Grandma and grandpa Nichol and grandpa Sill came to cheer her on...they were troopers. My dad got a kick out of watching Ashlyn swim...he was a competitive swimmer and diver for most of his youth, so he was right in his element and knowing my dad, I'm sure everyone around him heard some of his glory-day stories.After a little warm-up, the competition began...
Diving off the blocks for the first race...100m individual medley (she is in the middle)
Breaststroke...
Freestyle...
We had no idea what to expect or even how the morning would go. For the past 4 years Ashlyn has danced competitively so swimming is pretty new to us...dance competition season is about 3 months and during that time almost every Saturday from sun-up to sun-down is spent at some high school gym. After costume fees, comp fees and $5 bucks for each person to get into every competition it can add up! I was kind of expecting some of the same, but this morning as we check in at the Clearfield Aquatic Center I was pleasantly surprised...only a $4 entry fee for Ashlyn to be a part of this meet, plus 2 bucks for every event she was entered in and no fee to come and watch - I am loving this! She swam in 5 events: 100m individual medley, 50m backstroke, 50m breaststroke, 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle. Her first event was the 100m IM. She came in first in her heat. Ashlyn's coach, Kit, told her she was totally impressed with the outcome of her very first race! Ashlyn was all smiles after that race. On her breaststroke event she forgot to pull down her goggles before diving into the water...she was in a zone and didn't even hear her coach yelling at her from the side to pull them down. She dove into the water and that's when she remembered. Uh-oh, a bit was too late, but she did her best to put them on as well as she could and then when she got to the wall she stopped to let out the water and pull them on a little better. Even with that little error she only came in a few seconds behind the first place time in her heat.
After the meet I thought she would come home and crash, but she was off to Breanne's for another late-night. I'm sure she'll sleep well tonight!
