Now that Anna has changed swim clubs, it was time to get back into racing mode. We left for Edmonton not sure of what the results would be but sure that her decision had been right for her. Changing swim clubs means a lot has happened that a child must take in — new coach, new pool, new swim friends and more. These changes are compounded by the fact that Anna swam nearly 5 years with AMAC and the decision to change clubs was her’s alone to make. As a parent I supported my child and not with opinion but merely backing of whatever she decided upon.
We attended the Edmonton Keyano International swim meet held this past weekend (May 5-8) at the Kinsmen Centre in Edmonton, AB. The Edmonton Keyano Swim Club (EKSC) hosts this high-level, long course meet and swim clubs from across Canada come to attend. For Anna’s age group (11-12), there are a number of phenoms in the group and yes…. they were all in attendance. This would be her first challenge as a Waves swimmer and I’m happy to report that with each succeeding swim, Anna’s confidence grew and grew.
So leaving for Edmonton, I can honestly say that we weren’t sure of what to expect. Would she be able to compete at the same level as before? Would there be any lingering doubt in Anna’s mind that she did the right thing? Now that we’re back from the meet, I can honestly say that any doubt she may have had has been erased. Anna herself commented to my husband that she was glad she’d made the change and was competing at this high-level age group competition. The fact that she did well is a testament to Anna’s own ability to draw from her inner strength and be sure of her convictions.
I would put her first swim (800 free) in the so-so category as it was a best time but not by much. Anna’s splits at the 800 mark in her 1500 swims tend to be close to her 800 racing time which means she just doesn’t get how to approach this racing distance. But that’s ok as it was the first race and only one for the day. Friday would be the big challenge with 3 swims — 200 free, 50 free and 200 back. It was a great day and culminated with 3 finals swims and a bronze medal in the 50 free and a time of 29.38 which is pretty smokin’ for a 12 year old girl. Anna was just out-touched in the 200 back for a bronze medal and if the pool was just a few inches longer she certainly would have overtaken the 3rd place finisher. The most interesting swim of the day was the 200 back prelims race. Anna’s goggle strap broke just before the race and she swapped in a replacement. Long story short — her goggle straps came off when she did her start on the race. For the first turn and about 100 metres, the goggles managed to stay on by suction but that second turn proved to be the end and her goggles sank to the bottom of the pool. Anna had 2 options when the straps came off — try to fix the goggles mid-race or just ignore the distraction and swim. Anna chose the later and I’m proud to say that she completed her race in amazing time and was the heat winner. This propelled her to a great time in the finals and if not for just one slow patch of about 50 metres, she would have easily taken the bronze medal.
Day 3 brought an interesting mix. Anna was entered into the 200IM and the 400 Free and as it turned out, her heat of the 400 Free would be swum at finals. This meant that she only had 1 race on Saturday morning and we very much enjoyed our time off. We wandered around Sherwood Park and then back to the hotel so that Anna could rest up for finals that evening. She made the 200IM final but it was not even close to a best time — good thing she had a second chance. That second swim in the 200IM proved to be one of her best races and she came in 4th with a new best time. There are areas she could improve on with this event but that’s best left for next season. Right now, our concerns are that she’s enjoying swimming and doing the best she can at this stage in her training. Now the 400 Free was interesting as it was swum as a “marquee” event and so the fastest heat was swum at finals even though this was a timed final event (meaning only 1 swim for this age group). I would say this was probably not Anna’s best by far and it was clear she was disappointed in her time and swim. The coach gave Anna some good tips that she put to use on the final day of swimming and with good success.
Day 4 was the final day of swimming and the one to prove that Anna shouldn’t have been scratched arbitrarily from the 1500 free at short course championships. Anna was entered in the 100 Free and the 1500 Free where she was hoping to get her 13 year old age group national time. All of Anna’s swims during this meet were 12 year old age group national times (except the 50 free which doesn’t have a time for that age group) but unfortunately, Anna would be aging up in 2 weeks and needed her 13 year old time. The 100 Free in the prelims round was OK — not a best time but pretty close and good enough to get her a good lane in finals. Then it was time for her 1500 free and the race she had been waiting for. Anna easily beat the mark she needed and was well satisfied with the result. As parents, Jim and I held our breath the entire time — which isn’t good as I was the session referee and needed to watch the entire pool. I did my job and so did Anna. The best part is that this day was Mother’s Day and Anna came up after the race and told me that she made her 13 year old age group national time and Happy Mother’s Day. What a nice gift :-)
The final session of the meet had Anna racing in the 100 Free finals. She put in a smoking best time and was out touched for 4th position by her close friend by only 0.01 (that’s one one-hundredth of a second!) After the race, the coach asked the girls to put out their hands and she noted that Emma had longer finger nails than Anna. This put a smile on everyone’s face.
All in all, this was a GREAT meet for Anna in terms of her swimming and her confidence. As each day passes since this meet, I see Anna grow more and more each day. She made a wise decision to switch clubs and we’re not looking back.
