a wee bit proud

Yesterday was our "small schools swimming carnival" where the three small one teacher schools, as well as the Distance Education group in our area, met for the annual swimming carnival.

My kids are FAR from athletes in in way or form, but they do love participating, and are very water confident, in fact love swimming full stop.  I credit the little Intex pool I bought a couple of year ago for a lot of that water confidence, however they did love it before the pool came along.

My biggest girl, now being in grade three, had to swim all of the strokes and went in all of her races on the day.  That means 3 full laps of the pool (a looooong 33 metres) plus one half lap for butterfly.  Plus the two relays she went in...5 and a half laps!  (I think I'd be passed out half way up the first!)  This is a pretty big deal for a kid (and for most of the kids in the small schools) that only see the big pool once a week, and I am pretty certain she would not have ever swum a lap of that same pool ever - and they've not long been working on strokes etc.

Being the only girl in her age group, she got Age Champion, which was terribly exciting for her. (I told her should wouldn't necessarily get it , just because she was the only one!) However she did complete every race and tried her very hardest, and all with a smile on her face.

 

But what makes me that wee bit proud, is that she actually managed to BREAK A RECORD!  in butterfly of all things!  Butterfly is actually her best stroke, and as the race was 1. early in the day and 2. only half a lap,  the kids (she swam against another kid similar in age, who also was alone in his group) really powered up the pool. Like I said, she is not an athelete, and in fact she appears to have a lead bottom with most of her swimming - but NOT with butterfly!

And as for my other daughter, who DOES own a floaty bottom, and seems to have the making of a very nice freestyle stroke?  She swam her first little 1/2 lap race (freestyle) pretty much under water! and then did the same for the second!  Funny child! 

And just so you didn't think that I left him behind:  the cheer squad.