Disqualifications are tough!

This weekend Flash had her first ‘main’ meet for swimming. The main meets have qualifying times and are for swimmers 10 yrs and older. Although Flash has only just turned 9, she qualified to swim many events at the main meet and she wanted to give it a go…to see what it was like swimming with the big kids!

It’s the winter season in Australia, so all the swim meets are short course (in a 25m pool) which means lots of turns….turns are not Flash’s favorite element of swimming and swimming in this meet would mean some really valuable competition experience.

On the first day Flash swam really well, making some PB’s and finishing about mid pack. She knew she was swimming against girls who could be almost turning 11, so Flash was quite happy with the way things were going and she was having a lot of fun! ….in fact she demanded that I enter her into the second main meet in two weeks time!

On the second day of the meet were her two favorite races….the 100 IM and the 50 fly. I thought her best chance for a medal in this meet was in the 100m IM as she went into the race with the 4^th fastest time. Flash swam a terrific race and cut 3 seconds from her previous best time to finish in the bronze medal position.

Unfortunately, Flash was given a disqualification for doing an incorrect breaststroke to freestyle turn (She didn’t touch with two hands first).

This was Flash’s first disqualification in a swim meet and I could see in her face that she was very disappointed…..I think she really wanted that 3rd place!

We had a big talk about how disqualifications are a part of swimming and it happens to everybody. How the most important thing is to learn from her mistakes for next time and that the races are a learning experience. We talked about how executing a race well is more important than times or medals…and if she can break the race down and think about each element she has to do, than the times and  maybe the medals will come…

After a 2 hr wait (quite a long wait for a 9 year old) she was itching to get back into the water….her last race was the 50m fly, and what a race it was. Flash went in to the race with the 7^th best time but she managed to finish second! She swam the race in 38.09 which was a 4 second PB!...I just couldn’t believe it! Flash was so happy to have won herself a silver medal!

So, I spent the most part of Saturday and Sunday, time-keeping or sitting on those rock-hard benches at the AIS pool…but it was so worth it! But not for the reasons you might think.

 It wasn’t worth it to see her come back and win an completely unexpected silver medal after missing a medal through disqualification…..it was worth it from this conversation…

I was talking to some other parents about being excited to watch the up-coming Olympics. Flash piped into the conversation to tell us that she was going to go to the Olympics….One of the Dads said “…Oh are you??....” and Flash replied

“…I’m going to the Olympics to win a medal so I can throw my mum the flowers…..”

…and THAT is what makes it all worth it!

Active Kids Weekend: An ACT Champion in the Family!!

This week Flash represented her school in the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) School Swimming championships.

The carnival serves mostly as a selection for the Australian school sport Nationals to be held in Sydney later this year. Only kids 10 and over can qualify for the Nationals.

 Flash swims in the 9 year old age group and there is only one race available exclusively for that age. …The 50 m freestyle.

Our school didn’t select Flash for most of the other strokes or distances that are available for 10 & under because the 10 year olds have a chance to qualify for the Nationals. I thought that this was fair enough, because I didn’t want Flash to deny another child the opportunity of qualifying for the Nationals by taking their spot....hopefully, she will get her chance next year.  Having said that , they still let her swim her favorite event, the 50m butterfly, even if it was an event for 10 year olds!

It was a very long day to sit on those hard seats. Flash had to miss a day at school…just for two races…. That take about 40sec each to complete, without any possibility of qualifying for the Nationals.

….and Flash really loved it! She was on the edge of her seat, just busting out of her skin for  her chance to race. Because she was only allowed in two races, she really wanted to show them what she could do! Several other parents commented on how enthusiastic she was.

Flash swam personal best times in the free and fly events to win her races. Flash now holds the 9 years 50m free and 10 year 50m fly ACT titles.  I honestly thought the whole thing was a little melodramatic….but flash was happy!

It was great to see that two of Flash’s friends from our swimming club qualified to attend the Nationals. It was fun to cheer them on and feel happy for them! I loved that Flash cheered, supported and celebrated with her friends. She was super excited that they had qualified for the Nationals!

I thought that one of the real highlights of the day was watching a couple of other younger swimmers from our school in the 8 & under age group…it was the first big swim meet for these girls. Having had a little more experience at this swim meet thing…I tried to help the girls and the parents as best I could. It was really wonderful to see the scared, nervous girls conquering their fear, participating in the warm-up and  standing up on those blocks to race. It was really exciting to watch them swim and finish 3^rd and 5^th in the ACT!

