok, time to go to the emergency room."

Sure enough it was his appendix, which he had removed at about 11:30. The good news, it hadn't ruptured so it was a pretty textbook operation according to the surgeon. He spent the night at the hospital (had a reaction to the contrast for the CT Scan which was a big reason he didn't go home the first night), but he's doing ok. Not sure yet how long he'll be out of the pool.

[BYU 14]

Man that stinks, it has been a tough run for him. Here is to a speedy recovery!

[Breeze]

High School Meet - Trojan Open @ Frances Meadows Center - Dec 3

This is a travel meet. Kids will take the bus over to Gainesville and compete against several other schools.

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Bailey

#17 Girls Open 100 Fly - 1:04.91 - Obviously not her real best time, but what she swam in her one meet last week. She should do better in this one because she's on a partial taper.

#21 Girls Open 100 Free - 1:00.33 - I'd love to see her go sub60 in this one...she should as her free continues to improve.

No relays for Bailey this week...


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Bear

#7 Boys Open 200 Medley - 2:08.82 - he is racing this on Friday at the year round meet, we'll see if he can beat his time the very next day in the same event.

#23 Boys Open 500 Free - 5:03.10 - he is racing this on Friday at the year round meet, we'll see if he can beat his time the very next day in the same event. His year round coach has told him to really focus on his turns...he wants him to ingrain this new turn prior to next weekends 1000 where he'll make his first run at the team record.

#25 Boys Open 200 Free Relay A - 1:36.59- A relay again for Bear, hopefully they do well because it would improve his chances of swimming on the relay at State. This race does come almost immediately after the 500 free so a quick turn around for Bear here.

#37 Boys Open 400 Free Relay A - 3:41.04 - Like the 200 Free Relay, Bear is basically auditioning for a spot on the state relay team...

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Brett

Still recovering from surgery, but was scheduled to swim the 100 Breast and the 50 Free...

[Breeze]

High School Meet - Trojan Open - RESULTS

The Fraces Meadows pool is only a short course pool, so it lacks the extra lanes that a long course pool has for warm up / cool down. This was a major factor at this meet, as all the kids (not just mine and our team, but kids we know from other teams as well) complained about being unable to get their laps in to cool down and loosen up after a race.

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Bailey

#17 Girls Open 100 Fly - 1:04.91 - This race took place about 2 hours after the initial warm up, which was also woefully short. She wanted to warm back up before racing but there wasn't room. Still managed to finish third and post a 1:04.86

#21 Girls Open 100 Free - 1:00.33 - Got sub60 for the first time ever...59.91, needs to drop another second to get a state cut for high school.


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Bear

#7 Boys Open 200 Medley - 2:08.82 - was really unhappy with this swim. Liked his fly leg better than Friday's at the year round meet, but overall this swim was just a bit off - 2:11.30, but it was good enough for a state cut.

#23 Boys Open 500 Free - 5:03.10 - tried to keep up with one of the best swimmers in the state, wore himself out early, but still finished second - 5:04.03

#25 Boys Open 200 Free Relay A - 1:36.59 - for some reason the coach had one really poor swimmer in this relay and it force the team to settle for second place. Bear managed a 25.5 split, which isn't really good, but after the quick turnaround it's not bad.

#37 Boys Open 400 Free Relay A - 3:41.04 - This one was a better put together team, and they won the event. Bear swam a 52.05 leg. Overall the team managed a 3:26.46 a huge drop over the seed time.

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[Breeze]

Lawrence of Arabia Meet - RESULTS


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Bailey


# 1 (d1/s1): G 13 & Over 200 Medley (2:24.63Y ) – I didn’t get to see this race, but she definitely improved, posting a 2:18.42 – a drop of over 6 seconds. She just missed the cut by about .6 seconds. Her fly was a solid 29, and her back improved a bunch coming in at only a 35.25 (typically it’s been in the 38s). The breast was 42.99, not great but a hair better than it has been, and the free was a 31.33, again a nice drop from her typical 33 second closing time. She was upset she missed the cut, but she was so close she might be able to get it non-taper with a good effort, and she’s put herself in striking distance for this cut moving forward.

# 5 (d1/s1): G 13 & Over 50 Free (27.86Y ) – I thought 26 high was doable, she only managed a 27 low…27.25 to be exact.

# 9 (d1/s1): G 11 & Over 500 Free (5:41.91Y ) – a good drop of over 7 seconds to finish at 5:34.85, but she wasn’t happy. Says there is more time she can drop, which is a good mindset, because being 5’2.5” she isn’t going to be a sprinter, so the better she can do in the 200 Free, 500 Free, 1000 Free to go with her flys and IMs the better she’ll look to colleges.

# 81 (d3/s4): G 13-14 100 Free (1:00.20Y ) – She broke 60 seconds the day before this swim with a 59 low at the high school meet. Here she not only bettered that time, she crushed it…Finishing with a 57.56. Again, not good enough for a state cut, but it closed her in on the time and set her up to possibly get it as she ages up.

