Thank goodness you didn't say pink.

Save that for the Olympics.

nu-huh not even for that.

Today they got their State Swag. Hebe is Made Up! They got camp chairs with their first names on the back, State team etc on the front, and last names on the cover. Matching Headbands, and Hebe and the two others who hadn't made the team before got team jackets. She is chuffed to bits and happily wore her state team jacket as she left tonight to watch the State Championship Men's Water Polo Final between the other two Ann Arbor High Schools (she's cheering for the River Rats)

Oh and..... this was so funny... (to me...)

On the way to practice this morning, I said "how awesome would it be for your team to get 5 swimmers in the State finals for breaststroke" and she said "Awesome, but it would also be awesome if coach could get us elevator passes, the stairs are ruining my taper". I chortled. But it turns out she was deadly serious. Most of her classes are on the 4th floor, so she's up and down stairs all day. generally good, but apparently -during taper- BAD. Coach is a serious coach, is olympically connected and apparently a college/olympic coach was visiting the other day and was horrified by the stiars they were doing. No exercise outside of practice is allowed during taper. OMFG -did we accidentally relocate to USSR? :lol: She did not tell coach about the community service type thing she did today because we were raking leaves......

This is SO CRAZY!

Don't fuck with the taper.

Ok. Psych sheets are posted. = list of all swimmers for each event in seed (speed) order. making it to finals on Saturday suddenly got less likely...... but that's ok, 'cause it makes me less apprehensive.

Last year, her time (1:08.52) would have easily placed her in the top 10.

She's #22 seed out of 44. it got a whole shitload faster!

but 22 is OK. Only the top 24 really have a chance -they get placed in the last three heats, which are "circle-seeded" -like dealing out the swimmers. So the last heat will have swimmers 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19 and 22; the penultimate heat will have swimmers 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20 and 23.... and you get the picture. So the top swimmers have less competition in their heats. and swimmers like SG who are borderline for making the last 16, get to swim againmnst much faster swimmers to pace them. Swimmers 25-32 all swim together, they all have very similar times, much harder to be in the running. not impossible, though. top 16 overall go through to Finals on Saturday.

As seed 22, SG does get to swim in the last heat with the #1 seed (time of 1:04.85) -that is the best she could hope for. She'll be in the outside lane though (but at MISCAs she won from the outside in a 10-lane meet, so.....) She is the lowest seed of the 5 Skyline swimmers, and bizarrely, only one of them is not in that heat. We have seeds 2, 4, 7, 19 and 22. It will be interesting.

for the Stats Nerds, there are 76 schools in Division 1. only 44 swimmers qualified for the breaststroke. 5 are from one school -ours, 4 are from another -both of these schools are new to Division 1 and -allegedly- are the reason it got so much faster! 3 are from the school that has been state champion for several years, all other school only have 1 or 2. the balance of power may be changing!

OK braggety-brag/omfg-is-this-for-real time..... DO NOT READ if you are not totally pro SG because you will want to barf.......

SG just told me that her coach said today that the mother of SG's friend (SGF) -the #1 breaststroker on the River Rat team, had called her to ask if she gave private lessons. Coach told SG "you make SGF look ordinary". In tones that suggested that coach is pretty impressed with SGF.

I'm guessing SGF has been on coach's radar for longer than SG because she swims off season for the BIG team around here, and SG swims for the small one. So Sg is kind of a nice surprise for coach. But it's all good. SG may be number 5 here when she would have neen #1 elsewhere, but I think it was the right choice. These are top class coaches.

SG is not a boaster, so for her to tell me this means it is really, really big.

(Just watch her fall off the block and get DQ'd on Friday! :lol:)

good luck, break a flipper, or .. whatever.

ps, I preferred to race in the outside lanes and not the center lanes, back in the day. I felt less distraction and I could just focus on my own race. I was never a favorite though, so maybe this was just making lemonade from sour grapes. who knows.

Gooooooooood Luck! Go SG!

thanks. She hates the outsides -or used to.

ok I lied about the less apprehensive. I spent this morning making her a team color fleecy blanket when I should have been doing something else. she loves it :)

She painted her nails last night so one hand said SkyHi and the other Eagle. Coach told her she loves it, but she needs to take it off to swim. Drag. :lol:

DEADLY SERIOUS.

Drag as in friction and not bumming her stone?

Maybe she should switch to silicone based nail polish.

Now there's an idea to pitch to Speedo......

Best of luck to Hebe! This is exciting!

