Back in 1991, Abbie asked if she could do summer swimteam. This would be a huge time comittment so we decided it would be all or nothing. All the kids would have to do it or no one would. Emalei was 12, Abbie 10, Dale 6 and Dane 5. What a time it was as a family. Everyone doing the same thing, excelling at it and lots of time spent together. These are moments we'll never forget as a family.
These two pictures have become classics in our family. The first was when Dane swam 8 and under. It was a picture that was in the local newspaper. He was breaking pool records right and left. The other picture is 12 years later at championships. It was taken by a professional photographer who was hired to come to championships.
So, what brought all these memories back to mind? I went to a Prosser swim meet tonight. I have a friend whose little boy is swimming for his first time this summer. Oh, how I remember those day.
*snacks
*lawn chairs on the lawn surrounding the pool
*starting guns
*cheering by the adored parents
*sense of support and encouragement by everyone there
*late nights and tired kids
*swimmers with sleeping bags and towels set up around the deck area between heats
*faces of smiling swimmers as they complete their swim and see their times
*6:30 am practice
Just the whole atmosphere is heart warming. You'd have to experience it to understand it. Those were memories I will never regret.
Such good times and the time we spent together as a family is priceless.
9 comments:
ohh makes me wish maybe I lived in town!
Fun memories and cute kids. I remember having fun at the one swim meet I went to with you guys. Why am I not surprised it was Abbie's idea to join swim team?! :)
I was just thinking about swim team too! I miss being in good swimming shape... those were good days. Definitely one of the highlights of my upbringing. Thank you Abbie!
I didn't remember that it was me alone wanting to swim but hey, I'll take the credit. I have been wanting to get involved in a swim team like thing here in DC but the summer season is already half over. Anyway. Fun fun memories. Loved those days. Thanks Mom!!
i must've been living in a hole because i had no idea dane was a swimmer...let alone a great swimmer! those are some fantastic pictures! what a cool blast through the past.
I hope you have those pics blown to the same size and framed side by side. What great pics!
I should blog about my pathetic days of swim lessons! :) What a comparison!
I was just thinking about the good ol' days as well. I was remembering when we first started and we were "mentored" by the older kids who had big boom boxes and listened to crazy grunge music at the meets. It's weird some of the things you remember.
Even 2000 miles away I heard lots about swim team and even managed to squeeze in a meet or two when visiting over the years. AND, Grandma Smith sent me countless articles from the paper about how well her grandkids did at their meets. Seriously, 2-3 times a month I received envelopes containing multiple write-ups about 'her' terrific grandkids!
Our family did the summer swim thing for over 11 years too. We have so many memories and I appreciated your sharing these to remind me of them again. thanks Janet.
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