Grandma's Kitchen Table

Friday's Favorites Fare

 

This is what competitive Junior National swimmers do when they aren't swimming at swim practice:  they swim.  Daniel, Harrison, Trish, Colleen, Matt, and Rhiannon in our pool this afternoon.

READING:   More Willa Cather, More College Materials, and bits and pieces of family history following links where those might lead which is always enjoyable.  One more week until I can send the guys off to JNats and have a whole week to start some serious reading on WWII, at least that's the plan now.

LISTENING TO:  For Caitlin:  James Taylor, For Margaret O.:  Billy Joel, and for myself, of course:  Tom Petty (with and without the Heartbreakers)

COOKING BYTES:  Yesterday I made a Texas Sheet Cake in memory of my Uncle Tony who passed away this week.  It was just something I hadn't done in forever and it was his favorite dessert.  My Granny would make it for all the family gatherings, and those of you on that side of the family will smile at these memories because it was easy, inexpensive, and served a lot of people at a time.  My Uncle Tony, who was always a big hit with the nieces and nephews because of his jokes and winning personality, would pronounce the "Sheet" part of this cake with a little southern drawl for fun to make it sound like a word that all little boys and girls were not allowed to say, not quite saying the word, but sort of implying it, which delighted all the youngsters to no end and set my Granny to chastising Tony for his "bad manners in front of the little kids."  The "little kids" were quick to run outside (where of course no grown ups would be able to hear them shouting) and run around yelling, "We are having Texas Shit Cake for dessert!!!"  No end to the fun with Uncle Tony around.  He will be missed by all.

FAV NEW FIND:  Not exactly new, but my impatiens are growing and blooming this summer and I am enjoying the color every single day.  Heretofore we have never been able to get impatiens to grow at this house.     

FAV THING THIS WEEK:  We had a good time up at Purdue for Sectionals last week, no new best times, but that was not expected since the JNat swimmers are not tapered and all, but it was just really nice to be away at a meet and see all the swimmers, go out to eat with them, and have them popping in and out of the hotel room between swims.  I will say, with the boys at least, the whole week was about swimming and eating and then swimming and eating and then swimming and eating.  My word those teen boy swimmers can eat!
GOING TO:  Our church has Seton Fest going on this weekend, so fireworks the next two nights in what is essentially our backyard, we can sit on the deck and watch a splendid show; Matt, Harrison, and Nik all have birthdays this week, so Harrison is hosting a birthday party for friends Saturday night at his house; Matt's actual birthday is Saturday, so on Saturday I will have an 18 year old...where did that time go?  Family birthday celebration for Matt and odds and ends of things that always seem to need to be done around here in the works as well.  Hope you all have a great weekend.    

PRAYING FOR:  In your charity, please pray for the repose of the soul of my father's youngest brother, Guy Anthony Baker, who lost his battle with cancer this week.

Cincinnati Meet

Certain people were observing (complaining) that I didn't have any photos of the Cincinnati Marlins swim meet the last weekend in June, so to appease them, I have tried to include photos of those doing the observing and hoping to catch a word or two about the wonderful time (if not wonderful swim times, although the swimmer did place first in the 100 Freestyle, and then scratched from finals for some fun at King's Island) that was going on in and out of the pool.  Although Ali made it down for the Friday sessions of the meet, Matt had to leave a bit later and miss the Friday swim sessions, so instead the plan was to meet up with friends and relatives and head over to Rock Bottom for the traditional before-the-Reds-game dinner.Yes, an actual photo of Alex there with Matt...guess it is cool to be seen going to dinner for the "best pizza in the world" and a Reds Game.    Go Reds!  Mark and his brother Brian didn't look so very much alike when they were younger, but now that they are older, sometimes it is difficult to tell one from the other...Alex, Mark, Brian, and Matt.
 And sometimes, most times actually, swim meet weekends are focused on the swimming...Matt in the center spot, no cap, getting ready to swim the 100 Freestyle, he finished first.  This is what swimmers do between their events, stake out a claim for floor space, set up camp, and catch a little rest and relaxation. 