…So, Flash has a year to train and improve and next year she will get a crack at qualifying for the National schools swimming championships…..she is excited already!

One of the aims I have for this SportyMummy blog is to create a community of parents interested in sport and a healthy lifestyle for their children.

If your kids have participated in a sport or a fun energetic activity this week, I'd love to hear about it in the comments. You can also comment on the SportyMummy Facebook page. If you have written a blog post about a sport or activity your children have participated in this week, you can add it to the linky tool at the end of this post. It is my hope to create a supportive community that will also motivate others to get involved with an active lifestyle.

Youth Sports Weekend: Courage Part 2

The inter-district Brophy Swimming meet

After a challenging day at the ACT little Athletics Championships on Saturday, Flash had a major swimming meet on Sunday.

The Brophy meet is a swimming competition where the two best swimmers in each age group from the swimming districts in Country NSW compete in a teams competition.

It is very exciting for Flash to be representing the 8 and under age group for the ACT in her first Brophy. She was very upset at the prospect of being too ill to participate. She woke on Sunday morning feeling a little better, so with tissues packed, we headed to the pool!

There was a really great atmosphere at the event. There were buses lined up at the front from all over NSW and all the swimmers were proudly wearing their team uniforms and in full voice!.

Flash swam really well in her individual 50m events winning a gold medal in her favorite event the 50m butterfly. She also received a silver in the breast stroke and a bronze in the backstroke and freestyle events.

However, it was the relay events that were the highlight of the meet. Flash was swimming with 3 of her swimming friends in the 9 and under relay. These 4 girls have met through swimming and most of the time, I have to say that they are in competition with one another. Having said that, though, there is absolutely no malice or ill feeling between the girls….even at this young age they understand that they push each other and support each other in a world of swimming that not many of their school friends understand.

The girls were so excited about the prospect of being in their first relay team together. They were chatting, laughing, hugging and hoping together.

Flash had been selected to swim the butterfly leg (3rd leg) of the medley relay and as the second swimmer reached the wall the girls were about 3 meters behind. To my absolute astonishment, Flash made up this distance in the butterfly leg and forged a lead of about 3m as well. Her split time for the swim was 44 .03 seconds…..about 3 seconds faster than she swan just hours before. Our last swimmer held the lead in a very, very, gutsy, and maddingly nail biting finish that had the whole pool cheering!!

In all honestly that single relay race has to be one of the highlights of my experience with youth sport to date. Watching the joy on my daughter’s face, and that of her teammates was just amazing.

I wrote in yesterdays post that in sport you need to take the good with the bad. Toady, I’m taking the good. I’m absolutely certain that that race will be remembered by those girls and their parents for a long, long time!

Sport is so much more than winning. Weather it’s youths sport, organized team sports or individual fitness and exercise. It’s about challenging yourself, finding out about your self. It’s about discovering how determination can be as important as your seed times. It’s about giving it your best shot, even if you know you are not in 100% condition. Even if you know you are not going to win. It’s about friendship and caring about the success and happiness of your team and the other members of that team…and not just your own happiness.

Sport is about finding the courage and strength within your self.

I'm linking up this post with Diary of a SAHM for #IBOT (I blog on Tuesday) come and enjoy all the blogs that have joined in and make sure she gets a hug ;)!

Youth Sports Weekend: Swimming Speedo Sprints Finals

This weekend we traveled to Sydney for the Speedo Sprint Finals; A NSW state competition where the best 3 swimmers from each district came together for a day of competition at Sydney Olympic Park. The venue where the Olympic games were swum in 2000 and Ian Thorpe broke the world 400m freestyle record.

Flash was so excited about going, we literally couldn’t stop her from jumping up and down.  I was afraid she was going to exhaust herself with excitement and anticipation!!

Early that morning she proudly wore her ACT uniform and we drove nervously to SOPAC in the cold and quiet of the early morning.

But the pool was alive!!

The venue was simply a gigantic space, with so many people!! Just to be there and experience the atmosphere of such a competition was amazing!

