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.....
)