 From the pool to King's Island for a little fun:  Ali, Matt, Alex  This is how I always want to remember Ali and Matt...big smiles, always having a great time wherever they go...oh, yeah, and the other guy is that way, too...Buddy (Ali's Dad) was one of the USA officials at the swim meet, officials need to go to King's Island and have fun, too!  

A parting shot at King's Island:  Alex, Matt, Laurie, Ali, and Buddy.  And, although Buddy kiddingly offered to give Matt a DQ (disqualified) hands up at the meet for the 100 Free so Matt would be able to go to King's Island for some fun, it didn't happen...Matt scratched Sunday night as a family decision to enjoy some family time and head back home early for a busy week and much as he enjoys Matt's company, Buddy can't be bought. 

CSC Spring Fling

Our swim club's annual Spring Fling swim meet was this weekend, Friday through Sunday.  I think they call it a fling because it is our first meet of the Long Course season (April through July) and the coaches use this meet as an opportunity to place the swimmers in swims they don't normally swim, i.e. swims that are not their specialties.  For instance Matt swam the breaststroke...I remember a time in his younger years when it was clear early on that Matt's stroke was not going to be the breaststroke,  Kirsten, his coach at the time, looked at me and said, "You know, I think there are times out there that he is not actually moving forward at all, just sort of treading water with the breaststroke."  Well, times have improved since then and he swims it in the IM, but it still is not anywhere near something he would say that he excels at with any regularity.  The meet saw some new best times, some pretty much even times, and a couple of real stinkers, which is about the way this meet usually goes at the beginning of the season.  The swimmers all fared about the same and all seemed to be having a good time.  The photo at the top is Coach Chris reeling them all in for some instruction and direction during warm-ups.  The photo below is a photo op when they spotted me in the stands with the camera.  The next two below that, more of the same, the kids and coach a blur as they were jumping and carrying on, no way to get a good still of that shot with my camera as it is.

Nik leading the cheers, Matt and Harrison the two tallest boys in the center without caps.  Lots of fun to make a lot of noise for your team!

Mike, Daniel, Matt, and Nik having a good time before their swims.

Charles, Michael (back from college for the summer, Matt, Kiernan, and Harrison, surrounding Charles' mom as she searches through the heat sheets for swims, orders, lanes, etc.  Let the season begin!

IYC Concert: Hear Our Song

Going to let the photos doing the talking for the weekend.

The final IYC concert for the school year was Saturday.  I think it was one of my absolute favorites, the songs were fun and the singers were all obviously having a great time performing them. 

Since it was the last performance, I came prepared with my hankie as the seniors all get introduced and the goodbyes are said, the song "Family" is sung at the end with all the IYC singers, joined by alumni, and staff on stage with their arms all locked together as they sing loud and joyfully, with a touch of sadness that it is the last time they will sing together as a group, part of the IYC family.  I always cry.  I spend the whole month of May crying over goodbyes as the kids all grow up and move on toward college. 

Left:  The yearly photo of Matt and Ali at the concert...they swam at the CSC meet in the morning, dashed out of the pool still wet on their way to Ali's house to don tux and formal dress, head down to the concert an hour away to sing, those two always on the go.  Ali had an art show after the concert, so she was running off for there before heading back to Carmel. 

The other photo is Alea, Cassie, Ali, Matt, and Danielle, the three with the corsages are seniors and moving on...good friends through the years.
 

CHS Prom 2010

It's prom time!  That time of year when the juniors and seniors at the high school decide if, when, and who is going to the prom this year.  Matt doesn't have a steady date, so he and Rhiannon, who is also without a current steady date, decided that they would go to prom as friends and have a great time.  Mission accomplished...they had a great time, and they looked great, carefully coordinating togs, flowers, and jewelry for the evening. 

A group of the swimmers paired up and went to dinner (thanks to Margaret's parents who arranged for them all to have a fancy golf club dinner prior to the dance), to the prom, and to the after-party at Margaret's house, where the chief form of entertainment was...can you even imagine...SWIMMING in Margaret's pool.  You would think in their down time that swimming would not even be on the radar...wrong. 

