It's the last meet of the fall season. That's right, winter doesn't arrive until December 21 -- even though we've already had over a foot of snow.
Lexy has had a tough start to the 9-10 age group, but she's slowly but surely chipping seconds off her times. The winter season, starting in Janaury, should be pretty good. To put it into perspective, Lexy has taken 10 seconds off her 50 Breaststroke since the start of the season. She started out in the one minute range, and she's down to 49.68! That's a huge improvement. She needs to make 47 seconds to qualify for the championship meet in March.
The Midland Dolphin invitational was a success this year -- 14 teams and over 500 kids participated! There were so many kids in the afternoon session that they had to cut them down to three events from four.
Lexy swam in the morning session, where she swam four individual events and two relays. Her relay team came in third both times, and she held her own in her individual events. She cut almost two seconds off her 50 Free, and this qualified her to swim at the state champ meet in March. She will also swim the 100 Free at that meet. We're trying for one my qualifying time -- either 50 Breast or 50 Back. We have a few more meets to try for those times, and we're only talking about a second or two.
Sometimes the winter break gives the kids just enough rest to let them pull off some big upsets when they get back in the pool! Either way, we'll have fun on the way.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
St. Johns and U of Mich
It's been a pretty busy fall, with a swim meet nearly every weekend except for Thanksgiving. I guess I've fallen behind on my blogging! I'll try to catch up here with two new blogs.
Before Thanksgiving Lexy had a meet in St. Johns, Michigan. This was the same meet she swam last year where she swam her first 100 IM and won it handily. We knew that aging up into to 9-10 age group would be tough, and this meet really made it obvious. She had some really slow times and we left a little disappointed.
After Thanksgiving we packed up the car and headed to Ann Arbor for a two-day meet at the University of Michigan. We had never been to this meet and were kind of excited about it. This is where Michael Phelps trained for the Olympics.
About 15 minutes into the drive south, Lexy announced she wasn't feeling well; and about two minutes later she started throwing up in the back seat. Poor kid! We made it to an exit to get her cleaned up and into clean clothes. Unfortunately, due to the winter weather, turning around and going home wasn't really an option. Going north we had noticed multiple spin-outs and cars in the ditch -- enough to stop traffic for miles. Going south, the traffic was still moving fine though we did pass a skid or two.
As we ventured farther south, parts of the freeway were closed because of multiple car pile-ups. At one point the state police detoured us off the freeway for a few miles to clean up an accident. Now we were starting to get nervous that we would miss check-in. If you miss check-in, the meet officials assume you have scratched for the day and you can't swim. We made a call and got one of our team's parents to check us in. We arrived after a three hour trip -- one that normally takes two.
Lexy swam her first two events with no success. With one event to go she asked if she could scratch because she felt like she would vomit again. The coach agreed and we went to our hotel for the rest of the afternoon. Lexy promptly threw up again. We wondered if she would swim on Sunday!
Sunday morning, after a good night sleep and a good breakfast, Lexy felt ready to tackle the four events in front of her, and she had a great day. This included swimming the 100 backstroke for the first time and dropping 22 seconds. She dropped a second in her 50 freestyle and another second in her 50 breaststroke. She had a successful day among the thousand or so other swimmers who had showed up for this annual event.
Before Thanksgiving Lexy had a meet in St. Johns, Michigan. This was the same meet she swam last year where she swam her first 100 IM and won it handily. We knew that aging up into to 9-10 age group would be tough, and this meet really made it obvious. She had some really slow times and we left a little disappointed.
After Thanksgiving we packed up the car and headed to Ann Arbor for a two-day meet at the University of Michigan. We had never been to this meet and were kind of excited about it. This is where Michael Phelps trained for the Olympics.
About 15 minutes into the drive south, Lexy announced she wasn't feeling well; and about two minutes later she started throwing up in the back seat. Poor kid! We made it to an exit to get her cleaned up and into clean clothes. Unfortunately, due to the winter weather, turning around and going home wasn't really an option. Going north we had noticed multiple spin-outs and cars in the ditch -- enough to stop traffic for miles. Going south, the traffic was still moving fine though we did pass a skid or two.
As we ventured farther south, parts of the freeway were closed because of multiple car pile-ups. At one point the state police detoured us off the freeway for a few miles to clean up an accident. Now we were starting to get nervous that we would miss check-in. If you miss check-in, the meet officials assume you have scratched for the day and you can't swim. We made a call and got one of our team's parents to check us in. We arrived after a three hour trip -- one that normally takes two.
Lexy swam her first two events with no success. With one event to go she asked if she could scratch because she felt like she would vomit again. The coach agreed and we went to our hotel for the rest of the afternoon. Lexy promptly threw up again. We wondered if she would swim on Sunday!
Sunday morning, after a good night sleep and a good breakfast, Lexy felt ready to tackle the four events in front of her, and she had a great day. This included swimming the 100 backstroke for the first time and dropping 22 seconds. She dropped a second in her 50 freestyle and another second in her 50 breaststroke. She had a successful day among the thousand or so other swimmers who had showed up for this annual event.
Monday, November 10, 2008
PCC - Autumn Cruise, Huron High School, Ann Arbor
The first thing you notice when you get to Huron High School is that it is simply massive, making the pool almost impossible to find. The second thing is that they are practically on the bank of the Huron River, which flows through Ann Arbor. The third and most amusing thing is that, above the football stadium are these words: "Home of the Huron River Rats."
Yikes! Who wants to tell the grandkids that the mascot for their alma mater was a rodent? Well, I guess a lot of people. Look at all those crazy University of Michigan people cheering for their beloved Wolverines.
This was a two-day meet in Ann Arbor, and Lexy swam four events on day one and two on day two. Even though she was swimming in the afternoon, the events were well organized and the meets went like clockwork. Much better than last week!
The way they categorize times at these levels are Q1, A, B and C times. If you get a Q1 time that means you are CRAZY FAST!! It also means you qualify to compete in the state finals at the end of the season. Each event has it's own qualifying times in each category, boys' and girls' times are different, and are separated by a few seconds. Lexy has mostly B times, with a couple of C times that are really close to Bs. Our goal for this meet was not to lose any time on the Bs, but to do better in those events where she has C times, and move them into Bs. For example, she needed about 3.5 seconds in the 5o Breaststroke to get a B time, and she needed 1 second in the 5o Backstroke to get a B time.
