All The Way!!!

We are well into our 3rd week of Swim Season

and thankfully for the sake of the swimmers it has been PLENTY HOT

in the 95-100 range.

And for the sake of the on lookers - US - it has not been as HUMID as it can be around here.

(I fear that the humidity is lurking in the shadows around the corner -YUCKO!)

Isabel's enthusiasm and confidence and technique in the water has improved enormously.

Even though she isn't quite up to par for her age group - she is not alone in having a little fear of the deep end and a struggle to breathe and stroke - or stroke and float at the same time!

She has a bad habit of taking little breaks by hanging on the lane line. This last week we convinced her that since she is now good at floating - that should she need to break - she should float instead of hanging. She also had the incentive of getting a candy bar from the coach if she could make it all the way across with out stopping.

25 BACK

So this last meet she did it - TWICE. The first time was AWESOME. She was doing back stoke, she stayed on her back the ENTIRE TIME except for one cute little cork screw she did in the water. At one point she came very close to the lane line and used her hand to push herself away - WHICH DEVASTATINGLY TO MOM & DAD DQ 'ed her - BUT she made it the whole way. I'm sure there is a little wonderment as to why so many people are screaming for this little girl - but it is so cool to see her conquer something that is both a huge physical, mental and emotional challenge. It is also very cool to know that she has a great fan club of friends and older swimmers to egg her on!

25 FREE

Her 3rd race was freestyle - she once again made it across - with only a couple gallons of water swallowed (YUCK) and as well as cranking out the strokes and kicking furiously - I noticed she is beginning to hold her head to the side to breathe instead of coming straight up like a turtle. I have been thinking that as she puts all the pieces together she will realize that they work together to keep her body in the right alignment for floating, moving freely in the water and breathing. It is cool to see her figure it out and the pieces working together.

GO lil' puffer fish Izzy - We Love You!