Aube goes to A Regionals!

Through-out the swim season, swimmers are trying to swim faster at each meet.... not just to win their heat, but to improve their time.... shaving seconds off can mean so much! Aube is 7 this year, so she swims against 6-8 year olds. Bella is 9, so she swims against 9-10 year olds. And for each group, the times to qualify for regionals and state are completely different. Aube qualified for A Regionals this year in the 25 Fly, 30 Free and 100 IM. Bella swam hard, but her times were just under the qualifying times, so she gets to go to B Regionals instead. The difference between A & B....your A times can qualify you for State. Which Aube did! She qualified for State in the 50 Free. Her time for the 100 IM also would have qualified her, but she was disqualified during that race because of her kick. Stink! Obviously it happens... but it's so frustrating because through the whole season, at every meet, there is no disqualifying going on... they just mark it down and tell the coach, then the coach is supposed to work on the issues with the swimmer. Well... these kids..... my kids... have been WINNING races and thinking all is well. Yeah, their coach may say "work on this, work on that" but all the kids are seeing are these 1st, 2nd, 3rd place ribbons stacking up. And to a KID, that means they've won..... am I the only one who see's a problem with this?

I digress....

The A Regional meet this past Saturday, the 19th, was held at the McKinney High School Natatorium. Smallish place... but I guess they take turns hosting events like this. If it was up to me, all the meets would take place at Frisco.... their natatorium is HUGE with ample seating and a/c!

Swimmers write their heats on their arms somewhere. Some kids go quite crazy, drawing fish or bubbles, writing "eat my bubbles" or some such thing. Sharpies are a swimmers friend.

We had some special visitors fly in to see Aubree swim in Regionals! 

Swimming runs in the family, I've mentioned that before. Papa swam the back stroke in high school.... Daddy swam & was a diver in high school.... and Uncle Topher went to state his senior year of high school (we get to rub it in....Aube went to state at 7 years old!

What took you so long, Uncle Topher???)

 Gramma & Grampa came with us, too! (And John.... he never likes to take pictures, nice photobomb)

We are so thankful for all of our families support!

Swimming isn't an easy sport... it takes alot of dedication, and I'm so proud of my sweet girls for doing their best and trying to hard and most of all... sticking with it!

This next weekend is B Regionals in Allen for Bella... then the weekend after we drive to College Station TX for State. Aube is quite excited... especially since she thinks that if she wins at State, she will then "get to go to another country and stay there!" Oh don't we wish, sweetheart!