On Saturday, Lexy swam the 100 IM, the 50 Fly, 50 Free and 50 Br. Of these, she had three new best times: 1:39.82 in the 100 IM; 37.05 for the 50 Free, shaving off about 1 and three-tenths seconds (and staying in B time range), and a new best time for the 50 Breaststroke, shaving off about 3 seconds. She needed another three-tenths of a second to get a B time!! We will be trying for this next weekend!
On Sunday she swam the 50 Backstroke and needed only one second to get a B time. Her fastest time was 47.77 and she got a 47.79 -- so essentially the same. Again, we'll try to get better next weekend on that one.
Lex gets a little discouraged when she comes away from these meets without making any visible progress but these USS meets bring in some amazing talent from all over the state. I think it will be key to keep her interested while she is 9, to get her to that 10-year old status where she is at least in the top 8 again, and, I hope, getting some A times!!
Yikes! Who wants to tell the grandkids that the mascot for their alma mater was a rodent? Well, I guess a lot of people. Look at all those crazy University of Michigan people cheering for their beloved Wolverines.
This was a two-day meet in Ann Arbor, and Lexy swam four events on day one and two on day two. Even though she was swimming in the afternoon, the events were well organized and the meets went like clockwork. Much better than last week!
The way they categorize times at these levels are Q1, A, B and C times. If you get a Q1 time that means you are CRAZY FAST!! It also means you qualify to compete in the state finals at the end of the season. Each event has it's own qualifying times in each category, boys' and girls' times are different, and are separated by a few seconds. Lexy has mostly B times, with a couple of C times that are really close to Bs. Our goal for this meet was not to lose any time on the Bs, but to do better in those events where she has C times, and move them into Bs. For example, she needed about 3.5 seconds in the 5o Breaststroke to get a B time, and she needed 1 second in the 5o Backstroke to get a B time.
On Saturday, Lexy swam the 100 IM, the 50 Fly, 50 Free and 50 Br. Of these, she had three new best times: 1:39.82 in the 100 IM; 37.05 for the 50 Free, shaving off about 1 and three-tenths seconds (and staying in B time range), and a new best time for the 50 Breaststroke, shaving off about 3 seconds. She needed another three-tenths of a second to get a B time!! We will be trying for this next weekend!
On Sunday she swam the 50 Backstroke and needed only one second to get a B time. Her fastest time was 47.77 and she got a 47.79 -- so essentially the same. Again, we'll try to get better next weekend on that one.
Lex gets a little discouraged when she comes away from these meets without making any visible progress but these USS meets bring in some amazing talent from all over the state. I think it will be key to keep her interested while she is 9, to get her to that 10-year old status where she is at least in the top 8 again, and, I hope, getting some A times!!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Dale Gooding Meet - WORST MEET EVER!
November 1, 2008 -- Since we've been swimming, we've had our share of good and bad experiences at swim meets. Since these events can really take a long time, we've developed a genuine appreciation for swim meets that run like a Swiss watch. We've had more experience with these since we started attending more of the U.S. Swimming sanctioned meets. These are meets that must finish within a certain time period or risk being fined by USS.
This past weekend, Lexy was looking forward to swimming in a Dolphin meet at a local high school in Saginaw. There is less pressure, and more of her friends go since it is local.
She was scheduled for four events: 200 Free, 50 Fly, 100 Free and 50 Breast. She did well in the 200, swimming the event for the first time in a timed meet and getting a time under 3 minutes, 2:57. There's a lot of room for improvement here, but we really wanted her to get experience with this event. The 50 Fly was about a second slower, but still a very good swim. The 100 Free -- not really anything to write home about. We'll talk about the 4th event in a moment.
What struck us, as we went through the order of events, was there appeared to be a break in the action about mid-meet. When the organizers started making announcements over the PA system, we realized our fears -- they were stopping the meet in the middle to have a "still got it -- prove it" event for anyone over the age of 21 who wanted to swim a 50. What this meant was that anyone who happened to have a bathing suit with them and wanted to do this "exhibition" swim, could strut their stuff.
What this did, in essence, was set the entire swim meet back half an hour -- first to let those swimmers warm up, and then swim their event. Because this took so much time away from the regular meet, they had to spend another half hour to let all the participating kids warm up again, and then -- there must have been a real brainiac at work scheduling this meet -- they scheduled 5 heats of the 500 Free. On average a 500 Freestyle takes about 6 minutes to swim -- so there went yet another half hour.
Once we figured out that all this activity was basically resulting in us having to sit and wait another two hours for Lexy to swim a 50, we decided to bail.
Not only we were very disappointed in the organization of the meet, the organizers should have also been able to calculate that the meet would go well through the lunch hour. By noon, they were running out of food and drinks at their concession stand, both for the swimmers and for the spectators.
Needless to say, this one is off our list for next year. We are anxiously looking forward to a very well organized meet in Ann Arbor next weekend at Huron High School.
This past weekend, Lexy was looking forward to swimming in a Dolphin meet at a local high school in Saginaw. There is less pressure, and more of her friends go since it is local.
She was scheduled for four events: 200 Free, 50 Fly, 100 Free and 50 Breast. She did well in the 200, swimming the event for the first time in a timed meet and getting a time under 3 minutes, 2:57. There's a lot of room for improvement here, but we really wanted her to get experience with this event. The 50 Fly was about a second slower, but still a very good swim. The 100 Free -- not really anything to write home about. We'll talk about the 4th event in a moment.
What struck us, as we went through the order of events, was there appeared to be a break in the action about mid-meet. When the organizers started making announcements over the PA system, we realized our fears -- they were stopping the meet in the middle to have a "still got it -- prove it" event for anyone over the age of 21 who wanted to swim a 50. What this meant was that anyone who happened to have a bathing suit with them and wanted to do this "exhibition" swim, could strut their stuff.
What this did, in essence, was set the entire swim meet back half an hour -- first to let those swimmers warm up, and then swim their event. Because this took so much time away from the regular meet, they had to spend another half hour to let all the participating kids warm up again, and then -- there must have been a real brainiac at work scheduling this meet -- they scheduled 5 heats of the 500 Free. On average a 500 Freestyle takes about 6 minutes to swim -- so there went yet another half hour.
Once we figured out that all this activity was basically resulting in us having to sit and wait another two hours for Lexy to swim a 50, we decided to bail.
Not only we were very disappointed in the organization of the meet, the organizers should have also been able to calculate that the meet would go well through the lunch hour. By noon, they were running out of food and drinks at their concession stand, both for the swimmers and for the spectators.