:)

OK the child is fucking manic. her taper means she just isn't ready to go to bed. About as far from that as she could be. usually she's packing in the last calories befor ebed with drooping eyelids at this time of night. She has no school tomorrow, so no homework. Rescue me from this whirling Dervish of energy. And i mean that literally. She twirling away on the wood floor in the kitchen -I'm afriad she'll get dizzy and knock herself out as she falls over.

She's chatting on FB with friends who stay up late and play video games -she's usually all done with online before they get on, so she's buggin me about what the hell they are talking about.

it's almost surreal.

10:45pm. she just got up, thinking it was morning..... after less than an hour in bed. Didn't look to me like a kid who had even been to sleep.....

*sigh*

Well it's over. For her. She swam well (another time well within the state cut) but didn't make the last 16 so won't be swimming tomorrow. But three of the 5 breaststrokers did -they are seeds 1, =4 and =4 for tomorrow so it will be exciting. I won't be there (thankfully) but SG will.

So...... now I have to rant... and I was very restrained and reserved but several of the other team parents weren't.....

There are three teams new to Division one this year -Division is based on school size. (Well three good teams. There may be more who don't make much of a mark) We are one. Farmington Hills Mercy is another. They may well be the new division champions.

It's a private catholic girls school.......

OMFG those people are so obnoxious it's untrue! parents and kids. But especially the parents. I know a couple of FHM swimmers and families, they are nice, so this totally took me by surprise. Seating is limited, reserving seats is not allowed, but they tried to do it anyway -by the block, not just the odd seat or two -40 schools at least and they were reserving about 1/8th of the bleachers ....and were extremely unpleasant to anyone who pointed out it was not allowed ....and played the 'catholic card'....... "well we know it's not allowed but these people have to get siblings to school so can't come until later, and it's especially important they get them to school because it's Friday and so they can't miss mass....."! wtf? We all had siblings to get to school. titarses.

And then they were loud in a really trashy way, deliberately chanting over the cheers from the other swim teams (not the parents' cheers, the teams on deck.... even the swimmers tend to let the groups near them finish rather than trying to chant over them). And no, most parent groups do not have cheers/chants.

SG said the Mercy girls were deliberately delaying races by elaborately crossing themselves before stepping on to the blocks. I didn't see that, but SG is not one to bitch or overexaggerate. it's generally an advantage to be last up onto the block.

The Marion girls (another catholic girls only school) had apparently brought the rest of the team to support them. Which is nice. Standing at the back with their t-shirts scrunched up into bralettes, sagging PJ shorts and having the school name spelled out in paint on their midriffs, however..... not quite so nice... oh and the shouting down heat wins by other teams..... not classy at all.

My eyes were opened to a whole new level of swimmerdom today. And it wasn't terribly pretty. yes, I'm an atheist, but I really really did not expect the two catholic schools' supporters to be the ones exhibiting the worst behaviour. The parents of our team were nice to be with, though. We chatted in the breaks with some other parent groups who were also very nice. And the team looked great on deck with their chairs and jackets.

.....oh and every single swimmer had one of the miracle suits......

SG reported that the two offending groups of parents were more offensive today, although the worst behavior came from the TV crew from Faux News, based right next to our team, who physicaly manhandles the girls trying to get to their races if they were getting in the shot at an inconvenient moment. At least until coaches' husband went to give them what for.

Skyline came in 6th, less than 10 points behins the River Rats. Mercy won but not by much. We took 1, 2 and 4 in the breaststroke :)

Cutthroat at that level, huh?

I'm not surprised. In these parts there is a private Catholic HS, and I know it is nowhere near the level of what you're talking...this is 'small towns surrounded by lots of land' land. But I've seen the level of snobbery and competition that some of the parents exhibit. My friends and I hung out with a few of the guys in HS a couple times. I had a big crush on this guy who had starred in Fiddler on the Roof, and he also ran track so I saw him at meets and invitationals. Turns out, he AND his friends were spoiled little assholes.

Anyway, back to Hebe. She's got 3 more years and a lot of those girls were older, right? To make it to state is so damn amazing, and to do that already! Can you imagine what a contender she's going to be...even more so than now!

I like following along throughout the season, so thanks for keeping us in on it. It's, like, one of the Cellar kids, like one of our virtual 'own' ya know? :)

End of Season banquet on Weds. Facebook group going nuts, dress style is "nice/formal" current question is ...."so more homecoming or more church?" neither of which help us one iota. :lol:

SG doesn't care anyway. She usually over-formalizes (floor-length for 8th grade graduation....) :D

Banquets are evening. The teenage equivalent of a cocktail dress, whatever that might be these days. :)

For this team they are themed, but this year the theme is "The FirstFarewell" because it's the first year we have girls graduating, so they wanted "formal" but not too formal :rolleyes: whatever. my responsibility is over, I will just clear the plates afterwards :lol:

Nominated for two of the 5 big awards: Most Improved and Freshman of The Year.

