DETHRONED!

For months the world is talking about Olympics happening in London in the heats of summer, well, during the heats of summer IN London, because the Philippines is experiencing heavy rains and floods while the everyone around the globe was cheering for their respective country’s team, while the flag bearers proudly wave the flags during the parade of nations.

For months too, I admired the posters and tarps of VISA card’s GO WORLD campaign featuring Michael Phelps’ underwater shot doing freestyle in shades of gold with intricate details of bubbles coming out of his nose exhaling, and water waves from his power strokes that were hanged all over the malls and everywhere, even to the doors of the establishments that were catering the services of VISA.

(photo credit) Google Images

Awesome and breathtaking! My kids are into swimming and I am one hell of a proud mother, if you noticed in my previous posts. Every time I payed Speedo stores a visit, I begged and  pleaded to the store representatives to let me purchase the promotion posters of this well celebrated Olympian of all time and his buddy and team mate, the ever gorgeous and free-spirited Ryan Lotche. Who doesn’t want to stare at this truly beautiful sights.

Oh yeah! Admit it ladies,….and you too ladies at heart! Those were just few among the gorgeous sights for sore eyes. I didn’t get even one of these posters. Speedo stores just won’t let me. How could they??? How dare them say NO to me like that. Anyway, with all the propaganda, how did the Olympics go?

For Michael Phelps, it was a disaster!

For Ryan Lochte, it was an incredible moment.

We are still here at hospital and my daughter was sleeping soundly and somewhat drowsed over her medications while me on the other hand was fighting the urge to doze off just because I want to watch the race for the 400meter IM Swimming event for men. London and Philippines obviously has a couple of hours as to time difference, hence one has to sacrifice few hours of slumber in order to stay tuned and watch the event of choice.

The 2012 London Olympics got off to a disastrous start for Michael Phelps, which shocked most of the spectators as the 14-time gold medalist finished off the podium and medal-less  in the 400 IM, the event he had won  the past two Summer Games. It was indeed the event of Phelps’ first Olympic loss in eight years. Bummer. The last time he failed to grab a medal was during his debut as a 15-year-old Olympian in Sydney.

Ryan Lochte speeded on his lane to win the gold medal and everyone can see that. He was way ahead of Phelps’ world-record pace for much of the event but somewhat slowed in the freestyle race. His  marked winning time of 4:05.18 which was more than a second behind the seed time of Phelps set in Beijing. Was it really?.. They said so! The world records may have proved to be unpredictable. No one can really tell. Losing to Lotche was expected as they already had their heads on match-up  during the US finals, but to finish the race off the podium was a real shocker. No MEDAL??? –Double shocker!

Being dethroned in front of the whole world is devastating. Inevitable. And while Lochte was all smiles accepting flowers and handshakes, Phelps looked like just another guy swimming in Lane 8.

According to Michael Phelps: “They swam a better race than me. They swam a smarter race than me. They were more prepared.”- so, how the hell did that happen Michael? Maybe lesser photo shoots and Speedo tapings for endorsement could have made it better? Maybe spending more time in the pool training could have prepared you more?

In the spirit of Sportsmanship, Michael Phelps, you are still one of the most appreciated swimmers of all time. Not all gold medals were distributed. Not yet, there is still a lot of time to bag them. Might be impossible to sweep them all now but never too late. Swimmers never quit and Quitters don’t swim!

Go World!

Gold medal– enough as a good excuse?

 

My kids and I were actually back from the weekend competition last Monday and I was too tired to even take a peek on blogosphere. I miss you guys! All of you….

I mentioned that my daughter was advised by the doctor not to swim and we’re pretty obedient with the order not until the day of the competition. The coach found out that there were very few participants in her age category and wanted to take the risk and go for it. Yeah! That’s the fighting spirit! He asked Water(the name of my daughter, if you all can remember) if she wanted to compete. My little girl said yes but was doubtful since she was feeling intimidated and somewhat scared of the 50meter swimming pool. Heck! We are training on a tiny pool of about 10-12 meters only and recently moved to a longer one of about 20 meters-not even close to a 25meter pool for novice competitions. With a  bit of encouragement and a little push, my daughter and her 5-year old friend and team mate, Heidi finally agreed on competing. They were  the last minute registrants for the 6-under Girls category. The coach signed her up on four events and she competed them all, sans weeks of training absences, sans warm-up, sans SUIMSUIT!!! – Yeah, right! We really thought she won’t be competing at all and I didn’t bring her stuff. Well, I sort of packed and was ready, but I brought rash guards and bikini bottoms for her so she can take a deep and play at the warm-up pool if she feels like it. We borrowed an extra swimsuit from Heidi’s big sister, Hazel and I am so thankful for them and their assistance.