Needless to say, this one is off our list for next year. We are anxiously looking forward to a very well organized meet in Ann Arbor next weekend at Huron High School.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Club Wolverine Meet - Eastern Michigan University
Is it completely redundant for someone from Michigan to complain about road construction in the summer? Yikes! You leave three hours for a two hour trip and you still have to take a 10 mile detour to get where you're going on time!! And the stories of road rage -- SHEESH! You'd think we were back in Jersey.
Anyway, this weekend is a pretty big meet, and that mean everything from the number of clubs who entered, to the size of the pool (it's 10 lanes, 50 meters). There is every level of diving board and platform, and the EMU swimming and diving team is apparently the BEST in the Mid-America conference, judging by the number of championship banners they have hanging from the ceiling of the natatorium.
But -- sitting at this event was a humidifying experience. You may think I mean humilating, but I don't. I mean HUMIDFYING. Yes, it's an indoor pool and it must be 87 degrees in the viewing stands. The so-called fans they have strategically positioned barely move the air up there. Ther was a river running down my back the entire time I was there. The kids were getting tired just sitting around waiting to swim.
I should have signed Lexy up for more events because, as I said, this is a huge meet and it was completely full. They weren't allowing kids to sign up for extra events when they check in, as they sometimes do. So we must be content to swim two events each day.
Saturday, Lexy swam the 50 Breaststroke and took off 1.1 seconds to finish with another best time. The 100 Free was a different story entirely. She lost 5 seconds off her best time. I chalk this up to the heat in the building and the sheer amount of time she had to wait between events. We are hopeful that Sunday will be better.
Check out Lexy's USA Swimming portal at: http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=457&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&perid=95dfc6ad-3973-4151-91c1-5b235b4fbde9
Sunday was better in that we were done by 4 pm, but it was still hot and humid up there in the viewer stands. Lexy's two events for Sunday were the 50 Free and the 50 Back. While she didn't get a best time in the 50 Free, she was only about one secondoff. However, she did take off a second in her 50 Backstroke for a new best time of 54.35.
One more meet for Lexy to swim at 8 & Under; then she'll age up to the 9 & 10 category, and a whole new set of challenges.
Anyway, this weekend is a pretty big meet, and that mean everything from the number of clubs who entered, to the size of the pool (it's 10 lanes, 50 meters). There is every level of diving board and platform, and the EMU swimming and diving team is apparently the BEST in the Mid-America conference, judging by the number of championship banners they have hanging from the ceiling of the natatorium.
But -- sitting at this event was a humidifying experience. You may think I mean humilating, but I don't. I mean HUMIDFYING. Yes, it's an indoor pool and it must be 87 degrees in the viewing stands. The so-called fans they have strategically positioned barely move the air up there. Ther was a river running down my back the entire time I was there. The kids were getting tired just sitting around waiting to swim.
I should have signed Lexy up for more events because, as I said, this is a huge meet and it was completely full. They weren't allowing kids to sign up for extra events when they check in, as they sometimes do. So we must be content to swim two events each day.
Saturday, Lexy swam the 50 Breaststroke and took off 1.1 seconds to finish with another best time. The 100 Free was a different story entirely. She lost 5 seconds off her best time. I chalk this up to the heat in the building and the sheer amount of time she had to wait between events. We are hopeful that Sunday will be better.
Check out Lexy's USA Swimming portal at: http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=457&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&perid=95dfc6ad-3973-4151-91c1-5b235b4fbde9
Sunday was better in that we were done by 4 pm, but it was still hot and humid up there in the viewer stands. Lexy's two events for Sunday were the 50 Free and the 50 Back. While she didn't get a best time in the 50 Free, she was only about one secondoff. However, she did take off a second in her 50 Backstroke for a new best time of 54.35.
One more meet for Lexy to swim at 8 & Under; then she'll age up to the 9 & 10 category, and a whole new set of challenges.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
BAYS Beat the Heat! (or Beat Your Record!)
Bay City has the weirdest set up for a community center. It's down by the riverfront, but it's behind a bunch of warehouses, and wedged between the railroad and the river. On Saturday morning a Very Loud Train rumbled by during warm-ups; I was wondering what would happen if another came by during the meet.
On Saturday, Lexy swam three 50-Meter events: Free, Breast and Fly. She won all three, with one new best time in the 50 Breast (59.75). It was warm but very cloudy, which was great because the sun was not beating down on us the whole time. It started to rain at about 10 am, but it wasn't thundering or lightning, so we just kept going.
Sunday the sun was out and I dragged the whole family over there to support Lexy through her last two events: 50 Back and 100 Free. Our coaching for Lex for the 50 Back was "Keep your head back!" She won even though she added a second or two. She said the sun was in her eyes (which was possible!).
The best event, by far, though, was the 100. She was so far ahead, she was about a third of the way back by the time the next closest swimmer was turning. I think she had a good tailwind (it was pretty windy!) and she took off about a second to finish at 1:33.70.
Five blue ribbons later, we concluded that perhaps Lexy just isn't being challenged. We have one more travel meet this season, next weekend, at Eastern Michigan University. While she's already signed up for all the 50's, she's agreed to give more 100's and 200's a try. We'll do a few "deck entries" for a couple events she hasn't tried before, and we'll see how she does!
On Saturday, Lexy swam three 50-Meter events: Free, Breast and Fly. She won all three, with one new best time in the 50 Breast (59.75). It was warm but very cloudy, which was great because the sun was not beating down on us the whole time. It started to rain at about 10 am, but it wasn't thundering or lightning, so we just kept going.
Sunday the sun was out and I dragged the whole family over there to support Lexy through her last two events: 50 Back and 100 Free. Our coaching for Lex for the 50 Back was "Keep your head back!" She won even though she added a second or two. She said the sun was in her eyes (which was possible!).
The best event, by far, though, was the 100. She was so far ahead, she was about a third of the way back by the time the next closest swimmer was turning. I think she had a good tailwind (it was pretty windy!) and she took off about a second to finish at 1:33.70.
Five blue ribbons later, we concluded that perhaps Lexy just isn't being challenged. We have one more travel meet this season, next weekend, at Eastern Michigan University. While she's already signed up for all the 50's, she's agreed to give more 100's and 200's a try. We'll do a few "deck entries" for a couple events she hasn't tried before, and we'll see how she does!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
CUDA Meet! A Quick One
Whether it's the July 4 holiday coming up, or some other phenomenon, we had a very short USS meet today because there were so few kids signed up. The entire morning meet was done in an hour. And, of course, we could have walked to this meet since it's just a mile away at Plymouth Pool! Very convenient.