I was so proud of my daughter. She showed no sign of nerves (but I knew they were there) as she went off to complete her warm-up in her new team swimming cap. She battled the absolute chaos of the marshalling area when the poor race official was swamped by 70 excited and anxious 8 year old girls in their first ever state competition.

Flash stood up on that diving block, dived in and swam her little heart out. I’m not sure I could have done that at 8 years old.

The competition itself was dominated by the Sydney Metropolitan Clubs. I’m not really sure of the reason for this, but the city clubs definitely dominated in the medals in every age group. The Sprint 50m events are not Flashes strength , but she swam really well in desperately close races (just compare some of the times) to win a couple of her heats. When the overall times were calculated Flash fininshed 11th, 12th, 16th and 24th in her events.

Flash swam four personal best times and is getting faster at every meet! She has come such a long way. This time last year, she was still in learn-to-swim lessons in the 20m baby pool!! I can't wait to see what the next year will bring!

After the races, Flash and her friend celebrated by running through the fountains at SOPAC with smiles from ear-to-ear!

The day was long. exhausting and nerve wracking…and I didn’t even swim! It was a fabulous experience though, and one that we will remember.

Has your child been involved in a youth sport this weekend? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below, or on the SportyMummy  facebook page. You can also link the URL of your blog post to the linky tool below. 

One of my aims for this little SportyMummy blog, is to develop a Youth Sports community where parents can support, encourage and motivate each other to support their children’s participation in youth sports. If your children have participated in a youth sport or an active pursuit, you can link up your post with the linky below and share the fun!


Usually I aim to have a Youth Sports post up every Sunday, but has we arrived home from Sydney yesterday, I am a little late and blogging on Tuesday....and you know what that means!


I'm linking up with Jess at Diary of a SAHM for #IBOT (I blog on Tuesdays) pop over and read some fantastic Tuesday posts!

Youth Sports Weekend: Swimming ACT Championships

Well, given the amount of rainfall that Canberra has received over the past week (we received a months rainfall in just 1 day!), it seemed fitting that the Swimming ACT championships was on this weekend.

Although Flash is 8, she trains with much older kids in her swimming squad. She has had a few problems in the squad because I don’t think the older kids have liked her being there very much and have given her a bit of a ‘cold shoulder’. I have seen them tell her to go last in the swimming line because she is the youngest (until they noticed me watching….). Her towel and flippers have also been taken and placed in various  high locations….this has forced a tearful flash to come and get me to get the objects down for her. Without flash knowing, I have spoken to the coaches about this and they have insisted that her gear was taken by accident….I’m not so sure….).

Since Flash has started swimming with the older kids, I have definitely noticed a drop in her confidence. This has been reflected by a plateau in her times and in some cases she has been swimming slower than she was at the end of last year.  She is a very determined individual however, and wants to keep swimming with the older kids. She is even trying to move up to the next squad!

Today at the swim meet, the under 8’s were only able to compete in the 50m events. This was unfortunate for flash as her biggest strength is the longer distances. So, our goal for this meet was to achieve some personal bests (PBs) in preparation for her first big NSW state competition…the Speedo Sprints in Sydney, next weekend.

The day got off to a fabulous start with the 50m breaststroke. Flash swam a 4 second PB to win a silver medal!

Next up was the 50m freestyle where she managed to just scrape in a PB by a few 10^th’s of a second….anyway , a PB is a PB and she was very excited to receive a another silver medal. It was a fantastic race and she just missed out on a gold by a fingernail!!

The pattern was then again repeated in the backstroke, with flash racking up another big  PB and another silver medal. Back stroke as been her weakest stroke, and it was fantastic to see such an improvement!

After 3 second places, the final race was the 50m butterfly. Butterfly is Flash’s favorite stroke….When I swim with her, I do three strokes and need to rest! She swims along effortlessly beside me yelling out “come on mum…you can do it” …….Anyway, she swam a fantastic, gutsy and close race and was just able to hang on for a PB and a gold medal!

Flash is wearing the gold cap in the fourth lane from the left, she leads for most of the way...just hanging on in the end!

During this race, something really amazing happened, that has never happened before. I was really surprised by the way the older members of our club stated cheering for Kayla!