# 87 (d3/s4): G 13-14 200 Back (2:17.77Y ) – The one swim where she had a real legitimate shot at a cut, and it was the one race over the weekend where she added time…2:18.53. Not sure what happened here, but she never seemed to get in a good rhythm. She didn’t seem too upset when talking with the coach after the race, so that was good. Again, this is a cut I expect to see her get again at some point before she graduates.

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Bear


# 2 (d1/s1): B 13 & Over 200 Medley (2:10.22Y ) – Swam a 2:11 at the high school meet the day after this swim. In this race he managed to go 2:09.57. It’s a personal best, but he wasn’t terribly happy with it. Especially the 30 second opening fly leg ( a good 2+ seconds off his normal opening time). On the good side, his breast leg was sub 40 – and that is a huge improvement.

# 6 (d1/s1): B 13 & Over 50 Free (25.12Y ) – Didn’t get the 24.29, did get a 24.95. Not much of an improvement, but a PB is a PB…he needs to get this quicker…not sure he’ll get another opportunity before state though.

# 10 (d1/s1): B 11 & Over 500 Free (4:59.71Y ) – He practiced early in the morning before this race and the two listed above, so he wasn’t exceptionally fresh, but he did still manage to swim a 5:01.55. Coach was very pleased with this effort. Says he’s right where he needs to be.

# 82 (d3/s4): B 13-14 100 Free (53.62Y ) – like the 50 he just missed the cut posting a 52.75. It isn’t a great swim, but it might just be good enough to get him on the A 400 Free Relay at State in February. It was the second fastest Gold swimmer at this meet.

# 100 (d3/s4): B 13-14 100 Fly (59.61Y ) – another drop that wasn’t good enough to get the cut. It’s like splitting hairs here – finished in 59.29

# 106 (d3/s4): B 11 & Over 1000 Free (10:09.27Y ) – Bear did swim it, coach said it was a good workout that he’d probably have had him do at practice this weekend anyway. He was unable to threaten his best time, but the coach wasn’t surprised saying, “I worked him hard this week, I didn’t expect him to really challenge his best time.” He finished with a 10:26.47. Honestly, I’d have liked to see him sub 10:20, but it coach is happy then I’m happy.


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[Breeze]

Georgia Short Course Senior State Championships @ Georgia Tech - 12/9 - 12/11

The Senior State Championships are this weekend, and while the meet is designed for 15 and overs, because Bailey and Bear are the only Senior level swimmers on the Cumming Chattahoochee Gold team, they will be swimming in this event (it was too difficult to separate them from the rest of the tapered swimmers). Here is what they are swimming:

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Bailey


#9 Womens 100 Yard Butterfly - 1:01.27 (Seeded 84th) - Bailey has really struggled to grasp Coach Andy's changes to her stroke. Hopefully, the rest will allow the light to come on so she can post a personal best here. She'd say she'd like to go sub60, but anything in the 60s second range would be good from my perspective

#17 Womens 200 Yard Butterfly - 2:13.79 (Seeded 44th) - In finals at this event they swim an A, B, C, and D final, so 40 kids return each year. Bailey's goal here is to get into the top 40. I will probably have a good idea about her chances based on what she does in the 100. If she drops there, she could get in the top 40, maybe to 30. However, if she adds, I wouldn't expect her to improve here.

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Bear

#38 Mens 1000 Yard Freestyle - 10:09.27 (Seeded T28th) - Interestingly, Bear's time is no longer good enough to swim at the state meet. It now takes a 10.09.19...however his time is good enough to swim at the Southeastern Sectional meet. He's able to swim here because his 1650 time (which they don't swim at the Georgia State Championships) does meet the cut requirement. Bear is going for the team record in this one, and he'll have to be a 9:58.31...that's a big drop, but big drops are possible in this event. This will be his one shot to break it before the Age Group State Meet (and Age Group Sectionals), because he will not taper again until those meets come up in February and March. That's a tough ask, he basically has to hold 60 second laps for 10 consecutive 100s without stopping. Fingers crossed, I'd love to see him accomplish it. And in case you are wondering, if he were to tie the team record, he'd likely finish in the top 15.

[Breeze]

Georgia Short Course Senior State Championships - RESULTS


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Bailey


#9 Womens 100 Yard Butterfly - 1:01.27 (Seeded 84th) - Not a greats swim but posted a 1:01.39...so just an eye blink off of her personal best. This gave me some hope she'd do better than her personal best in the 200 because she has been practicing harder than she did last year, and I felt she'd have more endurance for the longer race.

#17 Womens 200 Yard Butterfly - 2:13.79 (Seeded 44th) - Unfortunately, my prediction didn't come true...she had a poor race in the 200 adding 3 seconds to finish in a 2:16.31. Coach said she didn't take it out hard enough...I also think the double taper (last weekend and then again for this week) was too much.

