Last meet of the summer...

Bray has decided he is going to continue on the swim team this fall.  He has done so well.  Last meet of the summer was yesterday and unfortunately the electronics were out so I have no idea what his official times were or if he placed or ribboned yet.  He swam his first IM and his first Butterfly in a separate race also.  On the way home he told me he doesn't want to ever swim butterfly again if he doesn't have to...this meet it was a requirement that all swimmers swim all 4 stokes and an IM to participate.  Most kids had not swam Butterfly or IM in competition in his age group.  Many kids on his team chose to not go because of it only 3 boys and 6 girls from here went.  I am so proud that he gave it a try.  He was not fast but his coach said his form was perfect and that the speed will come in time.

Oh, an IM is when the swimmer swims a lap of Butterfly, then Backstroke, then Breast stoke and finishes with freestyle.  They are actually done at different lengths and some of the older kids swim upto 400 meters, doing 100 of each.  Brays group only had to swim the 100 meter IM though but it was not only the first IM for all of them at a meet but also their first 100 meter race.  Many had a hard time climbing out of the pool at the end and had to swim to the ladder instead of going out the wall like normal.

goofy mode

serious mode

Parents were not allowed on deck with the swimmers so we had to be upstairs which bummed me out not being with B but we had a good view to watch their form as they swam.  B is in late 1 on the far side.  The kid closest in lane 4 also wearing a GH2O swim cap is Colton from our team who is quite an amazing swimmer.  Bray is usually finishing just behind  Colton, whose father was a swimmer and competed through college.

B likes to start from the standing position, he feels off balance to start holding onto the board and he never gets his arms up high enough and head down enough to keep his goggles on when he hits the water...another thing that will come with time.