Swim Meets

We have had two swim meets so far and they were pretty good, even though we lost both of them, haha. :) In the first meet I swam

- in the 200 medley relay 50 freestyle
- 50 free
- 50 breaststroke
- and 50 free in the 200 freestyle relay

In the second meet I swam

-In the 200 medley relay 50 backstroke
-100 IM
-50 butterfly
- and 50 free in the 200 freestyle relay


In the second meet though, I got bumped down to the B relay, which made me really mad, and I was like " What the heck?! You aren't supposed to change relays in the middle of the swim season! " 


I really really REALLY hope I am in the A relay for the next meets


But I did pretty well, considering the fact I don't swim year round like most of the swimmers on my team. 


Oh, and I was too lazy to take pictures, but maybe I will next time

And I got a new swim bag, woo hoo!!!!

Thanks for reading, and spread the word about my bog!!!!

Mary Grace

Swim Team

Yes, it is that time of year again. If you have been reading my blog since I first started it, then you know that I LOVE swim team SO much!!!! And since my blog wasn't working for the looooongest time, I couldn't post about it! It actually started on May 29th, so I have been doing swim team for 2 weeks, as of today.

 Twin Lakes swim team is perfect for everyone!! If you aare in the age range of 4 to 18, then swim team gives you a perfect activity to take part in for June and July! It is great exercise, builds up muscle, and plus it is really fun and you get to be with your friends!! To make you feel proud of yourself, you get a ribbon for every swim events that you do at the meets, which are twice a week. At each meet, you usually take part in 4 events, two singular, and 2 as a relay. Also, to cut you some slack, the coaches give you Fridays to have fun! ( fun Fridays) We usually do a couple of sets, but then we get to play games for the rest of the day, like Jump or Dive, Penguin, ( team game, because we are the TL penguins ) Sharks and Minnows, and other fun games.

 For the parents, you get to watch your children succeed at a sport, and the meets are always really exciting, especially home meets! Another unique thing about TL, not sure if this is good or not, but we have the smallest pool area in the Southern Swim Division, but we are the only swim team with a top-class golf course! Also, we only have 4 swim lanes. :) This means that swim meets at home go a little bit longer than others. (They end around 10 o'clock) Nonetheless, it is SO MUCH FUN to be on swim team!

So here is to another great year of Twin Lakes!

MG

Twin Lakes Awards Banquet

Last night was the swimming banquet for the Twin Lakes swim team, and it was really nice! They gave a whole bunch of thank you's to everyone that helped, and gave gift cards to the main helpers at Twin Lakes. Then the coaches gave out the medals to all of the swimmers, pink for girls and black for boys, and gave trophies to the swimmers under the age 6. John Mark and John Luke were really excited about that, because they have never gotten trophies before, even though they couldn't swim this year. Then they gave the trophies that were a lot bigger to the older kids. There was 3 groups for each gender of each age group, ( 8 & under, 10 & under, 12 & under, 14& under, 18 & under ) which is Most Improved, Most Dedicated, and Most Outstanding.  after that is the Sycimore award, when the coaches give a really special award to on boy and one girl who were really filled with the team spirit, and Meghann, a girl in my age category got the girls, and Noah got the boys. Then they did the coin toss for all kids age 10 and under 10, where they threw a whole bunch of coins into the pool and the kids got them. After that it was just free swim, and they did the " Watermelon Game" as I call it, where they take a watermelon covered in I don't know what, and throw it in the pool. The kids over the age of 14 are split into 2 groups and they have to try to get the watermelon out of the pool on the other teams side, and they can't throw it. I think it is a dangerous game. Hahaha.

 Coach Lauren talking

 the 6 & under trophies

 The medals

 Carolyn, up with all the kids who made it to All City.

 Mary Catherine with all the kids that made it to All City

 John Mark and John Luke with their trophies

 The crowd

 Meghann giving a high five to Noah

All city Meet!

Tonight was the All City meet, and it was REALLY REALLY fun, crowded, and the swimmers were super duper fast! Mary Catherine's relay did an EXCELLENT job, Mary Catherine swam the fastest I have ever seen her swim, and my friend Carolyn Hare did WONDERFUL in her 50 backstroke, the board said she was last, but she got 4th! Everyone said it, so they will have to fix that... Lilly Tucker got 2nd place in her breast stroke, she did awesome! Overall, it was a really fun meet, and I am going to work to going to it next year! 

Carolyn being crazy . . . haha

 Look at the crowd!

 Me and Carolyn

 Mary Catherine getting ready to swim in her relay

 Carolyn going off the backstroke starter thingy..I forgot what it was called, but that is a really
good picture!