Won Freshman of the Year and Lettered!

WTG Swimmer Girl, so proud :D




3 hour ceremony though, ouch.

Rock on SG !!!

Freshman ?? Wounder what the next few years hold ??
Worlds ??
Olympics ??

Shoulder injury? :lol:

She starts Winter training (same coach) Monday. No competition, but she will compete with her old team

little wind-up swimming crocodiles would have been more awesome

So I thought I'd look back to see my thoughts at the start and I found this post of times dropped in her first meet. the NOW bits, I added tonight to emphasise how much further she has come.

these are not the times we really concentrate on
(real time drops over the season: 100y breast: 1:19 > 1:08, 200 IM 2:35 > 2:18)

but they are the ones that are hardest to improve.

She came a long (and expensive) way.

I thought she might Letter. I had no idea she'd make State Team. I hoped she'd be Freshman of the Year, but you never know who else is coming...

I knew I'd have to buy more suits, more goggles. I never expected the Olympic Level Kneeskin LZR.

I had no idea about the yard signs for State meets.

So, seems I forgot to talk about the State Team party. I think coach was a little tipsy and had just learned that the coach of the team at the school SG is zoned for had solicited her over the summer when she found she was going to a different school. She was MAD! I'm not even sure it had really registered with her that SG wasn't forced by zoning to attend that school. But last year, their best/only diver -who was/is awesome and also in the same position as SG defected back to her zoned school and now dives for the river rats. Suddenly, we're getting the red carpet treatment. So funny. (And the "If she's have gone to Huron, she'd be #1 but never have gotten the time drop... speech -we know that.......... but it's funny to hear this suprememly confident amazingly scary awesome swim coach justifying that her team is the best place for SG) :lol:

Hmmm. So SG is doing winter technique with coach. She is also doing High School Girls Water Polo (Rec and Ed course) with the Huron team. See her very presence there and the fact it's through rec and Ed makes it not illegal early training...... ;).........

Coach is OK with her doing both. But apparently, whicle she's "perfectly OK" with SG playing water polo in Season 3 -after all coach's daughter does it- she wants us to be very aware that taking a season off from swimming is going to set her back a long long way..........(in other words don't). It is flattering that this means she thinks SG has great potential, but SG (rightly IMO) told her "stuff it, I'm playing anyway" She said she's given up so many spoorts to swim, this seems like fun and she'll regret not doing it. Go SG.

Also, Varsity Jackets cost $300. There are three places we can get them from. The Official University of Michigan Supplier, a mid-range fanwear store, and an allgedly discount sporting goods store. All charge $300 for Varsity Jackets, though...... :eek:

I loved water polo from back in the day, SG will have a wonderful time. It can be a seriously aggressive sport, the refs can't really see everything that happens below the surface. And swimming for a long time at 10/10ths with no wall or bottom to rest on.. that is a helluva workout. It's gonna be great.

Varsity jacket ordered :eek:

email sent to coach saying "fuck you, she's playing polo anyway" :eek: :eek:

:lol:

that said, coach is right, but she's just too young to give up fun completely

And to close out her first season..... Varsity Jacket.

Attachment 36952
Attachment 36953

.....and Water Polo conditioning started today......

she's as cute as a button

Nice jacket! She earned it.

thanks :)

WTG Hebe!

cool jacket for a cool girl !!!!!

And now we enter Michigan Swimming Championship season. It's becoming very, very clear just how far she's come. Michigan swimming is an affilliate/subsection/something of USA swimming -the national governing body. At the highest level meets you are competing for a place in the Olympics. But anyone can join.

There are 3 levels of championship within Michigan -then we leave the state.....

Level 1: Districts
If you don't qualify for any higher level in an event, you can swim it at District championships. There are three of these across the state.

Level 2: Junior Olympics
I agree, the name doesn't make sense for this level. You have to be pretty fast to swim an event at JOs. but not fast enough to swim at the State Championship. There are two of these meets in the state

Level 3: State Championships
One meet, fast times required.

Then we move out of states to the Central Zone Sectionals. You have to swim really fast to qualify, there are no age groups at sectionals. It's not just kids. It covers about 7 states.



Two years ago, Hebe was 2nd in the 100 breaststroke at Districts in the 11-12 age group, and qualified for JOs in that event.