All Lexy's events today were 10& under, so we are always aware that she may be swimming against 9 & 10 year olds. Lexy swam her four events very well, but with one DQ (disqualification) in the 100 Breaststroke. This is a tough event for Lexy anyway, and it seems that the position of her head was an issue. So, still no recorded time for Lex in this event.
She took first in the 100 Free, with 1:34.77, just a few tenths over her best time. Very consistent. She took second in the 50 Fly with a 54.56, again just short of her best time. In the 50 backstroke she finished with a 59.15, still 7 seconds off the B time.
No meet next weekend since it is the July 4 holiday, but we are looking forward to the BAYS meet the weekend of July 11-13. This is also the weekend that SYDNEY is coming home!! We miss her so much!!
All Lexy's events today were 10& under, so we are always aware that she may be swimming against 9 & 10 year olds. Lexy swam her four events very well, but with one DQ (disqualification) in the 100 Breaststroke. This is a tough event for Lexy anyway, and it seems that the position of her head was an issue. So, still no recorded time for Lex in this event.
She took first in the 100 Free, with 1:34.77, just a few tenths over her best time. Very consistent. She took second in the 50 Fly with a 54.56, again just short of her best time. In the 50 backstroke she finished with a 59.15, still 7 seconds off the B time.
No meet next weekend since it is the July 4 holiday, but we are looking forward to the BAYS meet the weekend of July 11-13. This is also the weekend that SYDNEY is coming home!! We miss her so much!!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Summer Swim Season Begins! Freeze or Fry in Dearborn
Swim meets are always fun and challenging, but when it's summer, you really don't tend to factor in the possibility that GETTING THERE will be the biggest challenge! Sure, in the winter, with all the snow and ice you leave lots of extra time assuming you will have to drive slower. But perhaps we chalk this one up to naivete: EVERYONE knows that Michigan isn't nicknamed "the orange barrel state" for nothing.
We left with plenty of time to drive the two hours to Dearborn -- but we lost all of our cushion and then some on one of Michigan's great highways -- covered in orange construction barrels. The freeway was down to one lane and moving at about 5 miles an hour for 10 miles. I made a couple of calls to try to reach one of the coaches -- but it turned out she was 20 minutes behind me! I finally managed to reach some of the other swim parents who got Lexy checked in within the allotted time. By the time we got there, though, the meet was already behind and they had moved the check-in back 45 minutes. So, we would have made it, but had no way of knowing the times had shifted.
The summer Barracuda meets are different from the winter meets and are called "long course" for good reason. The winter meets are held indoors at 25 yard pools. The long course pools are Olympic length, or 50 meters. This means you can't really take a 25 or a 50-yard time and just submit. You actually have to do MATH to convert the times. As most people who know me will attest, I would much rather check my spelling than do the math. But, you just can't fudge the times. Thank goodness for calculators. I'm that bad.
In any case, Lexy got warmed up and got ready to swim her first event, the 100 Freestyle for the 10 and under age group. There were 46 swimmers signed up to swim, all aged 8, 9 and 10. Lexy placed 8th in this event with a 1:34.26, very respectable, considering the difficulty and the age group.
Later, we went over to "The Henry Ford" where they have an IMAX theater, to see "Kung Fu Panda." WE LOVED IT!! Two bamboo shoots UP! Go see it and have fun!
Saturday morning Lexy swam two events, both in the 8 & under range: the 50 back and the 50 Free. She placed 6th in the 50 Back with a 55.51 (Keep Your Head Back KIDDO!) and she placed FIRST in the 50 Free, taking almost two seconds off her time --41.59! Awesome!
Later that afternoon, some thunderstorms rolled through, but the older kids got to finish their events later.
Sunday morning, Lexy was scheduled for two events: the 50 Breaststroke and the 50 Butterfly. She had posted 1:12.68 last summer for the 50 Breast, but clobbered that time today with at 59.92! She came in 5th overall for that event.
Finally, the 50 Butterfly. Lexy did not have a previously posted time, so she swam with other kids who were in the same category. Lexy took an early lead and was about 5 lengths ahead of the other kids in the field, finishing with 54.72. The best posted time for the event was 51.87, so Lexy was right in there with the best for this competition. The only bothersome thing was that, after she got out, she looked me right in the eye and said, "I didn't swim as fast as I could have." Why, whatever do you mean, my sweet angel???
Lexy said that when she surveyed the field and saw how far out front she was, she just figured she was going to win and stopped competing. . . heavy sigh.
We'll see about next week, now won't we??
We left with plenty of time to drive the two hours to Dearborn -- but we lost all of our cushion and then some on one of Michigan's great highways -- covered in orange construction barrels. The freeway was down to one lane and moving at about 5 miles an hour for 10 miles. I made a couple of calls to try to reach one of the coaches -- but it turned out she was 20 minutes behind me! I finally managed to reach some of the other swim parents who got Lexy checked in within the allotted time. By the time we got there, though, the meet was already behind and they had moved the check-in back 45 minutes. So, we would have made it, but had no way of knowing the times had shifted.
The summer Barracuda meets are different from the winter meets and are called "long course" for good reason. The winter meets are held indoors at 25 yard pools. The long course pools are Olympic length, or 50 meters. This means you can't really take a 25 or a 50-yard time and just submit. You actually have to do MATH to convert the times. As most people who know me will attest, I would much rather check my spelling than do the math. But, you just can't fudge the times. Thank goodness for calculators. I'm that bad.
In any case, Lexy got warmed up and got ready to swim her first event, the 100 Freestyle for the 10 and under age group. There were 46 swimmers signed up to swim, all aged 8, 9 and 10. Lexy placed 8th in this event with a 1:34.26, very respectable, considering the difficulty and the age group.
Later, we went over to "The Henry Ford" where they have an IMAX theater, to see "Kung Fu Panda." WE LOVED IT!! Two bamboo shoots UP! Go see it and have fun!
Saturday morning Lexy swam two events, both in the 8 & under range: the 50 back and the 50 Free. She placed 6th in the 50 Back with a 55.51 (Keep Your Head Back KIDDO!) and she placed FIRST in the 50 Free, taking almost two seconds off her time --41.59! Awesome!
Later that afternoon, some thunderstorms rolled through, but the older kids got to finish their events later.
Sunday morning, Lexy was scheduled for two events: the 50 Breaststroke and the 50 Butterfly. She had posted 1:12.68 last summer for the 50 Breast, but clobbered that time today with at 59.92! She came in 5th overall for that event.
