Climb like a Fish and Swim like a Monkey

We are now smack dab in the middle of swim team season for Halle.  This is her third year to be a part of the Prestonwood Flyers in our neighborhood.  Woohoo!  Go Flyers!  Swim team is a very high commitment activity.  Thankfully the pool is just a few houses down from where we live, so Halle can ride her bike to swim practice.  During April and May she practiced Monday-Friday right after school.  Now that summer break started, she's practicing at 7:30 am.  No sleeping in for her yet! 



Halle in her swim get-up

A typical swim meet Saturday goes like this:  wake up at the buttcrack of dawn (Brian's terminology), pack up swim gear, snacks, drinks, cooler, pop-up canopy, chairs, games, activities, and diaper bag.  Don't forget the kids!  Get to the pool at 7 am.  Set up for the meet.  We hang out until the races start.  Then the heat starts to set in.  It is HOT!  We stay all morning and afternoon.  Halle swims 5 races each meet out of about 500.  Therefore there is a LOT of downtime.  We spend this time playing games, eating, talking, whatever we can to pass the time.  The meet usually ends around 2 pm, so we are at the meet for about 7 hours.  Take everything down, pack up, and go home.  Finally, we walk into the house and collapse on the couch, thankful for AC!  We enjoy going, but it is extremely tiring.

Even Arden thinks its too early. She needs her coffee, lol

Brian is one of the timers for the races.  He's purposely making goofy pictures while I'm trying to snap a shot

Jack and Brian hanging out at the meet.  Jack must be mad that he can't get in and swim. 

Halle is pretty darn fast. She is way faster than I will ever be.  She has tried many times to teach me the correct swimming motions and breathing techniques, but the only thing I'm good at is tanning on the side of the pool!  She has been a little fish since she was three.  She never tires of playing and swimming.  Even after she has swam all week for swim team, she will still beg me to let her go to the pool.  It won't surprise me at all if her first job is lifeguarding.

  

Halle on the ready bench waiting for her race

Halle on the starting block

Halle competes in all swim strokes: freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke.  Her favorite stroke changes about once a week, but I think freestyle is her favorite at the moment.  This year is the first year that her age group swims the IM (individual medley.) This requires a lot more stamina than what she is used to, so she is really working hard to improve.  Here's a video of her coming in 2nd overall (out of 9 girls) for the Girls 9-10 100 meter Individual Medley .  We are so proud of her!

In addition to swimming, Halle also participates in rock climbing class once a week at our neighbors' indoor rock climbing gym, Stonemoves.  This class is for 2 and 1/2 hours and requires a lot of strength and endurance.  Her hands are now very calloused from repetitive cuts and blisters that the climbing induces.  She's actually very proud of how bad her hands look. They're like battle scars!  Her coach not only makes them climb, but workout too.  They do push ups, pull ups, v-ups, any other kind of "up" you can think of!  Her upper body is thinning out and becoming muscular.  Pretty soon she's going to be ripped!  She is the youngest in her class, but she can hang with the older kids (no pun intended.) 

Halle showing off her callouses

The rock climbing is complementary to her swimming.  Pulling her body up the wall works the same muscles that's required to pull herself through the water.  The upper body strength she is gaining from climbing improves her stroke and vice versa.  She will start competing in climbing soon. 
Both sports are formatted the same way in that she competes as an individual, continuing to improve her personal best, but also scores points for the team.  These types of activities mesh well with Halle's personality.  We are excited for her potential in both sports.  She's got the determination to better herself and kick booty.  Unfortunately I don't have pics of her climbing, yet, but here are a few more pictures of the fam.

Arden dancing and clapping to the DJ music

Sarah and Jack