<p>Did we ever think this summer would end??? I missed the last phone call as I was with my younger ones at a swim meet. THIS phone call is MINE!</p>
<p>I hate swim meets. They last forever and the humidity is disgusting. I am glad to be done with those. My back still hurts thinking about them.</p>
<p>This meet was pretty easy–it was outside, the music wasn’t so loud and I left after the 8 & Under events! Of course it was 14 hours of driving… Ugh! My middle two are still there. Our humidity is so low here, even in an indoor meet, it’s not bad. I thought all summer when I would start to complain: “Well the plebes have it much worse!” The last meet I ended up working 5 out of the 6 sessions. We were done, but there was still the 500 Free to go. I timed the first two heats, started the watch for the next and took it to the head timer. I informed him that he had 4 minutes and 39 seconds to get a relief timer in lane 3 that I’d been calling for for over an hour. I had a 6 hour drive home over Kebler Pass through mudslides and was LEAVING! Some times you just have to be firm! 
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<p>Have you seen the t-shirt: “Please Lord, if this is my last day, make it a swim meet. They go on forever.”</p>
<p>My personal favorite~1650s. Argghh! ;-)</p>
<p>I once saw a dad at a swim meet wearing a tee shirt that said “If I had just one day to live I’d spend it at a swim meet because they last forever.”</p>
<p>I missed the 1st and 3rd phone calls due to work, so I’ve been counting the days till the end of Beast and the beginning of Re-Orgy, because I know their phones will soon follow. I wait with anticipation like the proverbial “kid in the candy store”.</p>
<p>Therein lies one of the problems with modern American society . . . parents spending hours at something they don’t particularly enjoy [or at least something they want to complain about] in furtherance of their kids sports.
Now that I am becoming a cranky old man, all I can say is that in my day, my parents did not spend one hour at a other than school-related baseball, basketball, swim meet, etc.
The amount of time spent w/ these traveling teams has become ridiculous. I know, because I have spent a ridiculous amount of time at softball tournaments.</p>
<p>Well, here in Alaska if you don’t travel you end up swimming against the same kids for years. So, we used to drive 24 hours to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and make a party out of it (we used to take our trailer and our Margarita blender for parental entertainment) and 8 hours to Anchorage. Oh, and we’d fly twice a year to Seattle (Alaska Airlines LOVES sports teams) and then once a year to wherever the zone meet was. Our son used to say that we wouldn’t go anywhere if he didn’t swim! Don’t get me wrong though, we really enjoyed his swimming and usually officiated and such to make it more of a family event. </p>
<p>Yeah, Bill, it is probably excessive, but we did it, didn’t we? Maybe that’s part of why our kids are where they are. They always had someone there in the stands cheering them on. Be-hind blisters and all. I raise my Margarita glass to all of those parents who have fought the battle of the bleachers!</p>
<p>Goodness! I never thought about imbibing at a swim meet. Hmm. That might smooth things along. But not while timing, of course. Now I wonder if there are other under the bleacher tipplers whom I thought were fabulously easygoing.</p>
<p>Truth be told, Son at the Academy did not participate in club or team sports.
Daughter is the one in softball. [I don’t think the Navy program is particularly strong, but we will see later on.]
I still think we place too much emphasis on club sports.</p>
<p>Oh, I was just venting end-of-the-year grumpies. I like swim meets and I like what the team has done for my kids. We have fabulous coaches that are hardly paid at all. Everyone pitches in. This year we were without a pool most of the summer–we ended up in a 15 yard pool, 72 degree water(outside with an air temp of 38 many mornings) and y’know what? We came in 5th in the state! The kids learned to pull together, do their best no matter what, and do it morning after morning. I watch neighbor kids–they barely get out of bed by 10, their parents are at work all day and they stay glued to the electronic babysitter. Sure, I get tired of timing/place judging/event boards/driving, etc. But we have a good time together. And x-c season starts tomorrow! It will be weird not to have a high schooler this year…</p>
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<p>My mom is from the generation that never attended the games.</p>
<p>I am from the generation that attended every single one…well, about 99.9% of them anyway. And even though it will be a 5-hour plus trip to cheer navy lax on, you can bet I will continue to be there!</p>
<p>Absolutely no regrets.</p>
<p>Hey, I never actually drank AT a meet, although it may have made it more interesting! 
It is hard enough to remember A) how many laps there are in a 1650, and B) how many of them the swimmer in your lane has done! What I hated was when the gun went off and I’d be scrambling for the watch ‘cause I was talkin’ instead of countin’! 50s are the best, especially in a long course pool. Doesn’t take much attention span!</p>
<p>Dang, Heartcross, they had to swim fast just to warm up! They must have been really good at flip turns by the end of the summer, too! The absolute hardest thing for me at a swim meet: Staying quiet during the diving! I always wanted to cheer them on while they were ON the board, the same way you cheer for swimmers on the blocks. OOOPS!</p>
<p>Another T-shirt slogan I saw “Swimming is a sport, everything else is just a game.”</p>
<p>How do your kids pass the time while waiting for their events?</p>
<p>I watched a timer miss with the “pickle” on a Fly of my dd’s this weekend–he was talking… Dd was in the slowest heat and came in dead last, but still… I watched a little boy get all messed up a few weeks ago–the timers came to the side in a 200 because they miscounted. The little boy stopped! My ds kept going because HE was counting!!! And he made a qual time… </p>
<p>My children just hang out with friends–and eat! If they aren’t swimming, they might be doing heat winners or hospitality. Since I have three swimming this year, I have someone in every session. Some of mine are more self-sufficient than others. This is really the first year my 10yo can watch the events board and get himself there. He doesn’t always remember to talk to his coach before and after though–without being reminded. A few weeks ago, it finally clicked–he moves over at first call (a bit early, but better than late!) and CHECKS IN WITH HIS TIMER!!! A novel idea! We’re getting there… </p>
<p>We have a great group of parents and they all look out for everyone’s kids. I’ve been known to save a 13-14 or two when they were spacing out. The 9-10 and 11-12 IMs are usually during the 8 & under sessions, so I often bring an extra kid to the Friday sessions. </p>
<p>My parents never came to anything–I remember being surprised that they showed up at my graduation. I don’t want to miss out on what my kids are doing like they did. Heck, we even have grandparents that come!</p>
<p>Congratulations on the qual time! If your teams are anything like ours, the older kids spend a lot of time herding youngsters and making sure they make their events or laying on the deck with their iPods on. Lots of fun!</p>