Ok, I should go ahead & throw a disclaimer out there because I am totally going to be that parent bragging on their kid this post! This past weekend, Sadie had her first swim meet & she killed it:
They technically haven't started official summer training yet, just in school training twice a week so this was an intrasquad meet just to get their beginning times & get a practice meet in before they start competing with other cities. She was pretty excited until we got there & then she was nervous. There were a lot of spectators & a lot of swimmers, most of whom were a lot older than her. And most looked like they knew what they were doing. She was the last to get in the pool to warm up, but since she is the youngest, she was the very first race of the day, which was the 25 m backstroke:
As you can see, there were only 3 racers in her age group. She competes with 6 & under girls. You can also notice that she had a huge start - she pushed out way farther than the other girls & quickly picked up speed:
She dominated this race & beat the other girls by a pretty good distance. In case you are curious, here are the final results:
Don't know if you can actually see that but wanted it for my records :)
When I went down to the deck to pick her up, they had given her a lei:
I don't think they usually give winners anything, but since this was their first meet, they tried to make it a positive experience & Sadie loved it!
After this, she had about an hour break to sit with us in the stands, visit, have a snack & watch the other races before it was time for her next race, which was the 25 m freestyle. Those are the only 2 she qualifies for at this age. This time they got to go off the block, but honestly, I think her & the other girls were talking & when they heard the buzzer it kind of scared them & they all kind of jumped in randomly instead of diving like they should have:
It was a closer race but she still pulled out a victory:
And you know what else? She has 6 swim meets planned this summer & from what I understand your time is the most important. Most people care more about increasing their speed & their time vs. their place. If your time is fast enough, you can qualify for the regional meet in mid July & then the state meet later in July. Who would have guessed that Sadie's times were so fast in her first meet that she already qualified for the regional meet! Isn't that crazy?! We are so proud of her! I know she was nervous but she has worked hard for this & her determination paid off. But most of all, she had fun! I am so excited for her season & can't wait to see her improve as summer goes on:
But don't worry - I'll try not to take this many pictures or videos again. I always get excited the first go round & then I will be better about enjoying the moment so I will try not to mom brag much more!
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