First Swim Meet

Sam had his first swim meet (at least the first he actually got to swim in-- the other was rained out) on Saturday. In the boys 8 and Under group, he swam the Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke and on a Freestyle relay team. (All swims for 8 and under are 25 m). He placed 2nd in backstroke, 4th in breast, and 8/16 in the freestyle. His relay placed first, though there was only one other team, but they won by a long shot. We were so proud!

It took Sam a swim or two to really figure out how the racing worked. His first race was the freestyle, and he was so concerned about giving the timers his name that he didn't touch the wall, which is when the timing ends. His coach and I are standing there yelling, "Touch the wall, Sam! Touch the wall!" We talked afterwards and his response was, 'Oh, I'll do that first next time." But he had a great time.

One of the surprising things is that Sam started to get competitive about where he placed in his heats. He'd look up and say, "Was I first?" It's the first flash of competitiveness I've seen from Sam, and I like it!

Here's a picture of Sam with his first ribbons. We're so proud.