Finally, the 50 Butterfly. Lexy did not have a previously posted time, so she swam with other kids who were in the same category. Lexy took an early lead and was about 5 lengths ahead of the other kids in the field, finishing with 54.72. The best posted time for the event was 51.87, so Lexy was right in there with the best for this competition. The only bothersome thing was that, after she got out, she looked me right in the eye and said, "I didn't swim as fast as I could have." Why, whatever do you mean, my sweet angel???
Lexy said that when she surveyed the field and saw how far out front she was, she just figured she was going to win and stopped competing. . . heavy sigh.
We'll see about next week, now won't we??
Sunday, March 2, 2008
2008 MTSL Championships, March 2, 2008
Time flies when you're swimming fast! As the last meet of the season, this was the championship meet and it promised to be a good one. Only swimmers who received qualifying MTSL times could swim this event. Lexy has qualifying times in every event she swam this year, but the swimmers were held to one or two relays and three individual events.
Lexy swam the butterfly leg of the relay (third leg) with her team of Emily Kayden, Maggie Duly and Logan Rosenbrock, all 7-year-olds. They came in fourth out of four, about 5 seconds over their best time. Next year Lexy will be 9, so she will be out of their age group.
Her second event was the 100 IM, a real nail-biter! Seven girls qualified for the event, and Lexy was the top seed with her best time of 1:37.69. The girl in the next lane really gave her a run for her money for three legs, but Lexy pulled it out in the last leg. This was the same girl she beat back in October at the St. John's meet, the first time Lexy ever swam the I.M. Lexy finished first in the race with a final time of 1:38.14. Sydney and I were both on the pool deck timing in lane 2, screaming our little lungs out for Lexy to win! She got some goofy glasses for being the heat winner and a great trophy for coming in first. Great job Lex!!
Her next event was the 50 Free, and five girls had qualified for this race. Lexy was again the top seed with her best time of 38.58. It was another tight race, but again Lexy pulled it out with a final BEST time of 38.48. Another pair of goofy glasses and another trophy to add to the collection!
The final event of the season was the 25 Back. A total of 14 girls qualified for this race, including one 6-year-old and five 7-year-olds! Lexy came in second to a girl named Sydney! Lexy's best time was 21.18, and her final time for the year was 22.50.
It was a very satisfying finish to a great short course year for Lexy.
The question now is: What will we do for an entire month now that there is no swimming until April 7???????
Lexy swam the butterfly leg of the relay (third leg) with her team of Emily Kayden, Maggie Duly and Logan Rosenbrock, all 7-year-olds. They came in fourth out of four, about 5 seconds over their best time. Next year Lexy will be 9, so she will be out of their age group.
Her second event was the 100 IM, a real nail-biter! Seven girls qualified for the event, and Lexy was the top seed with her best time of 1:37.69. The girl in the next lane really gave her a run for her money for three legs, but Lexy pulled it out in the last leg. This was the same girl she beat back in October at the St. John's meet, the first time Lexy ever swam the I.M. Lexy finished first in the race with a final time of 1:38.14. Sydney and I were both on the pool deck timing in lane 2, screaming our little lungs out for Lexy to win! She got some goofy glasses for being the heat winner and a great trophy for coming in first. Great job Lex!!
Her next event was the 50 Free, and five girls had qualified for this race. Lexy was again the top seed with her best time of 38.58. It was another tight race, but again Lexy pulled it out with a final BEST time of 38.48. Another pair of goofy glasses and another trophy to add to the collection!
The final event of the season was the 25 Back. A total of 14 girls qualified for this race, including one 6-year-old and five 7-year-olds! Lexy came in second to a girl named Sydney! Lexy's best time was 21.18, and her final time for the year was 22.50.
It was a very satisfying finish to a great short course year for Lexy.
The question now is: What will we do for an entire month now that there is no swimming until April 7???????
Saturday, February 23, 2008
BAYS Dual Meet, Feb 23, 2008
Well, I won't have to come up with new words for "best swim meet ever!" We've definitely had better meets. This was just a rough one.
It got off to a good start, with the girls taking first in the Medley Relay, but it wasn't a runaway.
There was a very long span of time between Lexy's first event (the Relay) and her second event, the 100 Freestyle. There were about 50 events to wade through before it was her turn to swim again, and this may have had something to do with her losing a few seconds. Her best time in this event, a 9-10 event, was 1:21.02, and she turned in a 1:28.87. I was on the pool deck timing, so I didn't have a birds' eye view, but Sydney said she missed the wall on her turns twice. On her final turn, she didn't flip, but did a regular turn around. Regardless, Lexy placed fourth overall in this event, swimming against eight other 9-10 year olds. Well done!
The realization that Lexy added seconds put her into a tizzy and she went into a crying fit that resulted in a bloody nose. This affected her later events.
Her third event was the 50 Backstroke, and her best time for this was 47.77. This is also a 9-10 event. She placed 8th overall with a time of 49.19, swimming against 15 other 9-10 year olds. A very respectable finish.
Her final event, the 25 Breaststroke, was great. Her previous best time was a 26.21, and she took off about 2 seconds to finish in second place just a few hundredths of a second behind the winner at about 24.30.
As an 8-year old, Lexy has gotten used to winning or coming in the top three routinely. This was a tough day on the surface, but when you look at what she accomplished - swimming two events that are 9-10 events and placing very respectably - we can chalk this one up to experience and getting ready to turn 9.
Coming next week: The MTSL Championship meet, and the Dolphins Banquet is coming up after that!
It got off to a good start, with the girls taking first in the Medley Relay, but it wasn't a runaway.
There was a very long span of time between Lexy's first event (the Relay) and her second event, the 100 Freestyle. There were about 50 events to wade through before it was her turn to swim again, and this may have had something to do with her losing a few seconds. Her best time in this event, a 9-10 event, was 1:21.02, and she turned in a 1:28.87. I was on the pool deck timing, so I didn't have a birds' eye view, but Sydney said she missed the wall on her turns twice. On her final turn, she didn't flip, but did a regular turn around. Regardless, Lexy placed fourth overall in this event, swimming against eight other 9-10 year olds. Well done!
The realization that Lexy added seconds put her into a tizzy and she went into a crying fit that resulted in a bloody nose. This affected her later events.
Her third event was the 50 Backstroke, and her best time for this was 47.77. This is also a 9-10 event. She placed 8th overall with a time of 49.19, swimming against 15 other 9-10 year olds. A very respectable finish.
Her final event, the 25 Breaststroke, was great. Her previous best time was a 26.21, and she took off about 2 seconds to finish in second place just a few hundredths of a second behind the winner at about 24.30.