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Bear

#38 Mens 1000 Yard Freestyle - 10:09.27 (Seeded T28th) - Pretty early it was obvious this wasn't going to be a good swim for Bear. I was having to shake the numbers early and often as he quickly fell off of his 60 second / 100 pacing. He finished with a pedestrian 10:22.69. The coach was very disappointed in this swim, stating that Bear had been doing really well in practice, and he was definitely tapered (maybe too tapered...coach is going to reevaluate how much rest to give Bear). He also said Bear appeared to be thinking too much, trying to use perfect technique when he should have been racing. In hindsight, I should have expected this result. In order to go sub 10 minutes in this race he needs to be going sub 5 in the 500 and he's not. He's going 5:03 range. He's going to need to start attacking more in the 500s and get his confidence up. It has now been a while since Bear had a good distance swim. The long course season was ok, but nowhere near what he wanted to accomplish. It'll be interesting to he what he does to refocus his efforts.

[Breeze]

General Update

Bear has come down with a pretty nasty bug. He was throwing up all day, including about every 15 minutes for 4 hours when it first started. Was still throwing up on occasion right before bed. This is really going to set him back and it comes at a bad time, right off of taper. Which means he'll be way behind when he hits the water again. While he'll still have a month or so to prepare, this may kill any shot he has at the team record in the 1000.

[Breeze]

General Update - Brett

Brett tried to get back in the water the other day. He actually managed to swim over 1000 yards, but he reported his abdomen hurt every time he pulled. He will need to take a few more days to heal, and then he'll try it again.

[Breeze]

General Update

We got back from the UT camp yesterday and I must say I have mixed feelings about the clinic. The first day was fly, and I was really hoping the coaches would tweak the kid's strokes just a bit to make them more efficient. Unfortunately, the this was the very first camp of the week and it really appeared like the coaches forgot they had it scheduled. Last year when we went to the breaststroke camp there were 10 or 12 coaches divided between 3 groups, but during the fly there were 3 coaches and all the kids were in the same group. Making matters worse, there were kids as young as 7 and an adult that was definitely in his 60s (and not a good swimmer). It was so crowded that the kids got NO advice or suggestions, they just went through the drills.

The second day was much better. For Bailey's Backstroke, and Bear's turns clinic, the kids were split into smaller groups and more instruction was given. I wish they had more time in the clinics (and I wish I had the money to send them to a week long all day swim camp like the ones offered in the Summer), but I do think they had fun, which is the most important part.

We did use the opportunity of being in Tennessee to run over to Bristol and allow Brett to check out King University. The campus was nice, but the surrounding area isn't what I expected. The pictures of the university make it appear isolated, but it is actually surrounded my homes and only a few blocks from retail and warehouse zones. It definitely wasn't as pretty as I had anticipated. We also stopped at Carson-Newman on the way home. That was a very pretty campus. Again, not isolated, but the campus is the largest of the schools Brett has visited (not counting ones we've been to for swim meets). The campus is laid out on a well defined streets/avenues type grid, which makes it seem bigger and sort of self contained.

Brett will also get back in the pool again today to see if he's ready to start swimming again.

[Breeze]

High School Swimming v. Lambert @ Cumming Aquatic Center - Jan 13

It has been a long time since we have had a high school swim meet. The one right before the Christmas break was cancelled because the coach found out it was going to be a 16 team affair with middle school kids competing as well and would take close to 12 hours. The one last weekend was cancelled because of weather. Finally, we have another meet, and it is basically our last one before the county championships and then the high school state meet.

Here is what the kids are scheduled to swim:

Bailey

8 Girl Open 50 Free 26.88Y
12 Girl Open 100 Fly 1:04.86Y
2 Girl Open 200 Medley Relay B 2:00.44Y
24 Girl Open 400 Free Relay B 3:55.51Y


Bear

3 Boy Open 200 Free 1:53.13Y
7 Boy Open 50 Free 25.03Y
17 Boy Open 200 Free Relay A 1:36.55Y
23 Boy Open 400 Free Relay A 3:44.22Y


Brett

7 Boy Open 50 Free 28.34Y
13 Boy Open 100 Free 1:00.99Y

Note: Brett just started swimming again. He hit the water last week, but got sick so he wasn't able to maintain his practicing. He started over this week. These 2 freestyles will be his first races back since the appendectomy. I don't expect much...but I hope he comes close to his personal bests.

[Breeze]

High School Swimming Update

It looks like Brett's chances of being a 4 year letterman in swimming are gone. His shoulder injury early followed by the appendectomy has all but killed any chance he had. It is sad really - he was able to get his breaststroke lettering time the one time he swam, but because (at that time) he was out of shape from the shoulder issue, he didn't get the second required time in the 200 free (he got it last year). Then the surgery and healing that kept him out of the water. Now he has 2 more meets to swim, the one Friday and then the county championship next week, and he's just gotten back in the water. So it isn't likely he'll get his cut time in the 200 or 500 without more practice and getting in better shape. Plus, he is supposed to attend 5 practices with the high school, and there are only 4 left.

I hate it for him. He's really had it rough for the last 9 months, and he's always in the shadow of his siblings when it comes to swimming. I know he wanted to letter all 4 years - it's a pretty small thing, but it meant something to him. Maybe the coach will make an exception for him because of the surgery, but I doubt it.

