Swimming part 1

We finished Celia's swim team summer season last week.  It was a new experience for me as we have not really done any true team sport in which you have to attend so frequently.  Lessons were 5 days a week at 12:00.  I think that they only had off on July 4th.  I swam in this league, but not at this specific pool.  I have been HIGHLY impressed with how the team has been run.  Celia is a beginner and we did not participate in any meets so I am not sure how intense/competitive the team tends to be at meets! I do know that they have been league champions for many, many, many years.  They won again this year.  That is especially odd to me as my swim club growing up was always undefeated (hmm... I left and they are no longer champs...).  In any case Celia is an amazing little girl, she has a lot going for her but one of her faults has come to light during swim team.  She is afraid to try things that she may not be great at doing immediately.  She also does not want to go to the extra effort and she likes a bit of attention.  Let's face it though, what 5 year old does not like a bit of attention!!

So Celia started out in the beginner group and I thought that was a little odd but I did not speak up.  I knew that she could stroke a bit and swim on her back a little.  The kids in her group seemed to never have taken lessons.  So I let it go and Celia was very excited that she was the best in her group and talked about it.  I tried to tell her that she should be learning new things and she did not seem to get that concept, or at least accept it.  Eventually I asked her coach if perhaps when they practice swimming that the girls helping could spread out a little more to give Celia more practice.  Little did I know that as the girls were backing up to let Celia swim further Celia was telling them it was too far and to move closer. I had the girls in the pool swimming one day and another coach saw Celia swimming all around the pool.  She questioned why she was in the beginners and said they needed to move her up.

Well, we moved Celia up and she freaked out.  She could not get over swimming in the deep end nor the fact that she was expected to swim a little farther then in the beginner group.  Celia basically was not on her best behavior during her 2 days in that group.  Her beginner coach saw the situation and pulled her back.  Pete and I would have liked her to stick it out as we feel as if facing something difficult and conquering it is something she needs to learn.  She needs to at least try.  So Celia went back to the beginners.  We had her lesson swim team champs last week and she also put up a fuss and then she became very upset because when she got in the water she did not swim her best.  She finished, they handed her a ribbon and she threw it.  SHE THREW IT!!! Oh goodness, not my proudest parent moments.  Two days after lesson champs, Celia was swimming freestyle, breathing to the side at times, and swimming back stroke.  One of the coaches has seen her doing this and just shakes her head.  She would not do this in lessons.  My theory is that Celia, as smart as she is, knew that they would move her up again.

The positive side to this is that Celia does love swimming.  She was always eager to go to lessons and when we are playing in the water she is constantly wanting to practice swimming.  We will follow her lead with it and try to find some swim lessons in the Fall.

 Below is her team at a pep rally, it is a big team!!