Water took home 2 Gold medals for 50m Back Stroke and 50m Freestyle , 2 Silver Medals for 50m Butterfly and 50m Breast Stroke

Water and Heidi

Another GOLD for Most Be-Medalled Award for 6-under Girls Category

The team brought home a total of 3-Golds, 2-Silver and 6-Bronze medals

The team had fun and the experience was exceptional! My son, like some swimmers of the team didn’t get any medal but he had a good time and his races are also good. He did his best and he enjoyed the game. The young swimmers had proven a thing or two to themselves. Win or lose, being a participant of competitions is always an honor. Nevertheless, I am a proud mom of two good swimmers.

Water will turn seven soon and her next competition will be on a new age bracket. The Most Be-Medalled Award has given her a good exit of the 6-under category. She was actually worried because we disobeyed her doctor. I am a medical professional, Me of all people supposed to know better about following doctor’s orders but….. is a gold medal enough for a good excuse?

more of our swimming stories:

- TAKE YOUR MARK

- beginnings

- Raising Future Olympic Swimmers

 

Take Your Mark

In about three hours, I will be leaving with my kids and into a four-hour drive to the venue of their next swimming competition. I can already feel the goose bumps creeping all over me  every time I see my children at the end of every pool lane and when I hear the voice saying “Take your Mark….!”

Yes, the Tagum City Stingrays Swimming Team will be competing again. My daughter will make a pass with this competition this time though. She was disappointed, she had a cough that progress into a pneumonia that requires her to undergo a medication for one week with a strict doctor’s order of no swimming. My son has been looking forward to it and I can tell he is excited. As for me, I can’t tell what I feel. All I know of is, I will forever be proud for not all children in their ages competes like them. Win or lose, a participation to every competition is an achievement on my end.

Get well soon Water baby!

Good luck dear Wine…. I’ll be cheering by the grandstand!

What a swimmer’s parent must know…

As the team management’s secretary of my children’s swimming team, the coach asked me to search and check out websites of different Swimming Federations and Associations so as to get ideas to develop the team, more considering that we are newbies and rookies to the field. Browsing around, I was able to find these thoughts to ponder, not for the swimmers but for the most important factor on a swimmer’s life- the PARENTS. Reading the content, I made a conclusion that this doesn’t just apply to a swimmer’s parent but to all parents in general. Hence, I am posting this for all the world to see.

…………….…………

10 Commandments for Swimming Parents
by Rose Snyder, Managing Director Coaching Division, USOC
Former Director of Club Services, USA Swimming
(adapted from Ed Clendaniel’s 10 Commandments for Little League Parents)

I. Thou shalt not impose thy ambitions on thy child.

Remember that swimming is your child’s activity. Improvements and progress occur at different rates for each individual. Don’t judge your child’s progress based on the performance of other athletes and don’t push them based on what you think they should be doing. The nice thing about swimming is every person can strive to do their personal best and benefit from the process of competitive swimming.

II. Thou shalt be supportive no matter what.

There is only one question to ask your child after a practice or a competition – “Did you have fun?” If meets and practices are not fun, your child should not be forced to participate.

III. Thou shalt not coach thy child.

You are involved in one of the few youth sports programs that offer professional coaching, do not undermine the professional coach by trying to coach your child on the side. Your job is to provide love and support and a safe place to return at the end of the day. Love and hug your child no matter what. The coach is responsible for the technical part of the job. You should not offer advice on technique or race strategy or any other area that is not yours. And above all, never pay your child for a performance. This will only serve to confuse your child concerning the reasons to strive for excellence and weaken the swimmer/coach bond.

IV. Thou shalt only have positive things to say at a swimming meet.

If you are going to show up at a swimming meet, you should be encouraging, but never criticize your child or the coach. Both of them know when mistakes have been made. And remember “yelling at” is not the same as “cheering for”.

V. Thou shalt acknowledge thy child’s fears.

A first swimming meet, 500 free or 200 IM can be a stressful situation. It is totally appropriate for your child to be scared. Don’t yell or belittle, just assure your child that the coach would not have suggested the event if your child was not ready to compete in it. Remember your job is to love and support your child through all of the swimming experience.

VI. Thou shalt not criticize the officials.

If you do not care to devote the time or do not have the desire to volunteer as an official, don’t criticize those who are doing the best they can.

VII. Honor thy child’s coach.

The bond between coach and swimmer is a special one, and one that contributes to your child’s success as well as fun. Do not criticize the coach in the presence of your child, it will only serve to hurt your child’s swimming.

