The Boy is Swimming Again

And it's a good thing too. Because our pool is empty now. (Well, almost empty.) He needs somewhere else to be a fish.

Soccer ended and with it ended the season of outdoor life for Nicco. Without a reason to be running and playing and breathing air, the kid was drawn again to his Screens. TV Screens, i-pad Screens, Wii Screens, phone Screens. I hate Screens. Except my computer Screen. I confess a small hypocrisy there. My excuse is that without a Screen, I can find something else to do. All by myself. And I am fully capable of walking away from a Screen. There. Justified.

Anyway...

Soccer ended and Nicco had a week's respite before beginning a new season. We skipped swim last summer for French camp and have been anxious to get Nicco back in the water for exercise, not just for play. Since we already paid an annual participation fee at the Y, Y swimming it would be. I was curious to see where Nicco would pick up after a whole year off, and I was pleasantly surprised. He managed to retain his skills and being a whole year older, he's better at listening, comprehending, and applying instructions from coaches.

I took some pictures of him at his first practice. I wanted the Daddy to see that he was doing well. I tried to get him when he was taking a breath with his face out of the water and his arm extended, but I did not do a good job of anticipating and timing it right. I got a bunch of pictures of kicks.

There were more, but two pictures make the point. The point is, he kicks from the knee down. Not very efficient. I showed him the pictures and I showed him how to kick with his whole leg. I showed him videos of Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. Their legs are mostly straight. I told him to focus on keeping his legs straight. There might even be some bonus wii minutes for him.

He did it.

He zipped past the other swimmers in lane 1 and was promoted to lane 2!
He's not a beginner anymore.

I told him I was proud of him and he said,"It's all thanks to you that I got promoted. You're the one who told me to keep my legs straight." (squeee! He listened! And obeyed! And was rewarded! And thanked ME for it! Best. Mom. Evah!)

I bought him some jammers (a.k.a. skinny swim pants. I measured around his middle so I could get an appropriate size and his waist is 3 inches bigger now than mine was in high school. Crazy.) and now he's much faster.
Just ask him. He'll tell you.

And yesterday, before we drained the pool, he jumped in and asked me what I wanted him to do. I had him doing starts, flip turns, side breathing, streamline-into-freestyle, backstroke starts...

This little taste of success has motivated him and thus opened up a whole new world for him.
This summer swim season is going to be fun.