[Breeze]

High School Swimming v. Lambert - RESULTS


Bailey

8 Girl Open 50 Free 26.88Y - only managed a 27.79...
12 Girl Open 100 Fly 1:04.86Y - saw a 1:05.68 and was beaten by a couple of teammates. This puts her in a precarious spot, as only 4 kids can swim the 100 Fly at state. She'll need a good swim next week at county to improve her chances.
2 Girl Open 200 Medley Relay B 2:00.44Y - though she was on the B relay...they beat the A South Relay and won the event.
24 Girl Open 400 Free Relay B 3:55.51Y - Solid 3rd place finish in the event. Bailey swam a 1:00 split...


Bear

3 Boy Open 200 Free 1:53.13Y - fatigue from practice really hindered Bear as well, as he managed just a 1:57.27 in this one.
7 Boy Open 50 Free 25.03Y - Did manage a marginal improvement here - 24.93
17 Boy Open 200 Free Relay A 1:36.55Y - only got 3rd in the relay but Bear went a 24.51.
23 Boy Open 400 Free Relay A 3:44.22Y - In the 4x100 Bear swam a 53.8, but they finished 4th, mostly because the coach put one swimmer on the relay who only managed to go 58.22...


Brett

7 Boy Open 50 Free 28.34Y - amazingly, Brett managed to get a personal best here with a time of 26.69. This not only improves on his time with high school, but is his best for year round as well. Not bad considering his lack of practice.
13 Boy Open 100 Free 1:00.99Y - Managed a 59.38, which is an improvement for high school, but initially it looked like he might get an improvement on his personal best for year round as well but he clearly ran out of gas in the last 30 or so yards.

[Breeze]

High School Swimming - Forsyth County Championships @ Cumming Aquatic Center - 1/21

Bailey

#6 Girls 200 IM NT
#12 Girls 100 Fly 1:04.86
#18 Girls 200 Free Relay (2) 1:50.00
#24 Girls 400 Free Relay (3) 3:57.03


Bear

#15 Boys 500 Free 5:03.10
#17 Boys 200 Free Relay (4) 1:40.92
#19 Boys 100 Back 1:04.93
#23 Boys 400 Free Relay (2) 3:39.44


Brett

#7 Boys 50 Free 26.69
#17 Boys 200 Free Relay (1) 1:46.27
#21 Boys 100 Breast 1:12.50
#23 Boys 400 Free Relay (4) 3:58.96

[Breeze]

High School Swimming - Forsyth County Championships - RESULTS

Bailey

#6 Girls 200 IM NT - coming into this race Bailey needed to swim a 2:21 to be in the top 4 and aligned to swim the event at State...her real personal best is a 2:18, so it was possible even without the taper. However, her fly leg came in at about 31 seconds and her chances were basically dead. When she is on, her fly leg is in the 28s. She managed a 2:24.00, which is the cut for state, but there are too many other girls with faster times that will end up swimming at state.
#12 Girls 100 Fly 1:04.86 - Bailey needed a drop here to insure she'd swim this at state as well...she got a drop 1:04.24, but that wasn't good enough...she'll end up watching here as well...
#18 Girls 200 Free Relay (2) 1:50.00 - swam the second fastest split of the 4 girls with a 27.42...
#24 Girls 400 Free Relay (3) 3:57.03 - split a 59.89...


Bear

#15 Boys 500 Free 5:03.10 - Bear was hoping to go under 5 minutes, even not tapered as a sign that his distance swimming is coming around. He went the opposite direction only managing a 5:14.31. He was extremely upset by this performance.
#17 Boys 200 Free Relay (4) 1:40.92 - Bear split a 24.33, which was faster than every South swimmer (including the A relay) except the anchor on the A...
#19 Boys 100 Back 1:04.93 - Not sure why he was in the back, but he managed a personal best swim, including year round - 1:04.58. This was right after going back to back with the 500 and the relay (see event numbers)
#23 Boys 400 Free Relay (2) 3:39.44 - Split 53.77, which was pretty strong...unfortunately, the 4th member of the team was a 56 high which dropped them to 4th.


Brett

#7 Boys 50 Free 26.69 - Managed another personal best 26.34. Amazing with as little practice as he's had.
#17 Boys 200 Free Relay (1) 1:46.27 - went 26.51 in the opening leg, so with a cold start, and still posted a time better than his 50 free seed time coming in...
#21 Boys 100 Breast 1:12.50 - faded in the last 30 yards had to settle for a 1:14.12
#23 Boys 400 Free Relay (4) 3:58.96 - even with fatigue and swimming a 100 he managed to go 58.60, and he beat two teams in the last leg. A nice effort on his part.

