Joe High School, aka Kid #3, participated in Twinvite, a swim meet put on by TWIN, the U of M-associated swim club. I've probably attended four dozen swim meets in the past four years, most of them in very hot, highly chlorinated, middle school or high school pools. The Twinvite, as are all TWIN-sponsored events, is held at the U of M Natatorium, an amazing venue. It's large, clean, high ceilinged, with a working jumbotron, and an excellent recording of U of M songbirds singing the national anthem--in other words, all the candy. But what I really like about the TWIN swim meets is that the programs, for which other clubs charge $8 or $10 and use as a fund-raiser, are only $1.00, with no ads. The ads, of course, are on the jumbotron, along the walls, etc.
Swim meets are, for parents, a time to catch up on the grading, the crossword puzzle, the Sunday paper, or the latest bestseller. The kid swims for one minute, unless he does the really long events, and then hangs out for a hour until his next event. There's a rhythm to the meet, but it's hard to catch.
Joe High School didn't do very well in this meet--usually he makes progress during meets. In only one event did he beat his personal best time, and that was in the 200 freestyle. Otherwise, his head wasn't really in it. And he said he had technical difficulties--the cap was filled with air, which slowed him down. But he had a solution--practice with a cap on to get used to it. Most boys don't practice with caps. So we'll see if his solution to the problem works.
No high school girls at the meet--they are all swimming in the Minnesota High School League in the fall. Joe High School swims for South High in the winter.