Parents were invited to the club before dinner for a photo op of the group, so we took full advantage of making sure we photographed them all in their finery.  This is undoubtedly going to be the longest post that GKT has ever attempted.  It's for the kids...so everyone else can just tune out at will.  We tried to get photos of the couples as they entered, easier said than done.  Here's what I got, in no particular order.  Nik & Taylor, left; Rhiannon & Matt, right.

 

Megan (in black) & Court, Mike & Margaret (in pink).

Elizabeth (in blue print) & Kiernan,  Matt F & Colleen (in blue).

 

Cheffy & Stephanie (in black); Charles & Christina (in teal).

 

John & Beth (in black), left; Scott & Trish (in red).

 

The girls all lined up, and the guys as well.  You can probably guess which group was a bit more cooperative than the other, right?

I should mention that Lauren S. (black & white dress) came to the dinner sans date, who joined her later at the dance.

And, then, of course, there is silliness that just can't be explained.  JUMP is one of them.  I think I was the only parent who actually got them all in air at once!  Matt is fourth from the right.

 

And then, just some nice shots of Matt with some of the seniors, their last prom, the time together is winding down.  Left is Charles, Matt, Scott, so many years of hanging out together, Charles and Scott off to college next fall.  Right is Matt & Stephanie, good friends, Pepperdine has no idea what is coming next year with Steph, such fun!

 

Matt & The Lovely Margaret, hostess for the evening's before and after prom events, left.  Matt & Trish, who is headed off to Florida come fall to wow them all with all her swimming talent...These two, Matt and Trish, were the 2010 Boy and Girl Swimmer of the Year for our county this year.  Good friends, Trish will be much missed.

 

And, last but not least, a fun picture of Matt & Erica, who is alas, but a sophomore, so no prom for her this year, but undoubtedly she will be in the mix for next year. 

 

A fun time was had by all...what a great group of friends.  In less than a month, school will be out, the seniors will move on, and the juniors, oh my word, will be the seniors next year.  Where has all this time gone so quickly? 

 

CSC Spring Awards Banquet

 
Photo:  From the left:  Daniel, Matt, John, Matt F., Kiernan, Jonathan, Nik, and Mike.  

 

The CSC Spring Awards Banquet was this past Sunday.  It's always a big deal.  The swimmers look forward to it, the coaches get a chance to see and be seen in something other than pool togs, and we parents get a chance to see all the swimmers in one place at one time...dry and wearing actual clothes...400 swimmers strong this year. 

 

We had a lot to celebrate...lots of firsts and new best times...lots of fun times and best of all, this year, for the very first time, Carmel Swim Club was named a USA Gold Medal Club, ranked 11th in the nation.  Not bad, especially for a smaller community.  We gladly forfeited our Silver ranking and got a brand new banner for the pool proclaiming the latest feat, the only Gold Medal Swim Club in the state of Indiana.  The swimmers were thrilled with the news. 

 

Matt recieved Most Improved Swimmer Award for his group, much deserved as Matt had a banner year himself, the best year he's ever had with swimming so far. 

 

Through all the celebrating and joyful news bits, there is always, the sad bits...the saying goodbye to the seniors who will be heading off to college in the fall, and to those parents who will no longer be hangin' at the pool because their last swimmer is heading off to college.  Nik and Daniel gave moving and inspiring speeches, so I didn't manage to be dry-eyed through the entire time...I caved when the little memories the two boys were sharing brought it all home that they are now almost grown...and almost gone...and that all these years of sharing so many times with them are almost gone as well.  Yikes.  How is a girl supposed to keep her hanky dry through all of that???

 

Matt also had a choir performance Sunday afternoon and had to skip out a little early...I kept saying, "Are you sure you have enough time to get both of these in today with the travel time and everything?"  He kept assuring me he did.  During the banquet, he realized for the first time that the venue for the choir performance was on the total opposite side of Indianapolis.  He thought 89xx was by St. Luke's on the north side (near where we live), and then realized it was 89xx SOUTH, and had to do some quick calculations about the length of time that was going to take to get clear to the south side of Indy.  He managed to arrive on time, barely.  Ali had skipped the banquet thinking she didn't have time to do both, so she was worried when he didn't show up until the last minute.  My hair is turning more gray by the day. 