[Breeze]

SCAT Winter Kickoff @ GaTech - 1/22/2017

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Bailey

#39 Girls 100 Yard Fly
#41 Girls 200 Yard IM
#45 Girls 200 Yard Back
#75 Mixed 1000 Yard Free

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Bear

#40 Boys 100 Yard Fly
#42 Boys 200 Yard IM
#44 Boys 100 Yard Free
#75 Mixed 1000 Yard Free

[Breeze]

SCAT Winter Kickoff - RESULTS

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Bailey

#39 Girls 100 Yard Fly - terrible swim 1:06.16. I personally feel she is too up and down right now, rather than driving forward. Not sure where this will lead...possibly another stroke adjustment. I guess we won't know until she has a full taper swim at Age Group State.
#41 Girls 200 Yard IM - Another bad swim 2:26.90
#45 Girls 200 Yard Back - Added a bunch of time here as well - 2:26.67
#75 Mixed 1000 Yard Free - Was hoping to get the state cut here...needed an 11:30, swam an 11:37.84...which was a personal best, but she needs to do better.

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Bear

#40 Boys 100 Yard Fly - managed a personal best swim of 58.39
#42 Boys 200 Yard IM - swam 2:10.91, which is about a second off his personal best...
#44 Boys 100 Yard Free - Terrible swim here - 57.08, and it looked so much worse because he was in a heat where all the swimmers were posting times like his personal best of 54s...he was trailing badly and he was alone well off the heats pace.
#75 Mixed 1000 Yard Free - was looking for him to return to his form in the distance swim and not get so caught up in technique. He accomplished that, but he added a good bit of time, which is too be expected given he isn't on taper. Unfortunately though, it doesn't bode well for his chances of breaking the team record...10:27.95

[thealmighty]

Is the 1000 an overall team record or the time-limited age group record?

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by thealmighty

Is the 1000 an overall team record or the time-limited age group record?

Good question, should have specified. The record he is going for is the 13/14 age group 1000 yard time. He missed the 11/12 time by .04 seconds and he's been gunning for this one for a while.

[Breeze]

Georgia High School Athletic 6-7 A State Championships @ GaTech - 2/2 - 2/4

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Bailey

Will not be swimming at State, barring something odd happening. She is the first alternate in a couple of relays...


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Bear

#3 Boys 200 Yard Freestyle : 1:53.13 - 50/62
#15 Boys 500 Yard Freestyle : 5:03.10 - 32/61
#23 Boys 400 Yard Freestyle Relay : 3:36.44 - 39/53

The seed times, unlike year round which are almost always personal bests, these are the best swum at a high school meet. So they are several seconds off what Bear is capable of. However, it won't matter, even with personal best swims, he's not going to be in range to make finals. Which is ok, as a freshman, there aren't many that are going to be in the top spots of the state competing against much older boys that are more physically developed.

[Breeze]

Georgia High School Athletic 6-7 A State Championships - RESULTS

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Bear

#3 Boys 200 Yard Freestyle : 1:53.13 - 50/62 - This ended up being a bad swim for Bear...according to his year round coach (who was there watching) he apparently took it out really fast, keeping up with the rest of the swimmers, but his lack of a full taper caused him to tire down the stretch. He posted a 1:57.48

#15 Boys 500 Yard Freestyle : 5:03.10 - 32/61 - Here Bear took it out quick again, then he started falling off the pace. Only this time he kicked it back into gear. His opening 100 was a 57.77, then he posted 1:01.95 and 1:01.59...followed by 59.81 and 58.60...to post a 4:59.72. As I mentioned in the pre-race write up, the seed times aren't personal bests, just fastest time in a high school meet...well in this case he just missed his personal best time of 4:59.71...


#23 Boys 400 Yard Freestyle Relay : 3:36.44 - 39/53 - In the relay Bear had a nice split of 52.98...

[Breeze]

Georgia Age Group State Championships @ GaTech - 2/17 - 2/19

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Bailey

#15 Girls 100 Yard Butterfly – 1:01.25 : 20th Seed – The coach is working with Bailey on trying to get her to move more forward with her stroke rather than the drastic up and down she’s recently developed. Actually, I think she developed this up and down on the coaches urging to grab more water by pressing the chest down driving the hips up but keeping the elbows high in order to grab more water. Think about pressing your chest down and pushing your arms behind your torso with the elbows bent and arms raise above your head. This position allows for more water grab cause the arms travel further through the water. The only problem is - it's a hard position to get into, and Bailey tends to collapse her arms creating a later grab and thus less propulsion and speed. Hopefully, she nails this correction for this meet. She’s already at a disadvantage because of her small size. She’s literally 4 to 6 inches shorter than most of the girls swimming her time or faster in this event. Looking to go sub60…

#47 Girls 400 Yard IM – 4:55.19 : 34th Seed – This is the one event where Bailey has the state cut, but not the sectionals cut. She should be shooting for a 4:49.49 in order to earn that cut time (even though she’s probably going to skip the Sectionals meet). She needs to get back to her quick fly, power through the back and then be solid in the back half. I’ll probably know pretty quickly after the fly is she’s going to make a charge. If her time is under 1:03, she could do well, but if she’s in the 1:04s where she’s been most of this season, we are looking at a time somewhere around 5 minutes. The breast leg will also be a key. She was getting it down into the 42 high/ 50 yard range, but recently she’s been back at her time just below 45 seconds, which isn’t going to cut it.

