So proud I could cry!

Ok, so we had our first swim meet today - it was time trials for the kids to get their starting times for the season. Maddy's very first swim meet ever. She has never made it all the way across the pool before, did not have practice for the past 2 days, and has only learned the backstroke in practice once or twice.

Her first race was the freestyle. She had to go to the rope a few times (which is legal for them as long as they don't pull on it to propel themselves forward), and her time was disqualified because she put her feet down toward the end and pushed off the ground. But....she made it! Her time was 2:28. I was so happy for her that she made it, but when she got out she was almost in tears, saying she didn't want to do it again.

So she went back to sit with her age group, and was stressing because her other race was the backstroke. I went to talk to her about it and she said that she didn't know how to do the backstroke and that she would drown if she tried. I told her that I didn't care how she did it - she could try to just float on her back and kick her feet, or whatever she could do, and if she wanted to flip over on her stomach she could do that. But she was very concerned that she would be disqualified if she turned over. In the end, I told her it was her choice, and that she didn't have to do it if she really didn't want to, but I would take her for frozen yogurt afterwards if she just tried, even if she didn't make it. So that was enough incentive to get in the water and try.

And darn if that girl didn't make it all the way across the entire pool without touching!! It took her 2:20 - faster than she had done the freestyle, because she didn't stop like she did in the other race. She was the very last one, still barely more than halfway across the pool when the other kids had finished. But she kept going and did not stop! Everyone was cheering for her, and I could not have been more proud of her than if she had been first place! I know by the end of the season it will be no big deal for her to swim all the way across, but for today, it was a major victory!