Swim team- Champions Park Stars

This year we (the girls) joined a nearby neighborhood swim team.  This is Arden's first year. She is in the 6 and under age group.  Halle swims in the 11-12 group.  This is Halle's fifth year of competitive swimming, and when you see her, she just looks like she's in her element!  New to the 11-12 group, she is now doing 50 yd races instead of 25.  This means that she now has to incorporate flip turns.  I'm excited about the first dual meet on Saturday.  

The following is a post that I wrote on February 16th when I was frustrated to the point of tears.  I didn't publish it back then.   I'm so thankful that we're not at this place anymore!!

2/16/14

"Today was very frustrating for both Arden and me.  I know that this is a minor problem, and in the grand scheme of things this isn't a big deal; but getting Arden to swim has been a huge struggle.

Brian and I were hoping that Arden would join the swim team this year with her sister.  Her friends, Maggie and Cole, will be swimming, and we don't want her to miss out on the fun.  We have tried the past two summers to get Arden swimming on her own.  Our next door neighbors have a pool so we've spent a lot of time in the water.  We've tried everything to get her to do it on her own, but she just won't do it.  Nothing works: coaxing her, tossing her in, bribing, refusing to give her floaties, showing her videos of babies swimming, getting someone other than us to teach her, even threatening.  It all has failed.  She is deathly afraid of swimming on her own.  She wants to learn to swim in theory, but when it comes down to it, she'd rather sit on the steps while her friends are swimming and splashing around.

Tonight Halle, Arden, and I went to the Y.  She was doing ok, listening to me, kicking her feet, trusting me, and even swimming a few feet.  But then something happened like it always does.  Something small will flip her switch and she will go ballistic.  This time she got water up her nose and she freaked out.  All of our progress went down the drain.  "Arden, it's fine.  Water goes up mommy's nose sometimes.  You're fine.  Mommy won't let anything happen to you."  Doesn't matter.  I tried to get her to try again,  but she screamed, clawed me when I tried to release her in the water, and pretty much had a panic attack.  She refused to try again.  She decided she'd rather give up chocolate milk, her blankey, Catarina, gymnastics, Caillou, and ice skating to avoid getting back in the pool (that's when you know she's serious!)  So maybe you're thinking, "Well maybe you pushed her too far.  Give her a break and she'll try again another day and get it."  Or "She'll do it on her own time."  But that hasn't been the case.  The next time is like starting all over; never making any progress.

I don't want to put her in swim lessons when they are going to teach her the same things we've been teaching her for two years.  Holding her breath under water, floating on her back, kicking, arm motions.  It's a trust issue.  I can't get her to understand that when she fight and struggles in the water, she is making it worse on herself.  She needs to relax.

My biggest concern is she knowing how to save herself in case a situation arises.

I need prayer for myself to keep my cool and patience with her.  I seriously am at a loss and don't know what to do.  With as much as our family is around water she needs to learn to swim.

If I leave it up to her she'll be a twenty year old with floaties.

Arden, right now you're walking around, telling Daddy in a matter-of-fact tone that Mommy is blogging about you not wanting to swim (I only told you that I was blogging about you and swimming.)  I hope when you're old enough to read this we'll be waaaaay past this dilemma.  I love you sweetie, and I hope you learn to trust me soon enough."

.

We tried again, after much prayer for her to not be afraid and for me to not lose my patience.  Three days after I wrote this we tried again and she swam!  Since then she has been improving drastically.  Between me working with her at the Y and teenagers helping her at swim practice, she can now swim the whole length of the pool.  And a few days ago she swam all the way across the pool on her back, too.  This is huge, because until just recently she was too scared to float on her back.  She is very excited to be able to swim on the swim team, and says she's going to beat Halle soon.  ;)

So here we are in May, three months later, and she is doing great!!!  I'm so proud of her for putting her fears aside and trying her best.  

GO STARS!!!