As an 8-year old, Lexy has gotten used to winning or coming in the top three routinely. This was a tough day on the surface, but when you look at what she accomplished - swimming two events that are 9-10 events and placing very respectably - we can chalk this one up to experience and getting ready to turn 9.
Coming next week: The MTSL Championship meet, and the Dolphins Banquet is coming up after that!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Mt. Pleasant Pacers Invitational, Feb 16, 2008
An efficient meet this was NOT. It started about 20 minutes late, and there were numerous delays between events - so much so, I wondered if the host team would be fined for the delays! I noticed a saying on the back of one woman's t-shirt: "Lord, if I have only one day to live, please let me be at a swim meet because they last forever." Amen, sister!!
I'm going to have to start trying to come up with new words for "best swim meet ever!" Lexy went into this meet pretty confident that she would do well. We did our best as parents to manage her expectations, taking into consideration a mild case of the sniffles.
In the pre-dawn ride to the meet we munched on our bagels and sang along to the soundtrack from "Wicked." It was a shorter ride than I remembered, and we ended up getting there 20 minutes early, even with slowing down for icy conditions on some of the county roads.
Lexy's first event was the 100 I.M. and the times on the heat sheet made it appear that she would have some pretty tough competition. It was neck and neck for the butterfly and backstroke lengths, and then, somehow, in the breaststroke length, she broke away, and it was all over. She posted another personal record at 1:37.69, .09 better than last week's 1:37.78. Even her coach seemed surprised at her third length breakaway.
Second on the docket was the 25 Fly, and there was again one other swimmer who looked as though she would give Lexy a run for her money. Lexy has never swum this event under 20 seconds until today, posting a very respectable 18.52. Two heat winners and two first places under our belt, we still had two events to go.
The 50 Free was next and, while Lexy lost about a second in this heat, she still came in first at 39.35. She also won her last event, the 25 Backstroke, posting a 21.86, about six-tenths of a second slower than her fastest time.
With four first places cinched, it was a surprise when she returned to the viewing stand with three first place trophies and one second place medal! It was very confusing, but we weren't going to argue. A few minutes later the assistant coach approached us to let us know she was very unhappy that they had made a mistake and given Lexy a second place medal. She seemed quite upset about the mistake, and they readily exchanged the medal for the trophy. So off we went, back to Midland, having achieved exactly what Lexy set out to do.
Next week, at the Dual Meet against BAYS, I've asked that Lexy be slated for some harder (9-10 yr-old events) so that she'll be challenged to work a little harder for the accolades.
I'm going to have to start trying to come up with new words for "best swim meet ever!" Lexy went into this meet pretty confident that she would do well. We did our best as parents to manage her expectations, taking into consideration a mild case of the sniffles.
In the pre-dawn ride to the meet we munched on our bagels and sang along to the soundtrack from "Wicked." It was a shorter ride than I remembered, and we ended up getting there 20 minutes early, even with slowing down for icy conditions on some of the county roads.
Lexy's first event was the 100 I.M. and the times on the heat sheet made it appear that she would have some pretty tough competition. It was neck and neck for the butterfly and backstroke lengths, and then, somehow, in the breaststroke length, she broke away, and it was all over. She posted another personal record at 1:37.69, .09 better than last week's 1:37.78. Even her coach seemed surprised at her third length breakaway.
Second on the docket was the 25 Fly, and there was again one other swimmer who looked as though she would give Lexy a run for her money. Lexy has never swum this event under 20 seconds until today, posting a very respectable 18.52. Two heat winners and two first places under our belt, we still had two events to go.
The 50 Free was next and, while Lexy lost about a second in this heat, she still came in first at 39.35. She also won her last event, the 25 Backstroke, posting a 21.86, about six-tenths of a second slower than her fastest time.
With four first places cinched, it was a surprise when she returned to the viewing stand with three first place trophies and one second place medal! It was very confusing, but we weren't going to argue. A few minutes later the assistant coach approached us to let us know she was very unhappy that they had made a mistake and given Lexy a second place medal. She seemed quite upset about the mistake, and they readily exchanged the medal for the trophy. So off we went, back to Midland, having achieved exactly what Lexy set out to do.
Next week, at the Dual Meet against BAYS, I've asked that Lexy be slated for some harder (9-10 yr-old events) so that she'll be challenged to work a little harder for the accolades.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Guppy Bowl - Lake Orion, Mich., Feb 9, 2008
We have been looking forward to the Guppy Bowl for weeks, but getting there was quite an adventure! It wasn't a complicated drive down to Lake Orion, but we got about two inches of very wet snow last night -- on top of the foot we got earlier in the week. Getting out of Midland and over to 75 was a white knuckle ride. We saw at least two people in the center median, having just recently slid in. We saw a lot of telltale tread marks that could only mean that there had been many more! About every 20 miles or so we saw someone else who had just gone in or who was getting towed out. A few had their headlights pointing TOWARD us. We were happy to make it to Lake Orion safe and sound.
The Guppy Bowl showcases events for swimmers 8 years old and under. You might be wondering - how many swimmers can there be at 8 years old and under? Twenty-two swim teams entered 233 swimmers! More than two thirds of these were girls, and two were Barracudas -- Lexy and Lydia. They both had a great meet, swimming five events each. A big thank you to Coach Mary Hillebrand (Lydia's mom) who was the coach on deck for the meet.
The U.S.S. meets are typically harder than our local MTSL meets, so we don't go in with dreams of blue ribbons. Our goals are to shave off seconds and turn in personal best times -- which Lexy and Lydia both accomplished. Lexy placed in the top 8 in each of her five events, and came home with two seconds, one fourth, one fifth and one eighth - a VERY successful day!
The first event of the day - and Lexy's first event - was the 100 I.M., one of Lexy's favorites. She recorded a best time of 1:37.78, shaving about 4 seconds off her previous best time. She placed 5th in the event, taking home a really cute Guppy Bowl medal with a green ribbon.
After a substantial lag due to a computer glitch, Lexy got back in the pool and pulled out an 8th place and another best time in the 25 backstroke. She took off about one-tenth of a second to record a 21.18.
A few minutes later she took second place in the 100 Freestyle, winning her heat and scoring a great fleece scarf (the heat winner's prize). This is an event Lexy has only swum twice, and this time she took FIVE seconds off her time, coming in at a very respectable 1:21.02. This is the first 9-year old time that she has achieved.
Her next event was the 50 Freestyle, where she turned in a 37.94 -- about six-tenths of a second faster than her previous best. We think she placed fourth in this race. Finally, she swam the 50 backstroke. This was another heat winner, so she snagged another scarf! I didn't remember her ever posting a time for this in the past, but she beat her previous time by about five seconds, and another second place!