This was the best part of the swimming meet, but not because she won a gold medal. It was the best part of the meet  because after the race, the older kids from our club that had been cheering for Flash ran to the end of the pool to pull her out of the water, High-five,  hug and congratulate her. They then escorted her back to the coaches who also greeted her with more high-fives. You just should of seen the joy on her face!  They gave her such a boost that she actually danced back along the pool deck to the coaches!! I was so captivated by the unfolding scene, and so in the moment, that I even forgot to take photos!! Today was really something that I will never forget!

It seems as though Flash has finally won the respect of some of the older kids in the team. I am really hoping that this will see an end to the childish behavior from some of the other kids.

I am so proud of my little Flash today, She achieve four PBs and  became ACT champion in the butterfly and runner up in the other three strokes. She has also shown that although she is only 8 years old, she has the guts and determination to do her very best.

We are really looking forward to the experience of traveling to Sydney Olympic Park next weekend for her first big NSW state-level competition.

Have your children participated in a youth sport this weekend. I would love you to share your experiences with us. You can tell us about your experience in the comments section of this blog, or on the SportyMummy Facebook page. You can even link a blog post to the Linky tool below. You can help create a community that supports, encourages and motivates parents to get their kids involved in Youth sports and a healthy active lifestyle!

Youth Sport Weekend: Relay Fun (with linky)

My Children mostly participate in individual sports. Even at the young ages of 8 and 7, my daughters seem to place quite a bit of pressure on themselves to perform well. There is a real focus on individual technique, performance and achieving personal bests.

I truly believe that stepping up to the challenge of individual sport has many benefits for building confidence and character. However, The fun and enjoyment from their individual sports often seems to come from their results: swimming a good time, rather than actually enjoying the process of competing in the sport itself.  I wonder if perhaps they are missing out on some of the  fun, friendships, camaraderie, and team building that can be obtained from team sports.

Today, the girls swam in the Speedo Sprints Relay Carnival. The atmosphere at the pool was simply amazing and infectious. When the older kids swam their relay events the noise level in the pool was absolutely off the scale! It was hard not to smile and cheer at the fingernail biting closeness of some of the relay’s. The joy on the kids faces was priceless. Listening to our club members cheer for my little girls brought tears to my eyes!

Although swimming is not a team sport, I think relay events are the next best thing. The spirit of  camaraderie was there for all to see. The best part of the event was that the kids really seemed to be having fun!

Interestingly, many of the competitors swam personal best times as part of their relay teams. I wonder if taking some of the individual pressure and expectation off, or the added motivation to perform well for your team was responsible.

I think that in youth sport, it is important not to measure success just by winning or doing personal bests. In the relay competition today, the relay teams my girls were in did not receive any medals. However. The day was a resounding success as the girls were able to really have fun, enjoy swimming and enjoy competing with their friends.

 The relay carnival was so important today because ultimately I aim to make my children’s youth sports experience fun and fulfilling. In making sport enjoyable and fun, I believe I am giving them every chance to participate in an active lifestyle for life.

 I’d just like to add that my oldest daughter, Flash (8) participated in the Speedo Sprints Heats as well. This was a individual competition to select swimmers to represent the ACT at a NSW state swimming competition; The Speedo Sprint Finals, next month at Sydney Olympic park (SOPAC). I am quite excited to say that Flash was selected to be part of the ACT team. She is just so thrilled and proud of the opportunity to represent the ACT and swim at SOPAC. She also can’t wait to get her team uniform!  I will let you know how it goes!

If your children have participated in a youth sport this weekend, please consider adding your blog post to the link at the bottom of the page. My aim for ‘Youth Sport Weekend’ is to build a community of supportive parents to encourage and motivate each other to involve their children in a youth sport or active lifestyle.

A Sporty Weekend!

This weekend I have traveled to two youth sports carnivals. As I sit here typing I am exhausted! ….I am a little dehydrated, I have sore muscles and I’m a little bit sun burnt….Red hair is not the best asset to have during outdoor, summer sports carnivals, I can tell you! I am dog-tired…even though I didn’t actually compete……..

Well, actually I did sprint run between the girls events with camera and water bottles in hand and 4 year old on hip, so that I didn’t miss any medal presentations, water breaks or personal bests.

...and it was so worth it!!....

The highlight of the Little Athletics carnival on Sunday, was the toddler race! Buster (4), for the first time ever..... lined up at the starting line for his 30 seconds of glory. He fell over, just as he was getting started, but he picked himself on up and kept running….no tears!!  My favorite part however, was the way he looked at me as he ran past…..’sniff’….my boy!