 

I only have a few shots from the banquet this year as the swimmers were spread all over the place and it took a bit just to get these guys all sitting in one place at one time.  The girls were everywhere all at once...trying to nail Jello to the wall trying to get decent photos of them, but here's a cute one of Colleen and the guys.  (Mike, Daniel, Matt, Matt F., John, and Colleen.)

USA Swim Sectionals - March 25-28, 2010

We are now on a break.  For the next 11 days, there is no swim practice.  No swim meets, no swimming at all.  Short course has ended, long course begins on April 10th.  What will we do with our time?  Well, after all the busy times of Holy Week and Easter, there will be college visits over spring break...to check out, what else, college swim programs. 

 

Sectionals came and went.  The Nat in Indianapolis was host this year, which made it nice and convenient for us:  13 miles travel and no overnights! 

 

Sectionals were long course, so Matt was not trained in long course after swimming all these months of short course, and the good thing from the weekend, is that he did not lose as much momentum as he usually does switching between the two.  He pretty much went in and came out really well.  Even swimming against a bunch of college kids. 

 

He swam 4 swims and 3 relays.  Went in seeded 6th of 77 in the 50 Free, and finished 6th.  Went in seeded 16th of 90 in the 200 Free, and finished 10th (but 8th in time).  Went in seeded 10th of 71 in the 100 Back, and finished 12th (but 11th in time).  Went in seeded 13th of 100 in the 100 Free, and finished 9th (but 6th in time).  One cannot jump between brackets during finals, so that is why his time was better in three of the swims than his actual placings, you get to keep your time, so that's what is most important.  

 

All his relays finished second, which was not bad considering Daniel and Harrison were on spring break at their schools and were cruising literally with their families instead of swimming at the meet. The last relay of the meet was the 400 Medley:  Nik at backstroke, John at breaststroke, Mike at butterfly, and Matt at freestyle.  In the relays, they only swim the fastest in the finals session, so in the relays, a team could finish faster in the morning and keep their time, so that in the evening finals, if that team had a better time, they could place in the top 8.  And so it happened. The amusing part was that the guys didn't know that when they were swimming, they thought they were swimming against the fastest teams, so as you can see from the photos, Matt is anchoring and way ahead of anyone else coming into the finish (meaning there was not the usual pressure of bringing it home), so when he touched in, they thought they had gotten first, but a team from the morning session had a faster time, so Matt's team ended up second. 
Although they were disappointed, it did bring home the fact that just because you think you have it all in the bag, you shouldn't ever let up. 

 

That said, it was a wonderful season full of lots of firsts and new accomplishments.  Time to retire the yards and swim in meters.  Time to work on long course times.  But first, starting Friday, it's time for spring break!

USA State Swim Meet - March 12-14, 2010

After high school swimming ends, USA swimming still has a month to go with state and then sectionals for the swimmers who have the times to qualify for those meets before it switches over to long course training for the summer.  State is a little easier to qualify for than sectionals as the sectionals lead to junior nationals, hopefully, for the swimmers who can advance with their times.  Matt already has junior national times in the 100 and 200 Freestyle and the 100 Backstroke, so he is swimming with the hopes of getting a junior national cut time in the 50 Freestyle also.  We shall see. 

 

The USA state meet was one of just getting back in the water to competitively swim some of the swims that went by the wayside during the high school season, i.e. in high school one just gets to swim 2 events, so Matt's concentration was on the 100 Freestyle (he placed third in that in high school state) and the 200 Freestyle (he placed first in that).  He also swims the backstroke, so he was entered in that and the 50 Free, the 200 IM, and the 100 Butterfly (which he and his coach agreed was not a stellar performance so although he made finals for that, he decided to scratch).   

 

The Wall at meets is always a gathering place for the swimmers, checking their times, their placings, their competition, etc.  It also includes the various time standards for the high powered meets, so the guys are always checking those times against their own times to see what they qualify for...I can tell by the way Matt is pointing in this photo that he is checking out the National times at the very top.  The dream.   

