First swim meet (attended)

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Lisa writes: James is on the Mini Panthers swim team this summer. He can now dog-paddle the length of the pool (25 yards) and do a standing dive in from the side. Okay, standing belly-flop in. With these impressive skills, his swim coach suggested he could probably compete in the next B meet (swim meet for smaller/slower kids). I thought it would be a good idea for him to see what he was getting into first. This afternoon was an "away" meet so we carpooled over with the rest of the team.


Photography by Joseph

James was interested in the races. He wanted to see the starting line, see the finish line, see who was winning. He reported whether the winners were girls or boys. Both teams had blue and black suits and blue swim caps, so it was hard to tell which team was which. He perched on the edge of my seat and intently watched about four heats ... and then it was time to his the snack bar.

Confession, this wasn't only James's first swim meet. It was mine, too. I didn't do swim team, didn't go to swim meets, had no idea how LONG these things are and how much FOOD is on offer. We split a hamburger, the boys each got a lollipop, and we were in the (lengthy) line for a snow cone when my cell phone battery died. Joseph wasn't happy. It was hot. We'd been there for two hours. The line was long and moving slowly. I decided it was time to go home. 

James disagreed. Vehemently. I'd said he could get a snow cone, he wanted a snow cone. It was a long, screamy ride home.

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