Swim Team First Practice

When I suggested to Evan that he join the swim team this year, I didn't know what response I would get.  But I described what it entailed and just happened to mention that there were trophies and ribbons up for grabs.  Well, apparently, Evan loves the chance to get anything like a medal or trophy, so he was all about swim team when he heard about the awards.

At that point, Evan could swim under water for a small distance in the pool.  He didn't really have much of a freestyle stroke and couldn't take a breath.  So, I emailed the parent representative and asked if she thought Evan would be a good candidate for swim team even though he couldn't quite swim the length of the pool.  She said she thought he would do fine, so we headed over to the Fairfield clubhouse on the rainy sign up day, filled out the paperwork, and bought the smallest size of little swim shorts that they offered.

As the first day of practice neared, I honestly didn't know what to expect.  Evan has been resistant to trying things that take him out of his comfort zone, and I knew that some of the things that he would be asked to do would definitely take him out of his comfort zone.  I didn't know how long he'd last, but we would give it a try.

Now, swim team started this year on May 15, so I knew the first day would be cold.  I had to take Ben to his preschool end of year picnic, so Ian had the task of taking Evan to his first swim team practice.  I packed the bag with several towels, dry clothes, and even some hot chocolate.  I was anxious to hear how everything would go.

Apparently, when he got there, they separated the under 6 year olds into two groups.  Those who could swim across the pool pretty well on their own, and those who were really learning from the beginning.  Evan started in the beginner group, but after the coaches watched his swimming, they actually moved him up to the second group.  Even though he was cold, he stuck with it and swam across the pool a few times, grabbing the rope when he needed a break.  He finished the first swim team practice, cold but feeling positive about the whole thing.  He wanted to go back the next day which I considered a victory.

Practices for swim team were every day, and so we kept heading over to the pool at 6pm every weeknight.  It was cold at the beginning, and it made Evan pretty nervous.  He would refuse to do something that the coaches asked because he was nervous, and it would make both me and the some of the coaches pretty frustrated.  However, when I asked him if he wanted to continue, he always said he wanted to keep going.  I've never seen him so determined.  So, with the help of the incredibly patient head coach Maddie, Evan plugged away at practices.

Soon, it was time for the first practice meet of the year.  I had no idea how it would go, but that is a tale for another day...

(The kids sit and listen to Coach Maddie.)

(A little stroke practice)

(Evan pauses for a picture from the pool.)

(the little swimmer in action)

(warming up after a successful practice)

(Hot chocolate!)