Fall Time Trials Meet

In response to complaints that we don't have enough swim meets for our kids to swim in, especially the "unclassified" ones where they can swim races that they don't have times for already, our swim club hosted a "Time Trials Meet". This was meant to be a shorter meet with the longer distances, the 200 yard backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke, and the 500 yard freestyle. Natalie has not swum in any of those races in a competition yet.

She didn't feel ready to swim the 500 yard freestyle yet, since she is still not practicing the full 90 minutes in the water that she was swimming last year, but she wanted to try the 200 yard backstroke, so that was her only event for this meet. She seemed in generally good spirits, judging from her laughing and talking with her friends before the meet, but she did admit to me that she was nervous about the race.

Right away, Patrick and I could tell that she wasn't swimming at her best. She was "circle swimming", which is what they have to do during practice because they have to share a lane with others, but that adds time. As the race went on, she wasn't moving her hips as much as she is supposed to, in order to swim a faster race. When she got out of the pool sobbing, though, we definitely knew something was wrong. As early as about 75 yards into the race, she said her hip and back started hurting, but she finished the race.

It's tough to see your child sobbing while laying on the ground with ice on her back. Patrick went to help her and she didn't even complain about how cold the ice was. He knows better than I do what to do in cases like this. All I wanted to do was give her big hugs. This is all part of the healing process--she takes steps forward, but then takes steps backward, too.

Even with swimming in pain, Natalie finished with an official time of 2:44.24, which is a "BB standard time" for 11-12 year olds. That just makes me even more amazed at how awesome my daughter is. I just wish I could take away all her pain.