Monday, June 24, 2013

So Proud

I just spent the most heart wrenchingly hard and proud 45 minutes in a long time.  Ayden Jane had her first swim team practice today....  Let's review last year.

Ayden Jane had two wonderful coaches.  The were young and fun and each day they were in the water with the kids teaching them hands on.  They laughed with them while they taught them.  They instructed but also took breaks with fun games.  They really liked the kids (or at least did a great job faking it)  The group of kids was small, maybe 5 at the most.  They were all 4 - 6 and learning to swim the strokes.  Ayden Jane loved them and swimming.

Today we arrived and there was obviously no kid under 7 but Ayden Jane.  She was put in the lane with the youngest/weakest swimmers but was still way over matched.  The coach was an older drill sergeant type that did not show the kids, but used all verbal instruction.  She did not even have a swimsuit on.  Who can teach swimming with only verbal instruction!!???

She sent the kids down the pool telling them to breath every 3 strokes.  She was putting them in 2 at a time... Ayden Jane didn't even catch up to when to get in and jump in ahead of her turn.  I loved it.  When she didn't understand she got in the coaches face and asked.  She was brushed a side a bit but that didn't stop her.  On about lap number 3 (yes, full 25 yard pool laps) Ayden Jane was TIRED and what bit of form she had was gone...  Coach pushed forward... AJ was starting to get upset but she was not going to quit.  She hung in there for 35-40 minutes until she was legitimately so tired she was having trouble making it to the wall!!  She gave it EVERYTHING she had and even when offered quitting was not an option.

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