First TIde Riders Swim Meet

Hollace is part of the local Tide Riders swim team. It is quite a bit different than the little swim club she was in at McKinney. This is a city wide team which meets all year. The club only takes part in a few meets over the season and hosts one meet. They are much bigger, more "serious" meets than we have participated in before. Many of the kids don't compete in the meets and some only do the local meet. She decided to enter the local meet which was at the end of June. There were almost 500 swimmers there from several different states. 

She was in three events over the two day meet. There was a lot of sitting and waiting.

 Getting in the warm up pool, with her buddy Holly. 

There weren't many kids their age that entered from their team. Most of them were a little older. 

There were even some kids from college swim teams that swam in the meet.

 Checking out some times.....

 They were pretty strict about the the rules/regulations of the meet. There were officials watching closely for any wrong move at the start. Several kids got disqualified for moving on the block, not getting on the block on time, etc. 

 I think she was more nervous about the start than about the swimming.

 I was nervous for her!!

 She actually got disqualified right between these two pictures. As soon as she hit the water and surfaced she raised her arm to start a freestyle stroke. This was the breaststroke and the split second movement of her arm about the water was enough to get her disqualified.

She was so nervous about the start, she forgot what stroke she was doing.

 We learned it's pretty common to get disqualified in your first meet. 

She did a great job and had a good time.

I know she was relieved to have her first meet behind her.