The girls had a great day at the carnival too. Flash (8), ran a gutsy 800m race to come 3^rd in the under 10 age group. She was so proud of herself!! even if she was a little dwarfed on the medal podium.

It may not have been a gold, but she was so proud of her self for racing in the 10 year 800m and finishing 3rd!!

Flash also won three gold medals and 1 silver in her other events (100m, hurdles, 400m and long-jump) in her age group. I was delighted that Flash’s little friend from our athletics club won a gold medal in the long-jump. She was trying so hard and  I was just as happy for her as I was for my own children!

My younger daughter Muscles (7) also had a terrific day winning three gold medals in tightly contested races! The hurdles, 100m and 200m.

On Saturday, Flash had a Swimming carnival, her first in an outdoor poor (yes, I think we are a bit spoilt in Canberra!). Flash had an awesome carnival finishing with 2 freestyle PBs and 1^st places  in the 100m and 50m. She won 1^st place in 50m butterfly….just , in an extremely tight race….I can say that she just might be a tad competitive ;). Flash also got a 2^nd for 50m breaststroke and a 3^rd for 50m backstroke.

We had a really wonderful week-end full of sport and fun! Now, if you’ll excuse me kids, you’ll have to look after yourself for a little while…..I really need to go and have a lie down……………..

Oh, I'm linking up today with the Wonderful Sonia, at life, love and hiccups for Wonderful Weekends! Come and see what others got up to this Wonderful Weekend!

Youth Sports Weekend: Swimming NSW Country Regionals

This is my second 'Youth Sports Weekend' link-up where I am sharing with you a youth sporting story. Last week, Stats Dad from the USA linked up a fantastic, humorous post  about the trials and sacrifices parents make as they become Youth Sports Parents. 

If your family has participated in a Youth Sport or physical activity, please add your link to the bottom so you can share your sporting stories too! It is my hope to build a community that will support , encourage and motive families to participate in youth sports and an active lifestyle.

Today was my 8 year old daughter, Flash’s first big swimming carnival; the NSW Country Regional Meet held at the Australian Institute of Sport.

There were over 30 swimming clubs from southern regional NSW competing at this carnival. It was a very, very big day!

I decided to enter Flash in the carnival principally to gain experience swimming at a big swim meet. The age groups for the races started at 9 years and under. So Flash, who is only 8 would need to compete against the 9 year old girls as well. We have also just returned from holidays, and Flash has not done any formal swim training in about a month. I was worried she may be a bit rusty. So, I had told her many times not to worry about the competition, but just to concentrated on swimming well and achieving good times, no matter what her overall place was……which would be fine if she actually ever listened to her mum J.

Her first race was the 50m butterfly and despite everything I had told her, she was very, very, very nervous. She seems to be especially nervous in the marshaling area. 

 It must be so hard for an 8 year old to stand up on those diving blocks in front of all those people……

 Weather it was lack of training, intimidation and nerves from the he size of the meet, or the competitors, Flash swam 5 seconds slower than her previous best time and she ended up placing 8^th  in the 9 years age group.  I told her I was very proud of her and that she had done really well at her first big swimming meet. Although I tried to reinforce that there were no expectations on her, I think she put a lot of pressure on her self. I think this pressure also contributed to her nervousness.

I have to say however,  that she didn’t appear to be upset with the outcome of the race…but I did notice a steely resolve and renewed determination for her next race.

For her second event, the 100m freestyle, Flash seemed to have relaxed a little and was not as nervous. ….and she was amazing!!. She swam a great race, very close to a personal best and  ended up placing 2^nd in the under 9’s over all.

Flash is second from the bottom in the gold cap.

Despite the earlier nerves and anxiety, Flash was extremely happy and  proud of her silver medallion. I know this photo is a bit cheesy, but I just has to show it because its really shows how happy she was!

Today, flash needed to find a part of her self, deep inside that was strong. Strong enough to race her very best against older kids, with hundreds of spectators watching on.

I hope that in the future, in circumstances where she may be in need, she will be able to draw on this same strength and belief in her self. This is one of my favorite benefits of Youth Sport…the development of character.