Last year, she was first in the 100 breaststroke at Districts -her first 1st at a big meet (first of 4 that year) and qualified for JOs in the 100 breaststroke and the 200 breaststroke, despite only just having "aged up" to the 13/14 group.


This year, she didn't swim at district championships because there were so few events she could swim and all ones she hates. She was too fast for the rest. So we got a weekend off (last weekend). it was weird. (we filled it with hockey)


This weekend, we go to JOs. She's swimming three events -although she qualified in four. We're passing on the 200 free because she only just qualified, she doesn't really like it and it's after the 400IM and immediately before the 200 fly in which she might get a state cut. The 100 fly is the next day


In two weeks, we go to States. She's never qualified for States before. She will swim the 100 breast, 200 breast and 200 IM. And anything she qualifies for at JOs. She's in reaching distance with all three events she's swimming.


And then, we go to Sectionals the next weekend. She will be swimming the 100 breaststroke against 26-year-olds! and three other bonus events -she can swim them even though she hasn't qualified for them. She's not going to get to finals never mind place at this meet, but it will be one hell of an experience, And she'll probably get some personal best times.


now I know why her coach said it was time to invest in a tech suit.

Crazy,

Fun.

Scary.

Proud.

Expensive.

Chlorinated.



(anecdotally, her stroke coach prior to going to high school (Val) left town this fall, leaving a lot of swimmers we know without a private coach. Some of them (the cheaper ones) are interested in taking lessons from Hebe, the rest are now taking private lessons from Hebe's high school coach. I don't know if she did privates before, but when they asked me who Hebe was taking from now Val was gone, I told them..... :lol: )

....oh, and apparently, Hebe's off-high-school-season USA Swimming team is also recruiting her high school coach -to train their coaches!

I should claim recruiting fees, no? :lol:

So we're looking at the 2016 Olympics, then? I want to get my bets in with the bookie early, so I can get the highest odds.

I doubt it, she's not the best by a long way, although a good amount of it is attitude and dedication. But I'm hoping a college scholarship might come out of it.

WOO-HOO! State cuts in both events today -400 IM and 200 fly -both by a couple of seconds. (Wearing the magic suit) That girl is rocking the pool. She came in 5th and 3rd in the events, but the 13-14 and 15-18 age groups are combined at this meet. At States, they will be separated...... (She's 14)

WOOT!

WTG Hebe!


Sent by thought transference

WTG Hebe!!!!!!!!!

Gearing up to leave for States Thursday afternoon, straight after the Middle School swim meet (go Hector!)

I poopooed this before, and have superstitiously not been looking at these things But I succumbed tonight.

Pootling about the USA swimming site finding official warm up times, pool addresses etc...noticed there's one other meet left this season, called "Last Train to Omaha" Omaha is Olympic Trials. Times required were Sectionals or better. Sectionals is where we're headed in 10 days :eek: (in other words she's already qualifying for the last stage before olympic trial meets, aged 14)

These are the time cuts required to compete in Olympic trials at Omaha this year.

Attachment 37856

She's 6 seconds too slow for an Olympic time trial this year. Next trial 2016. She dropped 11 seconds this year. That's unprecedented and never-to-be-repeated, but that doesn't mean more couldn't go..... She's a late bloomer (maybe because we didn't go gung-ho on the training until she got to high school........)

Today was the first water polo practice of the season and she cut another second off her 100 free time, without a dive start (pushing off the wall) The child is ON FORM!

But for right now, State Championships is the focus. She will swim 5 events -400Im and 100 breast on Friday, 200 Im and 200 breast on Saturday, and 200 fly on Friday. We'll be stuck in a hotel for three nights. If there's working wifi, teh cellar better watch out! (I go stir crazy in hotels) :lol:

It is funny seeing the huge difference in the time standards between Men and Women because right now -at 13-14 age group swimming, they're still pretty similar, and the girls are still faster in some things. Come high school cuts, the boys edge ahead -especially in freestyle. By Olympics -those differences are massive.

It's only because the women are too chicken to use steroids!

Seriously though, I'm super impressed with your lovely daughter, monster. She's a good kid and I hope she goes all the way!




...And when she does, I'm gonna take that picture I have of you guys at my house, and sell it to People magazine for ten grand.

:eyebrow:

In a good way, Footy. :D

Seemed to me mutually exclusive.

7th in the 100 breaststroke prelims today brings her back for the finals tonight.....

8th with 1:11.11.

7th place got 1:11.10...

Personalised bling!

That's amazing. Good work, Hebe.

.

4th in the 200 breaststroke prelims today brings her back again for the finals tonight (she was seeded 16th and dropped 5 seconds!)

Wow! Keep going, Hebe! :cheerldr: