Becoming a Butterfly

Get ready

Get Setand...

Fly!

Our experience this year with Annie Kate on the swim team has been so unexpected and such a wonderful joy for our whole family. The little girls love screaming "Go Annie" on Saturdays.

We were not sure if she would make the team or have to be on pre-team and she had had no lessons prior this. So it has been such a blessing to discover one of her talents.swimming back on July 5, 2007

One of the wonderful lessons Annie Kate has learned this season is to try and give it your all. The first two meets she got disqualified for the Butterfly stroke. It is a dang hard stroke. The first time she heard she was not legal to swim it I think she thought she was in trouble with the law.

in the swim huddle for the team cheer

She went the whole season only swimming Back stroke, freestyle and breast stroke and did not swim the butterfly in the meets. Before last Wednesday's meet I asked the coach if she could just try to swim it knowing she would probably get disqualified. He said to go ahead and sign her up. She was so nervous and kept saying, "I don't know how to do it!" She swam and ended up not only getting first place, did not get disqualified but knocked 6 seconds off her original time! Amazing.team cheer - "let me see you get down"

Because of her time she got picked to swim in the Saturdays coaches pick swim meet. She was able to swim, Back, Breast and Butterfly.
She swam her little tail off! She got second place in Back and Breast.

Butterfly was the last stroke of the day and she again was nervous she would get disqualified. She was head to head the whole time with one of the best girls on the team. I was the only one from our family there and standing on the side of the pool screaming my guts out. It was so close! We could not tell who had one, but she had knocked off another 3 seconds off her time!pink power towel

I was doing the ribbons at the meet and when I got the print out that Annie Kate had got first place in what she thought was her worst stroke of the season - I again got teary! I could not believe it!

She had it in her head all season that this was a stroke that she just could not swim. I was so proud of her for just doing it. She had even asked some of the coaches during practice to give her some extra tips.

my favorite photo this season at her first meet.

Then last night we got the list of who was going to divisionals this Saturday. Only two swimmers per team in the county get to swim for each stroke and age. You can imagine our surprise when she was on the list to swim; Breast stroke, Back Stroke and BUTTERFLY!

theme for one their home meets. they put cups in the fence by the pool.

"protect this house"

I can't believe I am saying this but I think I will actually miss the two meets a week and two practices a day at the end of this week! We can't wait for Saturday!