  I am so proud her for her effort today. Not just her effort in swimming, but of her strength of character to participate at her first major swimming carnival.

If you have a Youth Sports story, photographs, or a physical activity your family has enjoyed. Please add your post to the link. Together we can form a community that will support, encourage and motivate other families in the pursuit of a healthy, physically active  lifestyle.

Youth Sports: Tips For Your First Swim Meet

Yesterday was the Swimming ACT Development* meet #2, in a series of four meets held over the summer season for developing swimmers.

Both my daughters Flash (8) and Muscles (7) competed in the under 8 division. They do different races to ensure there is no direct competition, although they will still end-up competing over who gets to take a sip of drink first, or who gets to sit next to me!

In my pound mummy opinion, Flash seems to be developing into an amazing swimmer! (you can find the start of our swimming journey here).Today she won the 50m freestyle in (40.50) , the 100m free (1.30.40) and the 50m fly (48.91). She narrowly came second in the 100m fly (1.59.44) and the 50m backstroke (48.92). In all races she made personal best times! Her freestyle times are the top-ranked times posted so far for this season in the ACT.

 Flash in her competition swimmers

This was the first time Flash has done a 100m butterfly in competition. As had previously been the case, I assumed that no other 8 year-olds would enter.  We were pleasantly surprised, however, to find another 8 year old entered  from country NSW. This was an amazing race to watch as the two girls had the entire pool cheering. Flash was leading up until the last 10m and was eventually beaten by less than a second. Her little arms just couldn’t keep going! Looking into her eyes I could see she was a little disappointed, but she bravely tried to hide it.

Muscles raced in the 25m events and unfortunately there is only an under 8 division which means she has to compete against 8 year olds for the ribbons. Although being within the top  placings for a 7 year old, she didn’t receive a ribbon until the final event, 25m freestyle. She won a 3^rd place ribbon and thank goodness she got one!!. You should have seen her face! She was so happy and so proud! She also achieved  personal bests in  all her races, but this didn’t mean as much to her as that ribbon!

 Muscles, ready to swim!

As I’m a new parent in the spot of youth swimming I thought I’d share with you some of my tips for starting out in the sport.

• Arrive slightly early to get a seat. On my first time I arrived at the pool only to be greeted by “…sorry, someone is sitting there….. and there….. and there….”

• Always take a towel or a cushion to sit on….After 6 hours your butt goes numb on those hard stands (bleachers), seriously, I can still feel a dull ache in those cheeks just sitting here at the computer!

• Wear summer attire, even if the weather is freezing outside. It is so hot and humid in those indoor pools, it can feel quite hard to breath!

• Bring your own healthy food and fruit. The chips and other treats they serve from the pool canteens will do nothing but weigh down your kid with stodgy grease and won’t even help cushion your butt either (well not immediately anyway).

• I find the girls  feel more comfortable if they do their warm up in an old pair of swimmers, then change into their dry, warm, racing swimmers to wait for their race.

• Pack an extra set of goggles and swim cap, incase there is an ‘equipment malfunction’

• Bring pens to record times and write event numbers on the kids hands, Nervousness or excitement may cause the kids temporary forgetfulness whilst standing, exposed, on the starting blocks. You don’t want them to start swimming the wrong stroke. My girls are comforted by having the information on their hand.

• Get the kids to drink plenty (even though mine don’t feel like it after swimming) and make sure you drink plenty of water or less you will wind up with one thumping headache.

• Bring something for you and the kids to kill time, like iphone, itouch, DS or even books and magazines. Sometimes there can be long wait between events, for you and the kids!

• Remember, everyone is sitting in close proximity and may be able to hear what you say….so be nice.

• Don’t tell your kids how to swim, or what they did wrong!  Just leave that up to the coaches. Tell them instead how great, brave, persistent they were. Or concentrate on a thing that they did well like a great dive or turn. It’s better for you and the kids in the long run…really it is.

• Concentrate on aiming to achieve personal best times rather than beating others. Sometimes it can help to set other goals like doing a good turn, or not looking  around the pool whilst doing breaststroke.

• Occasionally you will see coaches standing on the edge of the pool, their hands up above their head, doing rather grotesque looking pelvic thrusts!!!...don’t worry, they are simply demonstrating correct butterfly technique.