 

Harrison has always been slightly smaller and slightly less in stature than Matt, but this year the growth spurt has evened them out!  We've known Harrison since the first grade, so as I look at them standing together, my heart sort of seizes up remembering all the years between then and now and knowing that sooner than I can imagine, they will head off to different colleges, swim for different teams, etc.  Like Scarlet, "I'll think about that tomorrow."   

 

Some kicking back time up in the stands having a drink and checking out the psych sheets...you can tell this is a more relaxed meet as the boys are kicking back in the stands and not down on deck focusing and gearing up for serious swims.  They have their junior national cuts, so now they can relax a bit more.

 

Matt, Harrison, Jack, and Charles down on deck posing for a shot for the blog...the swimmers like to see themselves here on the blog, so I try to get shots that are usable, i.e. wearing the longer swim trunks and not the tiny little Speedos. 

 

With the re-entry into USA swimming, comes re-entry into swimming with the college kids, etc.  High school swimming is just that, high school aged swimmers.  USA is different in that once you hit age 15, you swim with all the swimmers over the age of 15, meaning a lot of college kids.  Even then, Matt pretty much holds his own, so after four months of not swimming the 100 backstroke much, he still placed 5th and Harrison still placed 8th.    

1st and 2nd places went to Purdue college kids, 3rd and 4th went to the same old contenders that Matt has faced in that swim since early on ever since he has been swimming USA since he was seven years old, so no real surprises there.

 

The swimmers have all known each other for all these years, so it is fun for them to get to state and compete with each other each year.

 

 
When it comes to relay swimming, it is difficult to beat a CSC relay team. 
CSC had two relay teams, placing 1st (Nick, Daniel, Jonathan, and Matt) and 3rd (Mike, Kiernan, Harrison, and Charles).  The winning team supplies the person handing out the awards, so for our team, it was Roch for this race, always nice to have Roch around.

 

Matt tied for 7th in the 50 Free, and for the life of me, I cannot remember how he placed in the 200 IM, not one of his usual swims.  It was good to be back as a USA team with Daniel and Harrison being able to swim on the team again now that the high school season has ended. 

Why I Have No Fingernails Left at the End of State aka Just How Close It Was

With all the excitement of the Olympics now a thing of the past, here's our own version of sports excitement from the swimming pool at the High School State Swim Meet.  Matt is in Lane 4 (center lane) in a gray cap with a blue greyhound, Ethan is in a red cap in Lane 5 (to Matt's left) and Daniel, one of Matt's good friends that swims in CSC with him but for Park Tudor during the high school season, is in Lane 3 (to Matt's right).  If you watch after the race, the ribbons are awarded on the podium, and then there is a short interview with Matt by a reporter.  Okay, maybe not quite as exciting as the Olympics to you, but it definitely was to us!  Click here.

They Celebrated

State swimming wrap-up.  At State, after each of the swims there is a little break where the swimmers in that heat get to swim a victory lap before they assemble everyone on the podium for awards, medals, and photos.  (Photo is Matt's victory lap after his 200 Freestyle, that smile says it all!) 
I know that I have talked about this before, but the friendships made through swimming are a wonderful thing.  The swimmers who swim on Matt's USA team are the elite swimmers on the high school team as that is just the way it goes, a good swimmer who does not swim USA club cannot possibly hold his own in the high school realm against those who all swim high school and USA club...that year 'round training makes the swimmers ready to compete at the highest levels.  Most of the CSC USA club swimmers go to Carmel High School, but there are a few who attend private schools, like Matt did with Guerin the previous two years, and Daniel does with Park Tudor, Harrison and Ali at Brebeuf, etc. 

