Abby's program . . . 100 free, 200 free, 100 IM, 200 IM, 100 back, 50 fly and 100 fly !!! She finished the weekend with 4 best times and highest place was 8th !!! 10 & under kids only swim what is called Timed Finals . . . one shot and that is your place. Whereas 11 and over swim prelims and finals . . .two shots !!! Abby had been sick the week before state and wasn't here strongest, but was all smiles, liked how she swam and what she improved in and you know Abby she is just happy to be happy !!! Love her for that !!! Here she is heading back on the 200 IM.
Abby is going to be a distance swimmer. . . for as little as she is, she is strong. I think that is the advantage some of the kids have when they start swimming young, the distance events are easy for them because they work so hard during practice and are use to the distance. Abby still hasn't gotten that . . . I want to be good attitude. . . she has it on some races and WOW, you can really see what that looks like !! But she needs it all the time !! We love Abby for who she is and are so proud of her and what she has accomplished !! Go Abby . . . . Now my knucklehead of knuckleheads Sam. Just to give you a little back ground . . he had been throw out of practice 6 times in November (State was in December), him and his coach were obviously not seeing eye to eye, and I wondered how he was gonna do !!! We all wondered !!
So with Sam, I can give you a race by race account, because I was so excited and focused on him. That doesn't mean I didn't watch Abby, but she isn't at the level yet where she is racing every race !! Sam - - each race was amazing and important to him in his own way . . . . here he is in the 100 IM breast - - you could see it in his body language . . . .
So 1st race, Thursday night - - 500 free, dropped 2 seconds and finished 2nd. In my mind, was suppose to finish second, 1st place lid is a distance swimmer. Good race, looked strong !! 2nd race Friday night - 200 free. . . came into finals seeded 2nd . . .dropped 4 seconds in time and finished 2nd (again kid got 1st same kid, distance swimmer). . . if you ever told me he was going to do a 2-00 in the 200 free, I would have never believed you . . . I was excited and proud. Guess his coach wasn't and said - - "see, that is how your weekends gonna go - you don't work hard in practice this is your result" !! WTF - Sam was pissed and long story, that was the last time Sam talked to his coach all weekend . . . 3rd race Friday night - - 50 fly - - my mind, Sam was to win this . . he is a butterfly kid and he didn't disappoint. . won it by .2 - very close race, too close !!! 4th race, Saturday night 100 IM - - this is a critical race for Sam and he hadn't outright won this race ever - - welp, there is always a first time - - he won . . by .2 . . . close race, great race !! 5th race, Saturday night 100 free - - this ended up being the race of the weekend (in Sam's mind too). Came in seeded 4th, but needed to do better. . . 2 boys from another team not really been looking good and the teammate who beat him in the 200 and 500 was a freestyler . . . race starts. . . 4 boys, going head to head after 25 yards, tied, and 50 yards they were all within .3 seconds, 75 yard the crowd is going crazy, 100 yard finish . . all board flashes 4 kids with 56's !! OMG, my kid did a 56 !! I am over the moon . . . I look around and I clapping and yelling, and I look at the teammate, he looks like he got hit by a truck. . . I look at the board again . . 56.3 56.4 56.5 56.6 - the two from another team 1 - 2, Sam 3rd, his teammate 4th, big swim !!! 6th race, Sunday night 200 IM - - he and his teammate, head to head again, the teammate went 3 seconds faster in prelims than Sam . . . this is the race I seriously almost lost it. . . I had no voice, I was SSOOOO nervous, I knew this was a big race !! And just a side note, Sam pretty much didn't see me all weekend, I was so busy doing the team stuff, that I really didn't have time for me to make him nervous !! So race starts, I am standing on the side of pool in viewing area, his new coach is behind me and sees how nervous I am. Through the 50 fly, the two boys are tied, I look at the coach, he says, its ok. . . next 50 back, they are TIED, coach says, he took it out 1 second faster than in prelims (it was the don't worry mom, its ok comment), then the 50 breast and they are TIED - I mean dead heat - coach says 1 sec faster than prelims. Who wants it more. . . who is gonna push themselves and want this race - - down to the last 10 yards and they are TIED . . . they come to the wall. . . Sam kicked it in, touched first by .2 !! OMG - - Sammy's first coaches husband was standing behind me also, and he said that was the best race he has seen in a long time - - if you knew him or the other coach, you would understand what a true compliment that was !! Sam is smilin' from ear to ear !!! 7th and final race 100 fly - - again, Sam is a flyer, he should have no problem in this race, but is he tired, is he gonna push. . . he wasn't and he did. . . he came close to breaking a minute (1.00.56) which is his season goal . . . . GREAT end to a GREAT weekend . . . .
Next up . . . the results and cheering section . . . . .
Life is good !!!!
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