We're glad we got this chance to go to the Guppy Bowl in 2008. Since Lexy will be 9 next year, she will be too old. It was a worthwhile experience. We hope all Lexy's teammates had successful weekends, at the Michigan Open and also the Huron Valley Penguin meet. We are looking forward to the Penguin meet next year.
We're looking forward to next week's meet, the Mt. Pleasant Invitational, in Alma, Mich. These are usually at Alma College - Home of the Fighting Scots! Go Dolphins!!
The Guppy Bowl showcases events for swimmers 8 years old and under. You might be wondering - how many swimmers can there be at 8 years old and under? Twenty-two swim teams entered 233 swimmers! More than two thirds of these were girls, and two were Barracudas -- Lexy and Lydia. They both had a great meet, swimming five events each. A big thank you to Coach Mary Hillebrand (Lydia's mom) who was the coach on deck for the meet.
The U.S.S. meets are typically harder than our local MTSL meets, so we don't go in with dreams of blue ribbons. Our goals are to shave off seconds and turn in personal best times -- which Lexy and Lydia both accomplished. Lexy placed in the top 8 in each of her five events, and came home with two seconds, one fourth, one fifth and one eighth - a VERY successful day!
The first event of the day - and Lexy's first event - was the 100 I.M., one of Lexy's favorites. She recorded a best time of 1:37.78, shaving about 4 seconds off her previous best time. She placed 5th in the event, taking home a really cute Guppy Bowl medal with a green ribbon.
After a substantial lag due to a computer glitch, Lexy got back in the pool and pulled out an 8th place and another best time in the 25 backstroke. She took off about one-tenth of a second to record a 21.18.
A few minutes later she took second place in the 100 Freestyle, winning her heat and scoring a great fleece scarf (the heat winner's prize). This is an event Lexy has only swum twice, and this time she took FIVE seconds off her time, coming in at a very respectable 1:21.02. This is the first 9-year old time that she has achieved.
Her next event was the 50 Freestyle, where she turned in a 37.94 -- about six-tenths of a second faster than her previous best. We think she placed fourth in this race. Finally, she swam the 50 backstroke. This was another heat winner, so she snagged another scarf! I didn't remember her ever posting a time for this in the past, but she beat her previous time by about five seconds, and another second place!
We're glad we got this chance to go to the Guppy Bowl in 2008. Since Lexy will be 9 next year, she will be too old. It was a worthwhile experience. We hope all Lexy's teammates had successful weekends, at the Michigan Open and also the Huron Valley Penguin meet. We are looking forward to the Penguin meet next year.
We're looking forward to next week's meet, the Mt. Pleasant Invitational, in Alma, Mich. These are usually at Alma College - Home of the Fighting Scots! Go Dolphins!!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
BAYS Valentine Invitational - Bay City vs. Midland Dolphins and Mt. Pleasant Pacers
I have never been to such a quick meet! Three hours from warm-ups to finish. That's my kind of swim meet. It was almost a dual meet in the morning since there were only five kids from Mt. Pleasant. We must have had at least 25 -30 from Midland.
Lexy had another great meet. She swam four individual events and two relays. In both cases, the relays were "come from behind" to finish second. Lex played big roles in both those relays to secure the red ribbon. She is a great team player.
In Lexy's first event, the 100 I.M., she came in first and posted another best time of 1:41.48 (previous best was 1:41.76). She also won the 25 Fly (and we think she had a best time, but they weren't posted when we left) and she won the 25 Back (also not posted). In the 50 Free, she added one and a half seconds, but still finished with the red ribbon. UPDATE: We received 5 out of 6 of Lexy's times last night -- she took almost a whole second off her 25 Fly -- from 21.54 to 20.68!! Still waiting for the 25 Backstroke time. . .
The whole Valentine's theme was very cute. The heat winners won heart shaped key chains and necklaces of heart beads. Lex won two keychains and a necklace. She gave one of the key chains away to a younger teammate.
Lex was very excited to win a door prize - a red swim cap that says "I love to swim" and the word "love" is in the shape of a heart. Very cute. Also, we thought they called her name twice, but there was a boy named Alex Ojeda (pronounced o-HAY-da) swimming also! That was funny.
Those high school bleachers are notorious for eating up your belongings! This time, one of Lexy's towels fell through, and there was no way to get under and retrieve it. One of the tiniest girls, Lydia, who is six, was just the right size to squeeze under and get it back! Thank you Lydia!!!
We will be swimming with Lydia again next weekend at the Guppy Bowl in Lake Orion. This meet is only for kids who are 8 and under. This is Lexy's last chance to swim in this meet!
Lexy had another great meet. She swam four individual events and two relays. In both cases, the relays were "come from behind" to finish second. Lex played big roles in both those relays to secure the red ribbon. She is a great team player.
In Lexy's first event, the 100 I.M., she came in first and posted another best time of 1:41.48 (previous best was 1:41.76). She also won the 25 Fly (and we think she had a best time, but they weren't posted when we left) and she won the 25 Back (also not posted). In the 50 Free, she added one and a half seconds, but still finished with the red ribbon. UPDATE: We received 5 out of 6 of Lexy's times last night -- she took almost a whole second off her 25 Fly -- from 21.54 to 20.68!! Still waiting for the 25 Backstroke time. . .
The whole Valentine's theme was very cute. The heat winners won heart shaped key chains and necklaces of heart beads. Lex won two keychains and a necklace. She gave one of the key chains away to a younger teammate.
Lex was very excited to win a door prize - a red swim cap that says "I love to swim" and the word "love" is in the shape of a heart. Very cute. Also, we thought they called her name twice, but there was a boy named Alex Ojeda (pronounced o-HAY-da) swimming also! That was funny.
Those high school bleachers are notorious for eating up your belongings! This time, one of Lexy's towels fell through, and there was no way to get under and retrieve it. One of the tiniest girls, Lydia, who is six, was just the right size to squeeze under and get it back! Thank you Lydia!!!
We will be swimming with Lydia again next weekend at the Guppy Bowl in Lake Orion. This meet is only for kids who are 8 and under. This is Lexy's last chance to swim in this meet!
Monday, January 21, 2008
SCRATCH - Jan 19-20, 2008 BBA Superbowl Splash Meet, Royal Oak, Mich.