#77 Girls 200 Yard Butterfly – 2:13.79 : 13th Seed – Same issues as the 100, but the lack of height is less of a factor in this grueling race. I’m proud of Bailey that she still finds herself in the top 20, with a shot at top 10 and an “A” final appearance if she can nail this stroke adjustment. If she can get down to a 2:11.59, she’ll earn her senior sectional time and be moved up to the National Team with Gold.

RELAYS

#25 Girls 13-14, 400 Yard Free : B Relay – Being the B Relay the team won’t do much, but I’ll be interested to see how quickly Bailey swims her leg. It may give me some insight into what to expect next month at her other taper meet.

#63 Girls 13-14, 400 Yard Medley : A Relay – Bailey will obviously swim the fly leg, assuming she beats the girls swimming on the B relay in with 100 Fly earlier in the meet. The team will be pretty pedestrian in the overall standings. Probably finishing fifth or sixth in the state.

#69 Girls 13-14, 200 Yard Medley : A Relay – same basic set up as the 400 outlined above.




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Bear

#4 Boys 200 Yard IM – 2:09.57 : 27th Seed – This will basically be a warm up for Bear. As a 27th seed, Bear doesn’t expect much. He also knows that often his first swim isn’t all that great, so this will get that first swim out of the way. I do think he could improve a great deal, especially if his breaststroke is strong. I’m pretty sure he did a 2:08 in a high school meet with no taper in an environment that didn’t allow a good warm up or down. He should shoot for a 2:05 in order to get his senior cut for next season.

#16 Boys 100 Yard Butterfly – 58.39 : 19th Seed – 55.99 is the cut time for next season. I don’t think he’s getting there, but he could get into the 56s, which would set him up nicely for next season.

#20 Boys 1000 Yard Freestyle – 10:09.27 : 1st Seed – Bear is seeded first but there are 2 other guys within 2 seconds of his time. And one is his high school teammate that has been shedding time all season. Plus with this event, people can drop 30 seconds at a drop of a hat. So Bear will be in for a battle, which might be good. Maybe it will push him to race and not worry so much about stroke mechanics. Also maybe it will drive him to a great time (win or lose). This could be one very exciting distance race.

#36 Boys 200 Yard Free – 1:52.15 : 9th Seed – The senior state cut is a 1:49.49. That’s a good goal time for Bear. If he swims well the first day, this goal time is something he could legitimately hit. If he swims only ok, I don’t think he’ll be able to drop 3 full seconds…

#48 Boys 400 Yard IM – 4:28.79 : 8th Seed – For Bear this will come down to Back and endurance. He needs a good back leg followed by a strong back half (including his improved breast) in order to drop time. He could drop several seconds, but I don’t think he will get to the senior cut time of 4:23. However, not getting a senior cut when you are 14/15 isn’t terrible, considering the time is in place for 18 and unders. It really isn’t intended for 14 and 15 year olds to reach those speeds.

#78 Boys 200 Yard Butterfly – 2:06.56 : 5th Seed – This is one Bear should be able to get the senior cut in. He only needs to drop 1 second to get the senior cut, and he can do that without even swimming well. The shave/taper could really drive him to a 2:05 by itself.

#88 Boys 500 Yard Freestyle – 4:59.71 : 6th Seed – Bear needs to cut 5 seconds to get the senior cut in this one. The 1000 will probably be a good indicator on his chances. If he goes sub 10 minutes, then going 4:54 seems reasonable.


RELAYS

#26 Boys 13-14, 400 Free : A Relay – Bear slips onto the A relay for the boys 400 Free. Bear doesn’t have the state cut for the 100 Free, so I don’t expect this relay will compete for a top 3 spot, but if Bear takes his taper well he could post a 51 mid or low split, which might give them an outside shot.

#32 Boys 13-14, 200 Free : B Relay – Bear not being on a A relay isn’t really a surprise here. Bear gets better the further he swims, and he doesn’t get to do the 50 Free very often, which hinders his chances of posting a good time, as well as limits his knowledge of the best way to attack the race.

#64 Boys 13-14, 400 Medley : B Relay – Bear gets the free leg on the B Relay. He actually did pretty well just to get on this relay at all. He wasn’t going to get the Breast leg for sure. His back is pretty stagnate right now, and there is a 13 year old pounding out 56 second flys…so that only left free and as I mentioned above Bear gets better the longer the race, so just getting on this team is an accomplishment.

#70 Boys 13-14, 200 Medley : B Relay – same group as the 400 Medley, and again I think Bear did well just to get on this relay.

[Breeze]

Georgia Age Group State Championships - RESULTS

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Bailey

#15 Girls 100 Yard Butterfly – 1:01.25 : 20th Seed – After diving in it became pretty obvious pretty early that Bailey hadn't figured out what the problem with the stroke was...after about 5 strokes she was already off the pace of the field. She struggled home with a time of 1:03.62. This swim was basically what she had been swimming non-tapered, and it was so bad we expected her to be pulled from the relay.

