Flipper Mini Meet

This weekend my kids participated in the annual Flipper Mini Meet with our swim team.  The Flipper Mini Meet is a great way for our youngest swimmers on the team to gain some experience of swimming in a meet. The meet is low-key and the majority of the swimmers have coaches in the lane with them supporting as they swim the different strokes. There is also kickboard races for those swimmers who aren't able to swim yet.  The coaches hold/support the kickboards as the kids kick along.

It was exciting to have both of the kids participate this year.  Boogie was signed up for both the 6 year old 25M Freestyle and the 6 year old 25M kickboard race. Buggy was signed up for the 5&Under kickboard race.

Boogie with Coach Paul swimming the 25M Freestyle

Boogie's 25M freestyle was right in the beginning as the third event.  He was in Heat 2, Lane 6.  My parents, my uncle, and one of my cousins showed up to show their support.  Boogie was the only one in his heat to dive in to the water (the other racers started on the wall while in the water.)  He swam really hard and although the coach was in the water for support, he kept backing up so that Boogie couldn't reach him, forcing Boogie to swim the whole way and he did! Boogie swam the whole length of the pool by himself!!!  I am so proud of him and most importantly he is so proud of himself. He now knows he can do it. Before he had this mental block thinking he couldn't swim it on his own. Somehow he dug deep and finished the race. Towards the very end he reached for his coach and I heard his coach say, "Don't reach for me Boogie! You can do this! You're almost at the end." I saw the look on Boogie's face that he wanted to give up, but he didn't. He kept swimming and I am so very, very proud of him. He was the last to touch the wall, but he did it and he did it on his own!  That event gave him the confidence to do the kickboard event without a coach in the water. He told his coach he didn't need to go in with him and as a result Boogie finished 7th overall. Quite the accomplishment!

Almost for My Flipper

My kids are participating in Summer swim team. This is Boogie's second year and Buggy's first year.  They are on the pre-team and learning how to swim. Boogie is learning to refine his freestyle and Buggy is learning to become more comfortable in the water, including going under water.

Boogie wearing his new goggles and jammers

Last night Boogie swam in his first ever "real" meet. Last year he swam in the Flipper meet which is designed to give pre-teamers a taste of what it is like to swim in a meet like the swimmers on Big Team.  But after practicing his freestyle the last two weeks, the coaches thought that Boogie could be placed in his first real meet. He swam in the boys 8&Under 25M Freestyle.

Directly after practice we found the local swim store and bought Boogie his first pair of jammers (instead of the old speedo bikinis, swimmers now swim in trunks that look a lot like bicycle shorts without the extra padding in the bottom).  Just the day before we bought him a pair of goggles so that it would be easier for him to side breathe without worrying about the water in his eyes (see more pictures after the jump).