Swim Team

We just wrapped up our third season of one of the very best parts of our summer: the summer swim team at our neighborhood pool. For a little background, I was somewhat surprised to learn after moving here that basically there is no such thing as a public pool in the area. Instead everyone is a member of one of the various private, neighborhood pool clubs around (or you are a member of a health club like the YMCA, etc.), and each of these pools has a swim team that competes in a suburban swim league. I'll admit that three summers ago when I signed up Max, and he could barely complete the required one-length of the pool, I was doing it only because it was the best deal around--can't beat 6 weeks of everyday swim instruction for one insanely low price. And because I don't swim anything more complicated than a leisurely side stroke, it was like I was a little shocked when he and all of these other little kids actually learned to swim, and swim some pretty technical strokes too.

However, far-and-away, the best thing about the swim team is that it has helped us make our pool club into a real community of friends. Maybe it's that I'm socially needy by nature, but I love that it's like I'm on a real-life episode of Cheers where everybody knows my name. I love that the teenage coaches and lifeguards know my kids' names and give them high-fives when they walk by or tease them about whatever silly thing they might be doing. I love "making the rounds" as I follow Isabel cruising the edge of the pool during practice and getting a chance to talk with all the other parents as we pass by. I love that it's like Olivia has a half-dozen 8-10 yr old very doting older sisters (and she laps it all up, believe me). I love how plenty of people tell Isabel happy birthday in July because they all remember when she was born and that when I was very, very pregnant that the parking attendant during the meets use to save me a front-row spot even when the lot was already full (talk about DDParking!). And I love that the swim meets are like one big family reunion where everyone is cheering for eachother's children, where the kids pass the time inbetween their events playing games with eachother, and where the food, conversation, and baby-watching becomes communal.

So I'll miss swim team. But we ended it on a high since tonight Max competed in the final League Time Trial events to great personal success. He had three events: a 25 yd freestyle, and a 25 yd butterfly, and 25 yd butterfly in a 100yd medley relay. He came in first in his heat in the 25-fly and 25-free events making both a personal best, and taking off 11 seconds on his butterfly time and 6 seconds off his freestyle time. I couldn't have been more thrilled for him.

He didn't make it to the league championships, but I really couldn't care less about that--that's not why we go to swim team anyway.