 Carolyn getting ready to go in her backstroke

Me and Carolyn in the Twin Lakes All City parade!

Twin Lakes Shirt Making!

Last night we had this thing at the pool where everyone brought a t-shirt and decorated it with shirt paint, and put things like " Go Twin Lakes " or " My sister went to all city and all I got was this stinkin shirt ( Carolyn's ) " or  Twin Lakes 4 EVER or All City 2011 and stuff like that. We also made posters, and mine is really cute and colorful, and while we were doing that, Mrs. Hare and a couple of other mom's were outside, decorating everyone's car with " Go Twin Lakes " and " Swim Fast " " All City 2011 " and on my car, they put an arrow that was supposed to be going to Mary Catherine's but went to Anne Marie's and said " Go Mary! " haha. It was really nice of them, and it was a great way to spread team spirit! It was REALLY fun, and there were sparkles and glitter from the t-shirts everywhere!

 My poster

SWIM MEET!

Southern division was yesterday, and although my relay didn't make it to All City, Mary Catherine's did, and not only that but they got FIRST PLACE! If you happen to see her, tell her congrats congrats congrats! It is a REALLY big deal, and she is REALLY excited!

 Normady Park and Olympic View have synchronized swim teams, so they did a little performance for us!

 look at the crowd!

 Carolyn - one of my goofy BFF's! haha

 Anne Marie dancing before her race!

 Me right after my race

Mary Catherine getting ready to go!

Swimming . . . Prelims AND Southern division!

Hey, everyone! I am REALLY excited because I made it to Southern Division!     

That's like a stage before the championships! There are like 4 rounds, B champs for the people who's times were't fast enough, but you could go to try to make it to the next level, which is prelims, which was today, and then is Southern Division, then All City!!!!!!! I really want to make it to all city, I never have, so wish me and my relay team for the 200 medly good luck! We came in 6th place, so we were SUPER close to getting cut, but we made it! I swim 50 free in the relay, and Emma swims the 50 backstroke, Val swims the 50 breaststroke, and Meghann swims the 50 butterfly! Like I said before, wish us LUCK! we will need it!

Swim Team . . . Canceled practice!

Today it was the usual weather in Washington . . . rainy! During JULY! So I go to swim practice at 8 :30, the usual, we have our warm up : 300 swim, 200 kick, 100 pull, and start our first set : 4 25's sprint no breath, and we were going to start 5 50's build on the 25 but all of a sudden we hear this big BOOM! and everyone hops out of the pool really quick because what is that but thunder! I mean, seriously. Washington is probably THE ONLY state that has THUNDER in JULY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We did stretches and things like that for the rest of practice, and tonight are girls prelims, which I am going to! Go Twin Lakes!

Swim Meet...last home one!

Last night we had our last home meet! We lost against Marine Hills, but hey, we are penguins and we lose with PRIDE! It was a really fun swim meet, and we had a penguin sleepover that night, which was really fun, and we made water balloons ( Me , Shayna , Evie, and Carolyn ) and threw them at the seniors when they were 1/2 asleep! Ha. They were mad. Ha ha ha. I had fun, and I slept in till 12 this morning...hee hee. I thought I did pretty good and I tried my hardest, and they played fun music and we watched the movie Toy Story 3 at the sleepover, it was okay since I had already seen it, but I didn't watch the whole thing because I was too busy making water balloons!

Before-Swim Meet Post

Well the swim meet hasn't started yet but it's like the BIGGEST one of the year .  BUT, we are going against Marine Hills, and they are going DOWN!!!! Because the scores last year were pretty close, and we have beat Kent this year, so the bets our on us. I am swimming in the 200 yard medley relay, 50 breast, 50 free, and in the 200 yard free style relay. I am really pumped, and this morning was the penguin breakfast. It has been a tradition at Twin Lakes for some of the parents to make pancakes and sausage and stuff for us to eat after practice, and it was really yummy this year. But after breakfast . . . well let's not talk about that. Hahaha. Well anyways, wish me and my fellow penguins good luck, so see ya later!
MG

Swim Meet

Yesterday the swim meet was SOOOO close, but we still lost because of the relays at the end. :( But, I must say, here are the scores from the beginning to end, that were announce.

( AH = Arbor Heights , TL = Twin Lakes )

AH- 45  TL -45 - we were tied!
AH - 90 TL - 88 - they were 2 points ahead!
AH- 106 TL - 108 - we were 2 points ahead!
AH- 144 TL - 142- They were 2 points ahead!
AH-161 TL- 161 - we were tied !

