Keeping Minds & Bodies Healthy with Sports.

Some people love to root on their favorite football, baseball, hockey or other sport team. Our family loves whatever sport our kids/grandkids are interested. We've been fans of soccer, dance, Tai Kwan Do, softball, and swimming. But their main love is swimming. After 8 years of dance and 5 of soccer, Carmen has committed her time to swimming, but will be trying out for school track in the spring. Richie has played soccer 4 years and will probably play again in the fall, but has decided he wants to swim also. It doesn't matter to us WHAT sport they are in as long as they stay active. If they make a commitment to be in a sport, they must stay in for the season. This rule actually applies to all their world though.

Why we love swimming the most though? Summer league is "fun", it's small, it's like a family and the team is spectaclar. The kids root for the underdog, they cheer EVERYONE, high 5's aren't just for the victor, they are for the effort of trying your best and this builds such confidence. Year round league is also like a family, but the team is much larger and has to be split into age groups, ability groups, etc. but this league is where the kids learn the most, they learn discipline of technique, breathing, nutrition, character and goals. Swimming is such an individual goal setting sport that the competition is more with yourself and bettering yourself. But like summer, the kids and parents are fabulous. They root for each other and if a swimmer's not having the best meet, they will learn and keep going. It's a total body and mind sport with the LEAST amount of injury and we're so glad they love the water.

Richie & Coach Karen

Richie in the black goggles

Carmen & Richie both love to swim and swim year round. Last weekend was round 1 of the short course Division II Championships. Richie swam on Sunday and did remarkable by taking off several seconds in both events he swam. He LOVES the water and really doesn't swim at the meets for competition, but mainly for the socialization and fun of the water. When he started swimming, one of the first things he asked me was, "Why don't they let me do it my way, I do it faster?" I just smiled and told him after he learned "their way" he would be even faster. He has the most tremendous, patient, nurturing, yet firm coach, Coach Karen. She has commented several times how he is the only swimmer she's EVER instructed that comes up smiling after every breath. She's incredible and knows every little thing they do and follows up every meet with a personal email to her kids congratulating them, saying what they will work on, their times and how thankful she is that she's their coach. Even though he didn't qualify for the next tier of Division I Championships, he's content.

Carmen coached by Coach Collin

Carmen swimming Butterfly

September 2011 started the second year of Carmen swimming year round. She has worked very hard and her competitiveness has been more to do with herself than others. It's mandatory for her age to swim 3 days/week, but 2 months ago she said she wasn't making progress and decided to move to 6 days/week! YIKES. We are very blessed to have friends to carpool with to make this possible. But with the last meet at Division II Championships, she saw her hard work pay off and has qualified to swim in 7 events for the Division I Championships this weekend. Short course means they swim in a 25 meter increments in the pool. After championships, they start training for the long course which is 50 meter increments. Isn't it funny how much you learn about the sports your children participate?

Whatever your family loves to do, as long as it's together is what counts. Yes, we are taxi and carpool parents, but during the rides we get to talk, we get to know our children's friends and it's very good quality time. At meets we get to know other parents from all over, our children get to meet and hang with others and socialize with people they normally would never meet.

I always go back to the Chinese proverb of the "red thread". Meeting others brought us to this place we are with our adoption and it is also opening TONS of doors to meeting people at swim meets and talking with them about God and His journey with us. This is what counts.

 "An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break."