The thing about winter is, that's when kids get sick. But, as parents, we tend to be skeptical. We like to believe they are invincible and not as sick as they appear. I took Lex to the doctor on Friday morning when it appeared that she might have a sinus infection. As it turned out, she had an inflamed ear drum and, he also discovered, after listening to Lex's chest, that she was wheezing. Zithromax to the rescue! The Nuclear Bomb of antibiotics.
Ever the optimist, and Z-Max in hand, off we went to Detroit. At about midnight, I realized what a horrible decision it was to assume that modern medical science could zip in and clear up Lexy's infection fast enough to make her swim meet-ready by 7 am Saturday. She woke up wheezing and coughing. Her head was on fire. We had some of those medicated lollipops, so she took one of those and we eventually all got back to sleep (no thanks to the person in the next room who needed the TV set on hearing-deficient).
When I woke up at 5:30, I realized that, without question, we absolutely had to go home. I called the coach to let her know we would scratch. Everyone rallied, and off we went in search of something to eat. No sooner did we turn into the parking lot for the restaurant, when Lex announced, "I don't feel so good." Mustering my best sympathy, I said, "I know honey. Can you tell me what hurts?" She said, "I think I'm going to throw up." And, God bless her, that's EXACTLY what she did! How fortunate we were to have a suitcase full of extra clothes in the back. We got her cleaned up, and ordered her a big pancake. That did the trick.
What did I learn from this? Listen to your heart (and your child). They can't swim when they can't breathe!!
Ever the optimist, and Z-Max in hand, off we went to Detroit. At about midnight, I realized what a horrible decision it was to assume that modern medical science could zip in and clear up Lexy's infection fast enough to make her swim meet-ready by 7 am Saturday. She woke up wheezing and coughing. Her head was on fire. We had some of those medicated lollipops, so she took one of those and we eventually all got back to sleep (no thanks to the person in the next room who needed the TV set on hearing-deficient).
When I woke up at 5:30, I realized that, without question, we absolutely had to go home. I called the coach to let her know we would scratch. Everyone rallied, and off we went in search of something to eat. No sooner did we turn into the parking lot for the restaurant, when Lex announced, "I don't feel so good." Mustering my best sympathy, I said, "I know honey. Can you tell me what hurts?" She said, "I think I'm going to throw up." And, God bless her, that's EXACTLY what she did! How fortunate we were to have a suitcase full of extra clothes in the back. We got her cleaned up, and ordered her a big pancake. That did the trick.
What did I learn from this? Listen to your heart (and your child). They can't swim when they can't breathe!!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
USS Meet - Bulldog Aquatic Club - 5 Jan 2008
This was Lexy's first Barracuda meet. We went down on Friday night and after getting slightly lost in Southfield we found the hotel and settled in. No one slept well. We all had to get up early to make a 7:30 check-in time.
She is the only participant who is 8 years old. Everyone else is 9 or over. Lexy swam four events on Saturday. She got fifth place in the 25 Backstroke, and maintained her MTSL cut time of 21.25. The cut time is 25 seconds.
She also got sixth place in the 50 Freestyle, with a BEST time of 38.58. She beat her previous time of 41.72. The MTSL cut time is 45 seconds.
She also swam her favorite event, the 25 butterfly, in which she came in 12th, and the 100 I.M. where she came in 9th. The I.M. is one 25-yard length of each stroke: Fly, Back, Breast, Free.
All in all, a great experience!!
She is the only participant who is 8 years old. Everyone else is 9 or over. Lexy swam four events on Saturday. She got fifth place in the 25 Backstroke, and maintained her MTSL cut time of 21.25. The cut time is 25 seconds.
She also got sixth place in the 50 Freestyle, with a BEST time of 38.58. She beat her previous time of 41.72. The MTSL cut time is 45 seconds.
She also swam her favorite event, the 25 butterfly, in which she came in 12th, and the 100 I.M. where she came in 9th. The I.M. is one 25-yard length of each stroke: Fly, Back, Breast, Free.
All in all, a great experience!!
Midland Dolphins vs. Saginaw Y Sharks - 12 Jan 2008
On Saturday, Lexy swam four events against the Saginaw Sharks. She received three first place ribbons and one second place ribbon. Her events were:
Medley Relay (Butterfly leg)
25 Butterfly
100 Freestyle
25 Breaststroke
During the relay, after the first two lengths (backstroke and breaststroke) Lexy's team was in 3rd place (out of three teams). Lexy's brilliant butterfly stroke took our relay team into first place and kept it there for the finish. The girls took first in the relay.
Lexy also took first in the 25 Fly, although there was only one opponent. She maintained her time (21:68). The MTSL (Michigan Team Swim League) cut is 24 seconds or under.
This was the very first time Lexy swam the 100 Free. This is usually only for 9-10 year olds, but Lexy's coach wanted her to try it. There were 13 other girls, age 9-10 who swam this event. Lexy came in second in her heat, but 7th overall, with a time of 1:26.43. To get an MTSL cut in this event, Lexy would need a 1:23:00. We think she can do it!!!!
In her last event, the 25 Breast, she needed to beat her previous posted time of 32.72, and to get an MTSL cut, she needed a time under 28:00. She beat this handily, with a time of 26.21! Way to go LEXY!!!
We are looking forward to our next USS meet in Royal Oak next weekend. Lexy will be swimming eight events -- four on Saturday and four on Sunday. This will be our first time to go to dinner with the Barracuda team! We will have fun!!
Medley Relay (Butterfly leg)
25 Butterfly
100 Freestyle
25 Breaststroke
During the relay, after the first two lengths (backstroke and breaststroke) Lexy's team was in 3rd place (out of three teams). Lexy's brilliant butterfly stroke took our relay team into first place and kept it there for the finish. The girls took first in the relay.
Lexy also took first in the 25 Fly, although there was only one opponent. She maintained her time (21:68). The MTSL (Michigan Team Swim League) cut is 24 seconds or under.
This was the very first time Lexy swam the 100 Free. This is usually only for 9-10 year olds, but Lexy's coach wanted her to try it. There were 13 other girls, age 9-10 who swam this event. Lexy came in second in her heat, but 7th overall, with a time of 1:26.43. To get an MTSL cut in this event, Lexy would need a 1:23:00. We think she can do it!!!!
In her last event, the 25 Breast, she needed to beat her previous posted time of 32.72, and to get an MTSL cut, she needed a time under 28:00. She beat this handily, with a time of 26.21! Way to go LEXY!!!
We are looking forward to our next USS meet in Royal Oak next weekend. Lexy will be swimming eight events -- four on Saturday and four on Sunday. This will be our first time to go to dinner with the Barracuda team! We will have fun!!