So at the end we lost, I don't remember the score, but it's okay.  Me and another swimmer on Twin Lakes said that " We are penguins and we lose with pride . . . but winning would be nice too. "  :) I told my coach Jenna " You know, the meet is so close, it would be SO much easier to just call it shots and have Twin Lakes win, right? " hahaha.

Swim Meet

WOO HOO we won ANOTHER swim meet last night against Gregory Seahurst!!!! I don't remember the score, but I did get a bunch of pictures! :)  I swam in the 200 medley relay, and I swam the 100 IM ( 1 lap of each stroke ) and 50 butterfly, and a 50 freestlye in the 200 free relay! I got 2 first place :) and 2 3rd place, which isn't too bad, because we have 4 lanes at our pool. Then ( as a Twin Lakes tradition ) we went to Godfather's pizza, which was really fun! This morning my coaches Jenna and Lauren could hardly talk because they had been yelling and cheering so much in the past 3 days. :) Here are the pictures, and some of them aren't of my friends or family, just pics of kids swimming in their events!

 Mt crazy friends ( from left to right ) Alex, Carolyn, and Andrea!

 'Oh yeah, strike that pose" !

 Getting ready to dive in

 A blury picture of Mary Catherine diving in! hahaha

 Mary Catherine taking a breath on breaststroke

 waiting for the score

 trying to get one of our swim coaches in the pool

Me and Andrea...yes I know I look terrible but whatever.

Swim Team Pictures

Here is the pictures for swim team! We didn't have them taken professionally ( the single ones ) but we did for the whole group ones!

 John Luke and John Mark on the bleachers :)

 Me and my siblings...hahahaha

Swim Meet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday we WON OUR SWIM MEET AGAINST KENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO!!!! Now I can see why you might be thinking " So they won, so what? No big deal!" But winning a swim meet for Twin Lakes is like BIG because we haven't won a meet for over 3 years, AND Kent swim team hasn't LOST a meet in 15 years, so the pool that never wins beat the pool that always wins 382 to 362!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We were planning on just going home because we thought we were going to lose, but here's what happened. ( I'm so sorry I didn't get any pictures, but my camera was dead. :( )

Scene: Twin Lakes Pool. Everyone is really REALLY pumped up, because we want the score and the score has been  surprisingly SUPER close the WHOLE time, at one point we were actually TIED. That is SUPER rare for a swim meet. The whole swim team is in their swim suits, hair wet, cold, around the pool, waiting for the score. We had the last race a minute ago, and the staff is calculating the score. I am standing next to two of my fellow swim-mates, Emma and Alex ( 12 and 11 ) , there is music on, and we are all dancing....

Emma: Oh my gosh, the suspense is KILLING me!!!!!

MG- I know, couldn't they just hurry up with the score?

A boy walks through the crowd with an envelope

MG- OMG!!!! Here they come with the score!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(The crowd falls silent, and the score reader opens the envelope with the score. The music ceases. )

Score-reader- We have our score. Kent Swim Team....362...........Twin Lakes Swim Team.......382!!!!!

Everyone jumped in the pool, even the coaches, and they had their clothes on!!!!! Everyone goes CRAZY, because this is BIG news!!!!!! Everyone is screaming and yelling and cheering and is just SO happy, and THEN fireworks go off in the distance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And you would NOT believe the faces of the Kent swimmers! They were SHOCKED!!!!!!!! The coaches on that team were literally open-mouthed!!!!!!!!!!!

I swear, it was THE BEST day of my ENTIRE LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for reading,
MG

Swim Meet-first one!

We had our first swimming meet last night against the Olympic View Maddogs! We lost sadly, 372 to 348, but I have a feeling it's going to be better next time!  I swam in the 200 medley relay, where I swam at the end 50 freestlye. Then I swam 100 IM, which is one lap of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestlye! I think I got second place or something..not really sure but I dropped 7 seconds! Then I swam 50 breaststroke, and at the end I swam in the 200 freestlye relay! In my groups first relay, we got a really good time, and WE MADE IT TO PRELIMS BECAUSE WE GOT AN SSSL TIME!!! WOO HOO!!!That is a really big deal, if you haven't noticed hahaha. My mom tried to get some pictures, and the ones of me were really bad( I think ) but I will still put some up..and a bunch of my friends and sisters!

 Me and one of my BFF's Carolyn Hare...she is an AMAZING swimmer!

 My swim coaches ( from left to right ) Kai , Lauren, and Jenna.

Mary Catherine about to dive in