* In the ACT, ‘Development’ meets are different to the ‘Main meets’ in that you need to swim slower than the break time to enter an event. However, there are no break times for the under 8 age group. At the main meets you need to have swum faster than the qualifying times to enter. Normally, the main meets start at 10 years and under age group. 

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The Beginning of our Swimming Journey

All my children love to swim, They love to jump and spin and summersault. Dive and do hand-stands and play tips (tag). There is a real feeling of freedom in the water, a youthful exuberance seen even in the dads piggy-packing their kids in the water.When on holidays in Sydney this spring, my kids played and swam in the water, even though it was still sooo cold. The locals looked at them like they were completely bonkers!

My children have had lessons since they were babies. We had our lessons through the Kings swimming schools. For beginning swimmers, I have found this program exceptionally good. There are 12 levels, all with specific skills that need to be performed correctly to move to the next level. There is an emphasis on safety and correct technique, right from the very beginning. There was one particular teacher, a late middle-aged lady (who had quite old-school teaching methods) that seemed to see some potential in Flash, even as a 3 year-old. She would work flash hard! I can still ‘hear’ her shouting flash’s name so loudly, the entire pool full of people could hear. She was a remarkable teacher, and I credit her with Flash’s swimming style today. She told me then, that she had seen a lot of young swimmers in her time, and to make sure I was available for the 2020 Olympics!!

 The girls in their early days of swimming

Flash worked her way up to level 9 in the Kings program. Then, early this year, Flash had her first school swimming carnival. She won her 50m freestyle event and also broke the school record. I had no idea that she could swim like that. At her Kings lessons, she had about 10m to swim in. I’d never seen her swim 50m before and I was in shock. Flash then went on to win the zone school 50m freestyle and came 4^th in the state carnival.

Flash really enjoyed the swimming racing, unfortunately our Kings swim school did not allow their swimmers to race in the local meets until after graduation. We moved Flash to another pool and she was soon selected to join the swim squad, and then the development squad.

Now along with Speedy she is a top ranked swimmer for her age in the ACT. Flash loves to race. She also loves to train. Her squad trains 3 times a week, but she is busting to train more. She trains with older kids and they seem to have taken her under their wing. I often see them dragging her around the pool by her foot, all of them in peals of laughter!..... after her last training session she asked if she could have a phone like the big kids…”not until you can pay for one young lady!!” was my hasty reply! Because she is the youngest in her squad, she has to swim as fast as she can just to keep up with the big kids. Some days she is absolutely exhausted (especially butterfly weeks) but she loves it!!

Our one frustration with swimming is that, because of her age, she can’t compete in the ‘main’ meets, only the ‘development ‘ meets. Main meets start at 10yrs. Although Flash makes some of the qualifying times, it doesn’t seem fair to race against kids 2 years older than her. It would feel that I am pushing her too hard and setting her up for failure. Also the championship races are only 50m. Flash seems to excel at the longer distances. I hope she does not tire of swimming before she gets a chance to really race.

 Flash, ready to race in the green cap

Early next year she will need to choose weather to do the major swimming carnivals, or the major athletics carnivals. Unfortunately they are on the same days. This is a tough choice for a girl who likes both swimming and athletics! I plan to keep this blog updated with her swimming journey, which has only just begun!



Sports Hidden Benefits

For my family, it is not just participating in the sport itself that has been beneficial. Is has been the extra, and I think often underestimated, or overlooked benefits that have made sport participation really worth while.

Little athletics has really helped to bring our family together. Flash wakes Muscles first thing in the morning (yes, way too early for a Saturday) and they proudly get dressed in their uniform and put their nighties over the top so they can ‘surprise’ us. The Girls and Buster, love cheering each other on. Even Grumpydaddy gets into the action. He (somewhat surprisingly), encourages all the kids, not just ours, to do their best. He keeps the girls times and stats in his head and is responsible for the ‘ceremony’ of gluing in their time tickets when we get home. It’s something we all talk about at the dinner table all week!

