Post Season Swimmers

You must be a really good swimmer to be invited to swim post season.  Our team has a tradition of wishing these swimmers good luck by placing a fish designed for that swimmer in the yard the night before the events.  These fish are so cool.  We have been blessed with one or two in past years.  2013 was a great year for the Texas T swimmers.  I had only 7 swimming but 8 fish appeared (Sugar's best friend had to make her one and so did the coaches, since they couldn't agree on design - she got two.) 

 

"At one time I thought this was a silly thing. I didn't realize how serious it was. I was told by my own kids that Cudas swam all season in hopes of earning the fish. I know one young lady that will be a senior next year, she has been a Cuda for 10 years and this was the first time she made All Stars. She couldn't go but still paid her entry fees so they would make her a fish. Now as the mom if 1 coach and 4 Jr coaches (and one former coach) I realize that these fish are important to all members of the team. They don't just slam something together. Each swimmer was thought about and discussed as they did his or her fish. Notice the details and realize that the coaches and jr coaches spent some time coming up with the perfect fish design. At our 40th party a few year back some parents dug out their kids old Invitational signs. It was crazy and I think one was 20 years old.  I love that as we enjoy the fish we are connected us to past generations of Cudas." this is from what I posted on the Cuda FaceBook page to let others know of the tradition that comes with the fish.   

 

There are several invitational meets.  Our team sticks with the two for the fastest swimmers, or maybe they are just the oldest ones.   All Stars is the goal of each of my swimmers, they hope to swim fast enough to be invited to this meet.  If they swim too fast they are then qualified for Ponderosa.  That is reserved for only the fastest swimmers. 

 

 

 

Our invites for All Stars were:

Jumba: back stroke

Princess:  breast, back, free, and butterfly

Pickle back, free and breast

Possible:  free, 100 free, back, fly, IM (her breast stroke was TOO fast.)

Sugar:  breast

Bear:  free, back, fly

Wow that was a lot of strokes to qualify for. 

 

Our Invites for Ponderosa are:
Bagel: back, fly, free
Possible: breast stroke

I was a little upset.   I had wanted our season to end with the win at divisionals but no we had to go on.  In the end everyone swam really well.  Sugar swam without needing medical intervention!  That was wonderful.  J and I were so stressed trying to keep track of everyone at two different pools.  This was not an easy thing to do. 

I heard that All Stars had over 1000 ( I recall hearing more like 1500) swimmers at warm up the first day.  All the fans that watch each swimmers mean that we were packed into the build.  Ponderosa was just as crowded.  This was insane.  I am told swimming always has a post Olympic bump.  Wow too many people.

I am posting lots of pictures but this time they are outside the water. 

Congrats to all the great swimmers out there.  My kiddos did wonderfully.  Possible and Bagel both swam fantastically at Ponderosa.  Bagel even got to swim in the finals for free and fly.   My favorite part of the season is now here, the END!