 

This year Daniel was the only swimmer from his high school team to qualify for state, so the CHS swimmers just sort of incorporated Daniel into their space, warming up in the pool, etc., as after all, Daniel was "one of them" no matter what high school he went to, just like they did for Matt when he was at Guerin.  When it came time at the end for the celebratory podium jump into the water for a victory swim, the CHS swimmers all urged Daniel to get up on the podium with them and swim as well.  Daniel had second and third place finishes in his swims (no relay swims as he was the only qualifier from his team), which was fantastic and the boys wanted him to jump with them in celebration.  Daniel, bless his heart, stood on the podium at the very end, shown in the photo above, (the podium shows seniors at the top, followed by juniors, etc. down to the end), but the swimmers all encouraged Daniel to get up to the top with the rest of the seniors and the photo shows Matt motioning and urging Daniel to come up higher to be with the seniors, the same seniors Daniel swims with in the CSC USA team. 
It was heartwarming and special that in all the chaos of the win, others were not forgotten.  Daniel moved up, took his place with the seniors and jumped with glee.  It was one of those moments that made the day that much more special.
(Photo:  The Jump into the diving well at the pool...freshman, sophomores, juniors, seniors, coaches...in that order...everyone in!)

  

Afterward there was a party to celebrate with lots of pasta and a cake or two.  

 

The guys were all in great spirits, the coached talked about the day, the year, the swimmers, and the future. 

 

The seniors talked and then the juniors spoke of the commitment to bring home another trophy next year.
(Photo:  The Juniors now in charge:  Mike, John, Sean, Fillipo, Kiernan, Cameron, Matt, and Tyler.) 

 

(Photo:  Matt and his head coach for high school as well as his CSC USA team, Chris.  I think Chris still has an inch or so on him, but there will come the day, that Matt will catch up in height.)  

 

 

And did I get a photo of my son with the trophy?  Somehow he and Nik scooted out of there on their way to Stephanie's post-post-state party before I could suggest such a thing, but fortunately, Mike was still available and happy to pose with the trophy he had a big hand in winning for the team. 

 

A final photo of the guys just kicking back and having a good time excited for their high school season to have such a great ending and ready to move on to the nationals with their USA state and sectionals competitions coming up in the next couple of weeks.  And who will their opponents be?  All the same kids they battled at high school state in the finals.  After 11 years of swimming with all these same swimmers in Indiana, it's just as much fun for the parents to go and watch those swimmers and see their accomplishments as it is our own team.  Well, maybe we cheer a little harder for our own team, but it is exciting to see Kyle breaking all the records and whether or not Matt can finally beat Kevin in something...yep, pretty darn exciting all the way around. 

(Photo:  Nik, Jonathan, Matt, Mike, Kiernan)  

They Did It! CHS Boys Swimming and Diving Win State

(Photo:  Trophy Time...Matt is sitting on the podium, fourth from the left in his CHS warm up suit.  Roch is first coach on left with Chris, the head coach, beside him.) 

 

They did it...the CHS boys swimming and diving team won the State Championship on Saturday.  I have the worst pictures imaginable because I was just too excited, nervous, distracted, etc. to take photos...fortunately there were photos from others and the professional ones to mark the occasion.  Here's some of what I have, be kind.
(Photo:  200 Freestyle race, Matt leading with Ethan not far behind and Daniel (Matt's good friend from CSC swimming who swims for Park Tudor) in third.  A very exciting race right down to the touchpad.  Most importantly for Matt, he managed to get in first against very tough competion!)  
 Matt had the allotted four swims, two individual (200 Freestyle and the 100 Freestyle), and two relays (200 Freestyle Relay and the 400 Freestyle Relay).  He placed first in the 200 Freestyle...sorry, no photo of him on the podium, I was absolutely in awe that he won that race and got first, let alone have the presence of mind to get a photo of the occasion.

 

(Photo:  For the finals, the top 8 get an escort to the starting blocks before they swim, Matt is fourth back and Jonathan is in this race as well further back.) 
He placed third in the 100 Freestyle, which is just where he really was this year as he went into the weekend seeded fourth in that event, Harrison's goggle malfunction knocking him out of the first seed, and Nathan and Tyler really have pretty much owned that swim all year, although Matt did beat each of them prior to this, it finished right where it should have so he was happy with his swim.
(Photo:  400 Freestyle Relay, Matt swimming anchor and in to a big finish against the Munster team, a very tight race right to the end, sealing the deal of a CHS victory over Munster for the state title this year.) 
The 200 Freestyle Relay finished second and the 400 Freestyle Relay, the last event of the meet, finished first.  Happy Happy Boy, Happy Happy Team!
(Photo:  It's a celebration...all swimmers and coaches in the pool!)