VIII. Thou shalt be loyal and supportive of thy team

It is not wise for parents to take their swimmers and to jump from team to team. The water isn’t necessarily bluer in another team’s pool. Every team has its own internal problems, even teams that build champions. Children who switch from team to team are often ostracized for a long, long time by the teammates they leave behind and are slowly received by new team mates. Often times swimmers who do switch teams never do better than they did before they sought the bluer water.

IX. Thy child shalt have goals besides winning.

Most successful swimmers are those who have learned to focus on the process and not the outcome. Giving an honest effort regardless of what the outcome is, is much more important than winning. One Olympian said, “My goal was to set a world record. Well, I did that, but someone else did it too, just a little faster than I did. I achieved my goal and I lost. Does this make me a failure? No, in fact I am very proud of that swim.” What a tremendous outlook to carry on through life.

X. Thou shalt not expect thy child to become an Olympian.

There are 250,000 athletes in USA Swimming and we keep a record of the Top 100 all time swimming performance by age group. Only 2% of the swimmers listed in the all-time Top 100 10 & Under age group make it to the Top 100 in the 17-18 age group and of those only a small percentage will become elite level, world class athletes. There are only 52 spots available for the Olympic Team every four years. Your child’s odds of becoming an Olympian is about .0002%.

begginings

 

I am MIA(missing in action) once again from the blog community for nearly a month and I know I am expected to come up with a good excuse, hence I reserved this come back post for beginnings.

As a mom-blogger or mologger(my made-up word) in reference to a fellow blogger, Hobble’s very helpful post “Blogging Made Easy” which you all have probably visited, this post of mine is in dedication to new beginnings of my children’s overwhelming passion for swimming or should I rather say- SWIMMING CAREER. Barely two months ago, I wrote about Raising Future Olympic Swimmers, and talked on how they looked like when they were in the water.

Last June 2nd of this year, the months of swimming lessons, trainings and drills has come to a test. I never knew this until recently but swimming experts from all over the country who happens to be organizers and officials to swimming events always come-up with swimming meets for beginners which they call NOVICE COMPETITIONS. The Philippine Swimming League in cooperation with Evangelista Aquatics and Sports Management Inc of Davao City held the LANGOY PILIPINAS 10th Mindanao Novice Swimming Meet.

My children’s team, the TAGUM CITY STINGRAY SWIMMING TEAM just then received its first invitation to compete. Our young swimmers were excited and nervous since they don’t have any idea how stuff like this goes but as young athletes by heart the determination and courage to test their strength and ability gave them the spirit to succeed. The parents in the team, myself specially can’t describe the ambivalent feelings as we watched our children prepare for the big day and at the same time we’re clueless of how to prepare ourselves as if we are the ones competing. Before we knew it, we had T-shirt uniforms ordered and printed, we had our banners hanged, specific swim suits chosen and picked specially for the day and we were standing, waving and zooming our digital cameras to their limit taking pictures as we cheer for our children during the presentation parade as the competition day began.

The competition was categorized by age bracket for both boys and girls respectively. There were eight teams and around 200 novice swimmers all over the region. My son has four events and my daughter has five. In each or their every race, I yelled, clapped, hollered, shouted in every possible cheering way that one can create or imagined. I shared the same dilemma of stage mothers in the crowd that fail to get videos as they turn excited and started to jump up and down forgetting the fact that they are supposed to be still  to be able to record videos resulting to video clips of more screaming in the audio background and scenes of pairs of jumping feet, or camera lenses banging the palms when the one holding the camera started to clap, or trees, ceilings, and people’s backs and heads who were watching the race but never the swimmer swimming in the pool which in the first place should be the main capture of the said video. Fortunately, I was able to control myself and got few good clips of my children competing–  only few because , I might have stood still recording but the excitement in me committed the mistake of forgetting to press the record button and only realized it when my daughter reached the end of the pool during her 25-meter butterfly race. Lesson learned, ask somebody to do the video recording for you or somebody to capture pictures when your children are competing. You’ll never know how the race turns out and expect yourself to let go of your calm state and will start to cheer ecstatically.

The results of the competition is good, great to be exact. Considering that our team swimmers had just started learning and training barely five months ago. My son won 2 bronze medals for 50-meter freestyle and 25-meter backstroke. My daughter on the other hand claimed her silver medal rank on all of her five events which were 25-meter freestyle,backstroke,breast stroke, butterfly and 50-meter freestyle on the 6 and under age category. The team took home a total of six Gold, nine Silver and six bronze medals. At the same time they bagged the trophy for being the 2nd Runnner-Up  Most Outstanding Swimming Team.

