Swim Team

Summer is now over and the swim team is over for the year.

It was a great season!  I was sad to see it end.  My 7 years as a life guard and swim team coach always comes out each summer.............I LOVE that my kids want to be on the swim team!!!

This was at the first meet in Safford.  We were so excited that Tif's kids were on the Safford swim team this year.  It was great to hang out with them at the meets!

Mr. Grant needed goggles and a swim suit just to be a spectator!

I just love little kids in swimming goggles!

This was at the Morenci swim meet.  We car pooled with Wendy and a few of her kids.  This was the only Saturday swim meet, the others were generally on Friday.  

I love these two boys!

It was pretty cool, at this meet, (thanks to Freeport), every time you got a first place ribbon they also gave you a powerade!  The kids were in heaven and we went home with 13 of them....way to go kids!

They swam their hearts out!

Logan wanted a picture with his "girlfriend" Rose.

Kiersten swimming the butterfly.

Man did she learn the butterfly this year.....her technique is great!

So fun to watch her race!

Great job sister!

Hunter making his entrance for the backstroke!

Love Logan's entrance.....he is the one going off the block and Ryker is on the left jumping from the side.

Logan is one great swimmer!  He is the yellow cap at the bottom of the picture......in the lead!

Kiersten just amazes me all the time!  Being so short and petite she has to work twice as hard as some of the other girls, but she swims so great and is always pushing herself.  She took first in breast stroke.....that's her best stroke, just like her mom!

Kiersten would get up every morning at 6:00....she would leave the house around 6:20 to ride her bike with Hallie Shupe to the Pima pool which is about 2 miles.  Then she would do the practice and believe me Coach Natalie and Coach Echo don't go easy on them.  The girls would then go to the school and eat the free breakfast and then ride their bikes the 2 miles back home.  A lot of the mornings the rest of us weren't quite up before she left............she is only 10 years old!

What a great girl!

Love the guy!

Hunter is one of the deepest thinkers I know, for being 8 years old.  He is an old spirit in a young body for sure......several people have told me that about him and I agree!

Getting ready to race!

Hunter and the winning relay team.....they never lost a relay the whole season!  Actually neither did Kiersten's or Logan's relay teams.....Way to go Lemon Heads!

After the Morenci meet they let the kids have races in these cool canoes.  I am saving up to get one of these next year for our pool.  They were so fun!
This is Logan and Ryker.  They said the races were for 8 and up but I guess they couldn't turn down such cute little 6 year olds!  I was surprised they let them do it and oh so thankful because these two boys would have probably cried had they not gotten to ride in those canoes!

Hunter having his turn to race....him and his partner totally smoked the other team!

Kiersten and Madison Taylor giving it a shot!  The kids were all so excited for these canoe races!

The Morenci meet was so much fun and it was fun to get to visit with Wendy!

Grammy and Grampy Boswell made it to the final swim meet.  We were all so happy to have them come.  My mom made it to a few other meets as well.  It is great for the kids to have so much support!

Hunter lovin' on Grampy!

This picture just cracks me up!

This is Logan checking out the 13-14 year old girls.  Boy did he cheer for all his girlfriends.  This little guy is a huge flirt!

He just loves the ladies!

We are all so happy that dad made it to the final swim meet!

He was only able to make it to 2 swim meets, but we were grateful he made it to those,

He is a wonderful dad!

Ryker and Logan

Logan was on the podium for all of his events....what a little fish!

He took second in the butterfly!

This was the final meet, it was a Friday.  The Monday prior was the preliminary meet and the results from that meet determined if you qualified for the finals.  Kiersten qualified for all 5 of her events.  That is a HUGE deal!  There were about 4 to 5 heats of girls in her age group for each event.  So to qualify for the finals means that her time was faster then about 24 girls.....they only take the top 8 times.  I was so proud of her!

Logan again on the podium.....third in Backstroke!

Kiersten and Emma Hacket

Kiersten got a little bummed because she took 8th a couple of times.  I had to remind her that to even be at this meet meant she had beat a lot of girls so she should be proud.  But I did understand it's still no fun to get last.....she was a good sport about it though.

Logan second place in Breast stroke.

Kiersten has a WINNING smile in this picture!

She took 3rd place in Breast stroke and she could not have been happier.  You would have thought she took first.  She was so happy to get a medal!  You have to compare her size to some of the other girls to full appreciate how good of a swimmer she is to beat them.  Several of them have a good foot on her height which makes a big difference in the pool.

Great job Kiersten!

Hunter qualified in breast stroke.  It was hard for him to get forth place.  His time was slower then usual this race and he was bummed he didn't get a medal.

He is the shortest kid out there but he still killed it!  Look at the how much bigger and taller most the boys are.....so to beat any of them means Hunter is really a fast swimmer!

I was proud of how he handled getting forth.  Plus the time different between him and third place was 2 hundredths of a second....talk about close race!!!  Actually in was only a 1.3 second spread between first place and Hunter taking forth.  Super fast and close race!

Way to go Hunter!

Logan took second in Freestyle.....Ryker actually beat him.  First time all season....Logan was a good sport about it I must say.  After the meet was over Logan's buddy and team mate, Liem was crying because he got last place in every event.  Logan asked me if he could give Liem one of his metals because he had four of them.  I told Logan he did not have to but that I was sure Liem would love it!  

I was so proud as Logan walked over and gave Liem a metal and told Liem that he thought he was a great swimmer!  It was just too cute and sweet of Logan.  Echo, Liem's mom, told me how much that meant to her and Liem.  She told me that I had really great kids and I couldn't agree more!

It was another great summer on the swim team!

Great job working so hard kids.  I sure enjoy watching you all race!

I hope to have enough money to take Kiersten to the swim camp at University of Arizona at the beginning of next summer!!! Hunter said he doesn't want to go, but maybe he'll change his mind,  Although I am not sure I can afford for them both to go. :)  It is a fabulous training opportunity for sure and it would really improve their swimming.  Logan wants to go but is too young.  I need to save up enough money soon because they say places fill up before spring time!  We shall see