Speed Trials

Emily has been swimming for 3 and a half months. She loves it! She could swim before but really only underwater or doggie paddle. She has always been very comfortable in the water but didn't know any official strokes. The swimming program at St. Andrews is excellent. It is run by a married couple (Nancy and Andy) who are just amazing teachers. Apparently their son is an olympian and we think that Andy might have been too but we haven't been able to get the whole story.

A few weeks ago Nancy told Emily that she should come to "Speed Trials" which we assumed was a test to see if the swimmer was fast enough to swim on the St. Andrew's swim team. Emily was very excited at first, we got all geared up to go, and then she woke the morning of the trials with reservations. She didn't want to do it. We decided that although we couldn't make her swim that she should at least go to the trials and watch. We all went and she regained some of her initial interest and decided she would go next time. That next time was on Wednesday.

Emily swam in the 25M butterfly, the 50M breast and the 50M freestyle, the heats were set up like races to encourage faster times. Although Emily didn't make the times for the strokes(although she really wasn't that far off in any of them) we discovered that the times weren't to place for the swim team at all. The trials were to place for the Nationals.

The best part about the entire experience was Emily's attitude and approach. We have a little perfectionist in our midst. After the 25M butterfly (her least strongest stroke by far) when she placed 3rd and did not make the time, we kind of expected her not to want to swim again since she wasn't the "best". But - all she was interested in was running over to tell us her time. She didn't care what it was she was just so pleased that she had swam the race. Her comment to us coming home was "well most of those people have been swimming a very long time and I am only just learning."

We could not have been more proud of her.