Lil'E: Most Improved!

Okay, so maybe this sounds like I'm joining the crowd of helicopter parents who swoop in to make sure that every child gets and equal award, no one gets their feelings hurt, and most of all no one feels like they didn't do a good job. But I'm not - really. What I'm doing is bragging on my little girl.

The swim team season just finished this past weekend, and there was a big shindig and awards party last night. Everyone got a plaque for participating (or a new plate to go on the plaque if they already had one). Lil'E got her plaque, plus she was recognized as the most improved swimmer in the Under 6 age group! How great is that?

To give you some perspective, she was 4 when the swim team season started, and turned five towards the end. The first practice, she merrily jumped in the water and started screaming bloody murder; one of the coaches jumped in in full clothes to save what he feared was a drowning child. But, instead of drowning, she was just upset that she had jumped in without her goggles and got water in her eyes! Her times improved at every swim meet, knocking around 20 seconds off her freestyle time and around 30 seconds off her backstroke. At the end, she was still just about the slowest child on the team, but seeing the progress she made and the fun she had tells Mrs. E and I that it was worth it all.

So here's a tribute to Lil'E: great job, sweetie! Mom and I are proud of you! Now, just swim as well between the lane ropes as when there are no ropes around and next year's season will be even better. Love ya, girl!

(As a side note, for those who live in areas not like ours, swim team is the competition between subdivisions. Some of these people take it way too seriously, and frankly Mrs. E and I still choke at having paid $50 for a swim suit for Lil'E - and that with a 33% discount for being on the swim team! Our subdivision placed second out of six teams at the divisional meet last weekend, and I've heard people talk about us maybe getting moved up to a tougher division next season because we did so well this year. Yeah!)