Isabelle's First Competition (and I was the nervous one!)

When Isabelle took here first step I was impressed but had no idea what it would lead to. When we moved to SC and she started the Michelin French School I was shocked when she came home after her second week and spoke French to me after all the French I had thrown at her. When she jumped off the platform at the USNWC and zip lined down to the ground 32 feet below I was impressed. But for all of that I don't think I have ever been as as proud of her as tonight when she swam in her first swim race and finished so well with so much energy and such confidence.

Now I'm not usually too emotional but I'm not too proud to say I welled up inside. My little girl is growing up and out there with the big kids. She cut some serious time of her best time to date, but more importantly she went through the whole process by herself. The pit where all the kids wait, the line up behind the blocks, the excitement of watching all the other heats, and finally jumping in and going through the "Take you marks" and then the start buzzer. I was worried she'd pull on the lane marker or turn too early at the wall and get disqualified. It's not that she was out there to win, but that she would have been absolutely heartbroken. But in the end she nailed it. She made me so darn proud.

Anyway, here is the set-up and the race itself. Here she is in her racing suit with her race number markered on her arm and her Orchard Farms Gators swim cap.

Below she is in the line-up with the other girls in her heat. I think she was more excited but Jane and I were more nervous.

Here she gets some last minute advice from Mr. Bill, our neighbor and one of the officials at the meet.

Next is the race itself. You can see me shaking as I watch through the camera. I also cut it a little short so I could be there when she got out of the pool.

Well next week she wants to swim freestyle, breast stroke, and backstroke. Why not? I'm not about to stand in her way.

A New Discovery

I am not usually a big promoter of commercial products on my blog, but when I like something I'll let everyone know about it. The latest thing that I've discovered (through Jane) is the Coppertone Sport Stick Sunscreen (see the website for coupons). It is essentially a glue stick full of sunscreen. It goes on easily, provides good coverage when you rub it in, and doesn't leave your hands sticky.

©2011 MSD Consumer Care, Inc.

That last point is the key for me. If you canoe, water ski, or kayak like I do, once you put sunscreen on your hands are usually left very slick for a while afterwards. That makes your paddle grip pretty slick too. It's annoying but something I've always put up with since sun protection is not negotiable (see this video if you aren't convinced).

Anyway, this stuff is great and doesn't get all slimy. (Strangely enough, the only con I found is: keep it out of the sun if you can. It gets a little soft in it gets too hot, making harder to control the amount applied.) This is my plug to anyone who doesn't like that slippery feeling. It comes in Kids, Babies, and Sport. All are SPF55. (Even though it is a high SPF rating always remember to apply regularly, especially after being in the water or heavy perspiration.)

Enjoy the sun, safely.

Another Trip to The USNWC

This week I went to the USNWC yet again. I love that place. This time it all started with a visit from a few months ago.

I had heard the center would be hosting the USA Canoe & Kayak Team Trials. I spread the word,  Pascal took me up on the offer and we were on our way with Isabelle and some of her friends. It turned out to be a great day. Pascal and I enjoyed it and the kids had a good time. Here is some of the fun.

The K-1 men were pretty impressive. Here is some of the biggest water. I don`t have the nerve to run this channel yet, much less worry about hitting gates.

This is one of the Canadians who come down to compete. They fared pretty well and finished in the top five in a few events, even though they can`t make actually the US team.

The C-1 event was also very impressive. It's really cool how these guys maneuver these boats and manage to roll them.

Of course there were the other "competitors." They did some rock climbing, the Mega Jump (a controlled fall from a 46 foot tall tower), and the Climb 2 Zip (a climb up a net to a 32 foot platform and then a 100 foot zip line down). Isabelle had done some of this before (last summer at the USNWC) but it was lots more fun with friends.

Here is the crew: Isabelle, Claire, &, Louis. Louis is in Isabelle's class and Claire is his big sister.

Here are Isabelle and Louis on the Climb 2 Zip.

Following the trip with Pascal he convinced the school that it would make a great end of year trip for the senior class. Since I am such a fan I asked to go along. The school took me up on it and here we are.

The students had a great time and I even got to paddle a little. Here are the pictures.

I also strapped the camera to my helmet and got a few good (I think) videos of the whitewater.

The first is of M-Wave, the big class 3 run.

The second is of some surfing on the Entrance Exam section.

Finally some big waves in the Playboat Channel.

Overall I think a good time was had by all.

More Swimming

Isabelle continues her swimming career with another round of Guppies (that's swim team for little ones here in SC). She is improving quite a bit and is being encouraged to swim in the big meet with the older kids. She has some strong strokes and weaker ones. If she did swim a big meet she likely would do freestyle and backstroke. Her backstroke is by far her strongest.

Here are a few videos and pictures of one meet at one of the neighboring sub-divisions.

Here she is ready to go in lane 5. Being one of the senior members she gets to swim first. That`s a far cry from the first meet she swam two years ago, where she went first but hadn`t grasped that she needed to swim when the whistle blew.

Here is the start of the flutter board event. Anyone jumping from the blocks can`t do it with the board so they put them in the water.

The backstroke is here best stroke. We have to work on finishing big, but she can really get some speed up.

Now here is the breast stroke. Not too bad for a six year old. I know I wasn't swimming like that at six. This week is another subdivision. Should be another good time for all.

Stick Figures

A while back a friend from work came to the South and noticed what I have noticed since I got here. People like their cars here, but they also like their bumper stickers. Not as much as I like mine, but they do like to make a statment. One of the statements is: "Look at me and see who's in my family."

Well the family units here are as diverse as anywhere. Below is either a normal family of four or mom and dad, a small child with bad hair and what could be an adopted zombie. It depends on your interpretation.

 

Next we have a family of four with a cat. Pretty normal actually. You tend to see a lot of these.

Sometimes things are a little more complicated. This one clearly is missing a dad. You wonder what the story is here.

Of course the families get bigger and bigger. I've seen a few that travel in huge, full sized passenger vans with more car seats and boster seats than I would want to deal with. This one seems to be at six, almost time to upgrade the family car.

Here we have a family plus the dog. Makes me miss Maggie.

Now the ones I really like are the ones I haven't seen too often. Last year we saw one where the Mom clearly had not left the rest of tyhe family on good terms. I wish I had been able to take a picture. It showed the dad and the two kids and the mom's head was actually chopped off. No, it wasn't just missing, it was on the ground next to one of the kids. Her arms and legs were also gone, some of them in the hands of the other family memebers. I can't remember if there was a dog with a bone. I'll leave that to your imagination.

Another one I don't think I have seen (yet) but that I think would raise some eyebrows here is two moms or two dads and some kids. I'm sure it's out there somwhere.

Finally, every now and then you see one with entirely too many cats or dogs. I saw one where there was one "mom" and at least three dogs and five cats. Not exactly my thing but go ahead and express who you are.

In the end my buddy couldn't find a set for him, his wife, and the two boys. We did come accross a set for him after he'd gone home so I bought it for him and delivered it to him on my next trip to Canada. Keep an eye out for it, it's coming to a rear window or a bumper near you.