My children were so proud and happy but who could have been happier and more proud than me. The novice competition marks the beginning of their lives as swimmers. By competing the novice race they get to feel what is it like to be out there and race heads-to heads with other swimmers like themselves. They get to meet their possible competitors for the competitions over the years to come. They get to assess their strength and see for themselves how much they want to improve. They got to taste victory and embrace sportsmanship, accepts defeat and most importantly to have fun and enjoyed themselves.

For my children and for their fellow swimmers in the team, there is no turning back. Discipline and training properly is the way to beat their personal seed time. For a mother like me, as long as the dream, the desire, the determination and hunger for achievement comes from my children personally, I will as ever be supportive. I congratulate and thank the team in general, the swimmers  the coaches and the parents. We will be together in this journey , we will dream together and win together!

Raising future Olympic Swimmers

Swimming is an activity loved much by almost everybody. It can be both useful and recreational. Known to humans, swimming’s main purpose is for bathing, to perform fishing, as an exercise, a recreation and as a sport. Like most children, my son and daughter always get wildly elated whenever the idea of swimming comes up. They both love being in the water and becomes blissfully delighted the moment they are in it but gets petrified at the thought of drowning.

About a year ago, my kids look like this when we go swimming:

They are apprehensively mistrustful, terrified when they realized that their Dad or I, were far enough and out of reach, cheerful yet clingy, panic-stricken even in a two-feet deep Jacuzzi or baby pool. At times, during outings, when they need to play with other water-loving kids, my children will only get confident if a giant life jacket is wrapped around their bodies regardless if its making them uncomfortable.

My dear Husband and I decided to get them into swimming lessons whenever we got the chance as long as it will not interfere with their schooling. In accordance to our hopes, a childhood friend of mine, Gracela Cucharo who I fondly call as Ate Tata, whose two daughters Nicole and Thea, were elite swimmers and has been competing in various local and regional swimming races invited me for a swimming lesson. It was the second week of January2012 when my son, Wine and daughter, Water together with two of their cousins Sugar and Creamo first got their formal swimming lessons. I never regret the decision to accept Ate Tata’s invitation and enrolled my children to this swimming lesson and the very same day my children and I met Coaches Renan David and Reymond Cabali who serve as good influences to my children and other swimmers in just a short span of time since they have been working together as a team.

At first, we were only looking at a ten-session swimming clinic and an extension only if the parents feel that their children needed more coaching. Before we knew it, the kids become more than just interested on learning how to swim but started to become passionately dedicated to swimming as a sport. They started to look forward to competing and mastering swimming strokes. They abide to their coaches for support, approval, admiration and command. For two months from the start, they only have weekend schedule for swimming lessons but as they got more attachment to other swimmers and develops the feeling of belongingness to a newly built swimming team, they seem to become more eager to be in the pool training. The kids get so excited when the coaches suggested to have the training schedules frequent by making it a two-hour training four times a week provided that swimmers will not abandon schooling  and a decrease in their school grades just doesn’t mean an equal punishment but they will be out of the team as well. Surprisingly, just like good athletes, my children put up with this kind of disciplinary action in a very positive manner. What can parents do?—Nothing, except to give good moral support, encouragement and the warmth of tender loving care not to mention provide the specifically individual coach fees and expensive training equipment like kick boards, fins, paddles and such. Let’s face it, SWIMMING is a very expensive and sophisticated sport specially to a middle-class family like us.

Barely four months on training, this is how my Wine and Water looks like now when they are in the swimming pool:

Water on a 25-meter freestyle drill

 

Wine on a 25-meter freestyle drill

Pardon the poor video quality. Moms are technically not allowed to stay and hangout by the poolside while training session is going on and it is the best of what a small digital camera can do. This video is recorded by my cousin Malou, Sugar and Creamo’s mom. Thanks a lot for this video my dear Ate Malou!

I know that to call my children Olympic Swimmers is like reaching for a star in the sky at night, it’s very far and a long way to go. According to a 14-time Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps “You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.”…so yeah, I AM RAISING FUTURE OLYMPIC SWIMMERS!   If my kids’ dreams are as big as the stars in the sky if they can be laid in your hands then so be it. I will dream their dreams for there is no limit on getting to where they wanna be- Gold Medal it is. This doesn’t just go for me alone but also to my fellow parents of Tagum City Stingray Swimming Team. If my kids’ swimming team thinks that training is winning, then every training session is a lap ahead towards our way to the Olympics.

 

   

The TAGUM CITY STINGRAY SWIMMING TEAM is an amateur sports group of swimming enthusiasts. Recently registered and granted as the official swimming team of Tagum City.

Please visit and like the team’s official Facebook Page:

TAGUM CITY STINGRAY SWIMMING TEAM