#47 Girls 400 Yard IM – 4:55.19 : 34th Seed – Fly leg here hurt her again, this time only managing a 1:06.85, over 2 seconds off her time in this leg during her personal best swim. He backstroke was better, and her freestyle was better as well...it allowed her to at least come close to her personal best, finishing with a time of 4:56.64

#77 Girls 200 Yard Butterfly – 2:13.79 : 13th Seed – The last day of the meet, and the coach really worked with her one on one during warm ups to try and figure out what was going on. He thought at the time it might be related to pressure and tightening up, so he had her work on relaxing through the stroke, especially early in the race. All this led to was a slow swim...she ultimately finished with a time of 2:20.45

RELAYS

#25 Girls 13-14, 400 Yard Free : B Relay – Managed a 57 mid split, which means she was on pace for a personal best even if you remove the rolling start.

#63 Girls 13-14, 400 Yard Medley : A Relay – demoted to the B relay...basically duplicated her 100 fly swim as an individual 1:03.40

#69 Girls 13-14, 200 Yard Medley : A Relay – removed entirely from this relay.

Note: This is an extremely hard time for Bailey right now. She basically didn't improve at all in 2015-16 except during the state meet. This year was not different during the regular season, only this time she also didn't improve at the state meet. She's now gone almost 2 years without an improvement, and she's struggling with her best stroke. It is a very delicate situation. Her personal best times could be expiring which means she may not even have a single senior state cut for next year if she can't get this worked out. The coach is very frustrated because he knows how hard she's been working and he feels there is no reason for her swimming as slowly as she is. He worked with her, including video, on Monday at practice trying to determine what is going wrong. Hopefully he finds the solution soon...




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Bear

#4 Boys 200 Yard IM – 2:09.57 : 27th Seed – Right out of the gate it was obvious Bear was feeling good. His fly leg registered in under a 27 and his back, which has been hovering around 34 seconds came in under 32. Then the breaststroke - and he put down a very strong 37 low. His free was solid and he posted a personal best time of 2:04.88. Good enough for the senior cut, good enough to finish 13th and make the B final that night.

#16 Boys 100 Yard Butterfly – 58.39 : 19th Seed – SCRATCHED - Bear was disappointed to scratch this race. He really felt he could go a 56 low...but given he was going to shoot for the team record in the 1000 and the turnaround from the 100 fly to the 1000 was really short, the coach felt this was the right move.

#20 Boys 1000 Yard Freestyle – 10:09.27 : 1st Seed – Bear was shooting to go below a 9:58.31. That has been his goal for 2 years, when he missed the team record in the 1000 by .04 seconds as a 12 year old in this event. The race started out fast, as the other 2 boys with times similar to Bear's attacked early. Bear also took it out abnormally fast posting an opening 100 in 55.54...that bought him a few seconds to play with in going for the record. He followed that up with:

1:00.10
1:00.36
1:00.55
1:00.41 (signaled to pick it up a little)
59:83
59.74
1:00.17
1:00.42
58:53

Total time: 9:55.65 good for 3rd, a senior sectional cut, AND A NEW TEAM RECORD!!!


#4 Boys 200 Yard IM FINAL – 2:04.88 : 13th Seed – in finals he opened with a faster fly by a couple of tenths. Then his back stroke was basically the same. The breast was a couple of tenths slower so when he started on the freestyle he was actually .03 slower than the morning swim. His freestyle however was almost exactly a full second faster, giving him another personal best time of 2:03.83

#36 Boys 200 Yard Free – 1:52.15 : 9th Seed – After the strong Friday the goal of 1:49.49 became a real possibility. And he nearly hit it in the prelims, posting a 1:50.20. Good enough for 12th and a spot in the B finals.

#48 Boys 400 Yard IM – 4:28.79 : 8th Seed – Bear felt really good going into this one...and it showed. He had a really strong heat, which helped to push him. He posted a 58.59 fly (which is fractions of a second from a personal best), the he followed it up with a 1:06.27 back. Again, like the 200 much better than he had been doing during the regular season. His breast was unbelievably strong, as he managed to go a 1:16.77 split, and he finished up with a 57.35 free, after 300 grueling previous yards. Overall he posted a 4:18.99, which was good enough for 6th overall, and it is a senior sectional cut.

#36 Boys 200 Yard Free FINAL – 1:50.20 : 12th Seed - The race started and Bear pretty quickly lost contact with the leaders...his first split was right on his first 50 from the morning, but the rest of the splits started showing his fatigue. He slowly slipped back and only managed a 1:53.42

#78 Boys 200 Yard Butterfly – 2:06.56 : 5th Seed – Bear had two goals here...get under 2 minutes and to finish in the top 3 to earn another medal. Both are very tough asks given the field, the amount of swimming he had already done and the amount of time he needed to drop. His fly looked really good though from the start of this race. He went out in a 59.2 and came home in a 1:02.8 to post a 2:02.13... it placed him 6th going into finals But before that, Bear had another swim...

