just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

So this summer the boys decided to try out a sport they hadn't yet done...Swim Team! If it hadn't been for their sweet little friend Mia from church they probably never would have given it a thought but her family is big into swimming (they are raising olympic caliber swimmers) so the more time the boys spent with her and her family the more interested they became in swimming. Now I had been warned to stay away from any sport that includes the word "meet" (which advice I totally appreciate now) but I can say it is one of the few sports that the kids can really benefit from for the rest of their lives. So after a few rounds of lessons and stroke school and some encouragement from the Thatcher's, the boys decided to try out for Water Mocs and thankfully they made it. It's amazing what two hours a day, five days a week for two months can do to transform a couple Seattle boys, something their coach had assured me would happen. If only I had before and after swim videos! Talk about a transformation. They may not be the fastest kids on the team but they have to be a couple of the most improved!!! Since moving here we learned that the Cincinnati area is actually a big swim area with a high percentage of national swimmers coming from this area. We are in no way raising Olympic swimmers but I love how well run the swim programs are out here and how awesome the boys swim coach was! Most importantly I loved that the boys loved doing it! And I can proudly say I now know what a "heat" and "clerk of course" are...

So here are a few shots from the season:

Our swimmers:



Ready set swim...



Ty's favorite stroke was the butterfly and Connor's was the breast.



Practice and coach feedback was critical...



For Sage it was all about hanging out with her BFF Riley who has been swimming with Water Mocs for a couple years! Sage hopes to join the team next summer but was happy just cheering on her brothers and friend this season!



To get the kids pumped for the Championship one of the coaches hosted a "Psyche Party" which timed well with Sean and the boys coming into town...



The boys had worked so hard in preparation for the biggest meet of the summer, The Tri County swim championship at Miami University. They were pretty excited to be swimming in a college pool and to have a few extra fans cheering them on...



You gotta love that the sport with some of the most fit bodies in it celebrates the end of season with a "sweet endings" dessert banquet! We were not complaining...Way to go boys!!!



And a big shout out to the boys' Head Swim Coach, Derek! He was fantastic!!!