Another benefit of sport is it’s mood enhancing qualities. I pick Flash up from school and she can be as stroppy as a cut snake! She’ll only glare at me, hiss and grunt. She will completely ignore any requests for conversation about her day. So I take her to swimming squad. When I pick her up my daughter is back!! She sits in the car passenger seat chatting away about what she did at school and swimming. She’ll even ask me questions such as “what’s on the outside of the universe”. Even just going for a walk is a great way to get my girls to open up. After about five minutes they’ll be talking my ears off!! My son, Buster has difficulty with his speech and communication.  He participates in swimming and gymnastics and when he is engaged in these activities, his lack of speech doesn’t not hold him back, he is just like all the other kids!

Another great aspect of their sport is the friends that they have made. Muscles and her gymnastics squad are as tight as thieves! I am amazed with the maturity in which they treat one anther…except for the constant giggling about Justin Bieber!!...ahhhhh…..  Nooooo.

I have also created very strong friendships with the parents of the children in the girls sporting groups. The parents all seem like minded in wanting the best outcomes for their children and have shown support and encouragement of all the children. So far the sporting parents seem accepting of the girls achievements and not jealous or belittling.

When the girls have a bad day at school they know that they have a separate groups of friends waiting. I’m hoping that that this extra support network will last thought to the teenage years when I know they will really benefit from the extra support. I have also noticed that their sporting groups have given the girls a chance to be a part of something bigger than themselves. When somebody scores a goal in Flash’s soccer game the whole team celebrates!! They realize that each person has an important contribution to make to the team.

I am hoping that this way of thinking carries on to the teenage years. I am hoping that having an competition to train for, or a team that is relying on them, will act as a strong incentive for them to make better choices when it comes to the inevitable crossroads for drinking and drugs.  I am hoping that their sport will help give them the self confidence and self respect to make good choices. Not to mention all the time that training takes up will not leave enough time for much else!!

For my children I am hoping sport will be a life-long activity. It by no means has to be their career. But a life-long participation in sport will be terrific for their health, weight management and even, perhaps,  an activity to enjoy with their own children.

Sport-Playing to their Strengths

Since this is the Sportymummy Blog, I thought I’d describe to you my feeling about my children’s participation in sporting activities.

Ever since my children were young, they have all displayed a very high level of physical activity, they literally bounced along, could run more fluently and faster than others the same age (this was often commented upon by strangers). It actually goes deeper than just being capable though, they have all purely enjoyed physical activity, and this activity in turn brings out the best in my children. For example, Flash (miss 8) was a very difficult toddler, she never really seemed happy unless she was outside or in the pool. A neighbor of ours with a daughter the same age, once came with us to the pool. They remarked how being in the water made her seem ‘normal’ Indeed, she would hold the edge of the pool and jump up and down in exhilaration! Buster, (Mr 4) finds communication difficult and frustrating, but you should see him on the trampoline. There, he is free!!

Currently both my girls, Flash and Muscles (miss 7) participate in sport at the highest level available for their age. Flash enjoys swimming the most at the moment and trains 3 night per week. She also does gymnastics, athletics and soccer. Muscles sport is gymnastics. She absolutely LOVES it! She trains 6 hours a week in the National Levels Program at pre-level 2. Muscles also does swimming and athletics.

I think it’s safe to say, without boasting, that the girls are good at their sport. As a mum I love nothing more than seeing the joy on their faces as they complete a sporting event. I don’t mind the endless taxiing to training, and I’ll go with out things to ensure there is enough money to pay for the costs of their training.

I DO NOT push my girls. Honestly I don’t. I love sport, but they do too. It is something they are good at, something which gives them high self esteem. But for them, sport does not define who they are. It’s just something that they do; just another day at the office.

I have found the tall poppy syndrome a problem with some other parents at the girl’s school. For instance Flash had gastro and missed cross country training in PE lessons at school. One of the mums said to her  “I’m glad you were sick…it gave someone else a chance to win!!! Later, Flash asked me “was she really glad I was sick mum??”  I can see peoples eyes glaze over whenever I mention sport and was even starting to get some sarcastic comments on my Facebook page about “just letting kids be kids”

What sort of mum would I be if I didn’t allow them to participate in the sports that they love?? I don’t bribe them or berate them for not achieving. I have spent hours reading books and searching the internet for the best ways to help and support them…and feed them!

Sometimes I just NEED to tell someone about what the girls have done! Twitter has given me a voice to tell it about the achievements of my girls. I figure anyone who doesn’t want to know, or gets sick of it, can just unfollow me! I plan to blog about what they get up to as well so…be warned, but it will still be fun!