#88 Boys 500 Yard Freestyle – 4:59.71 : 6th Seed – Bear went under 10 minutes in the 1000, so he was hoping he might be able to go 4:50 in this. Again a tough goal, but a good one. Opened with a 55.54, Exactly what he opened the 1000 in...Then he followed that with 59.73, 59.46, 59.71, and 58.31. A total time of 4:52.75. A great swim that placed him 4th overall, and just off of the senior sectional cut...undoubtedly his next goal when he swims the 500 again.

#78 Boys 200 Yard Butterfly FINAL – 2:02.13 : 6th Seed - This was an extremely fast race...and Bear did an excellent job from the start staying with the leaders in the middle of the pool. He road the hip of the swimmer to his inside, who took it out really fast. That kept Bear within striking distance. His opening 100 was a 57.83 (that would be a personal best). He had one bad turn. Right after chasing down the swimmer to his inside and placing himself in a 3 way battle for 3rd, he had a poor breakout after the turn and found himself back about an arms length again. He once again swim down the swimmer to his inside, and this time he passed him. Driving hard for the wall in a race for 3rd with a swimmer on the other end of the pool. Bear posted a time of 2:00.22, another 2 second drop. Unfortunately, he missed 3rd by .19 seconds. However, he did earn a senior sectional cut with this swim. To give you an idea of how fast this race was. Bear's buddy Tommy finished 2nd last year with a time of 2:01.6...Bear's 2:00.2 earned him 4th...


RELAYS

#26 Boys 13-14, 400 Free : A Relay – Bear swam the anchor on the free relay. They rearranged the order to get their fast 2 out front. The third swimmer posted a slow 52.43 split that caused them to slide back into 5th with 6th closing. Bear hit the water and began to eat up space on the 4th and 3rd place teams. He managed to catch the 4th place swimmer in the last 25 and out touched him. Bear's spit was a 51.16...

#32 Boys 13-14, 200 Free : B Relay – swam this to start the night session...right before the 200 freestyle final. Bear managed to swim really well posting the fastest time of the 4 in his relay with a 23.67...he also posted a faster time than one of the boys on the A relay. However...it cost him some (see 200 Free Final)

#64 Boys 13-14, 400 Medley : B Relay – Bear was pulled from this relay. Another boy was forced to do a swim off in the 100 fly. During the swim off that boy posted a 55 low, which moved him into the fly leg on the medley relay. Then the flyer was moved to the free leg, knocking Bear off...no big deal. It was probably better for Bear because he didn't expend that energy.

#70 Boys 13-14, 200 Medley : B Relay – Just like the 400 medley, Bear was pulled on this one as well.

[Breeze]

General Update

Brett has had a really tough year. He started with a shoulder injury, followed by sickness, appendicitis, and then sickness again. Every time between the incidents getting back in the pool to try and restart his swimming. Something that is extremely hard to do given that the rest of the team is churning our yards, while Brett is trying to get back in shape.

Brett's tough year isn't limited to just swimming though. He's been hit really hard with the news of my cancer. It's really caused him to lose motivation in school, as well as getting with friends. Moreover, he has had to watch as Bear's swimming (the sport he loves and is the only reason Bear swims at all) reached extreme highs, that he knows he'll never reach.

All this is really weighing on him, and I'm not sure how to handle it. It breaks my heart to see him struggle so. He had such a tough time during elementary school because of his ADHD, and now he's got all this hanging over his head. I've tried to let him know that he doesn't have to swim like Bear to be successful, and that I'm as proud of his accomplishments as I am of his siblings, but he doesn't really believe it. He still views things from the teenage vantage point of - is what you accomplished worthy of recognition...not from a more adult perspective of - how hard to did work and in the case of swimming - how much did you improve (regardless of what the improved time is).

I wish I could make things better for him, but because wishing won't fix anything, I really hope I can make him understand!

[Breeze]

General Update

Tonight is the South Forsyth Swim Banquet, so the twins will be getting their varsity letter. A pretty big deal for a high schooler and one that will force me to purchase 2 letterman jackets at about $350 each...but it's worth it.

Also, I'm very proud about the twins dedication to getting better. They are actually going to go to practice for an hour (Bear will probably swim for more like an hour and a half), then get out, get ready at the pool, then go straight to the banquet. The coach didn't want them to miss practice, so they are going to attend.

[Breeze]

Water Polo

So yes...we don't have enough going on in our lives so we decided to add a whole new sport to our schedule. The boys are now playing water polo. They are new to the game, so there is a lot of indecision, especially on the offensive end, but overall they are playing pretty well. It will be interesting to see what happens with them going forward. The spring season that we are in, is very informal compared to the Summer League, and the boys are using this as a way to become familiar with the sport so they can compete better in the Summer.

They both swim better than most of the team, and despite the fact they are extremely new to the skills involved, they play great defense and they catch and throw pretty well. There are quite a few kids that are returning from last Summer, so I'm not sure how the teams will be split up when matches start. If I were to guess, I think they will both start out on the B team, so they can get more playing time, rather than be a rotational player on the A team.

Matches start on Sunday, but Bear probably will miss that game due to tapering for the Age Group Sectional Meet that is coming up at the end of the following week.