  

Tradition holds that at the end of the meet, the first place team and their coaches gather on the podium for a final jump into the water in a wave of celebration. 

 

It was quite a weekend.  Matt ended up with 2 firsts, a second, and a third and had scored the most points for his winning team.  Not bad for a junior.  What's next?  State finals for USA in two weeks, followed by Sectionals for USA at the end of the month.  Then I think we have a week off before long course training.  I think.

They Are Off to a Great Start

(Photo:  Matt swimming to the end of the 200 Freestyle and winning that race with a new best time for himself.) 
Preliminaries Friday were a good thing.  Always nervous when he goes in seeded so high that having two good weekends in a row for meets will just not be there, but Friday the times were there.   

 

(Photo: 100 Freestyle was quite the race, he was seeded 4th in that and ended up winning it with a new best time.)

 

 

He got a new best time in both his individual events, the 200 Freestyle and the 100 Freestyle, and now has Junior National Times in both those events. 
Harrison, unfortunately, had a goggle malfunction in the 100 Freestyle that cost him his first place seeding in the 100 Freestyle on Friday, which was really unfortunate. 

 

(Photo:  Matt and Harrison stepping up to the block before the 100 Freestyle, and before the goggle misfunction costing Harrison precious seconds.  Matt always steps up and makes The Sign of the Cross before he swims, just happened to catch him mid action with that in this photo.)   

 

Harrison goes to another high school but has been swimming with Matt in USA swimming for too many years to count, maybe like 10, and is one of Matt's best friends, so while Matt was excited to get the first place seeding for Saturday, he was also disappointed for Harrison because the malfunction slowed Harrison down and cost him a top heat seeding.  Very disappointing for a swimmer of Harrison's caliber.

 

(Photo:  The relay team getting ready to defend their first seeded position, Mike, Nik, Jonathan, and Matt.  The boys are sporting special new state swim caps, gray with a blue greyhound on them, instead of their traditional blue with the large yellow "C" on them.  Quite fancy.)

 

Matt's relays did well, they were both seeded first Friday night but the 200 Freestyle Relay ended up seeded second going into Saturday, Matt swam a 20.9 on his 50 leg, which might have been one of his best in that, so they were hoping to get back into the groove of that one and take first again.  The 400 Freestyle Relay went in seeded first and came out seeded first.   All in all a great day for Matt.  Will it continue?  We shall see. 

They Are Off To State!

Photo:  (Back, left to right)  Matt G, Scott, Cheffy, Mike, Jonathan, Matt F, Johnny, Kiernan, Elliot, Mark; (Front, left to right) Roma, Vic, Michael, Charles, Eric (the diver), Nik, and John.  

 

And, as in the past two years, Matt and Roch, off to State together, neither knew it would work out this way, but indeed it has...something of Providence in it all I guess.  Mother Guerin was big on Providence.  

 

It's The Day.  State prelims for boys swimming are today at the Nat in Indianapolis.  Top 16 contenders get to advance to finals tomorrow.

 

Excitement is running high as the CHS boys have a real shot at winning the state title this year.  We are sending 17 boys wearing the blue and gold.  17 very excited young men who have worked long and hard for a chance at the state title.  We shall see, by tomorrow's eve we will know if the dreams have become reality. 

 

The boys were dismissed from school at 11:30 and hopped on two small CHS buses for transport to a special lunch for them, followed by a team meeting at Mike's house, and then transported downtown Indy to the Nat (about 15 miles). 

 

Some of the parents met up at the school to wish them well, exchange school backpacks for swim backpacks, and hold a banner across the drive so that the bus could plow through it, which it did, but apparently banners tend to stick to the bus, and Matt hopped out to gather it up to free the driver's vision, etc.  Off they go...keep the good thoughts going for them.  Go Greyhounds!

Four Firsts For Matt

If you are here for the swimming news, here's a bit of it.  Thursday and Saturday were high school boys' swimming sectionals here in Indiana.  For sectionals you can qualify with appropriate swim times for 2 individual events and 2 relay events maximum.  The events Matt's coach picked for him were the 100 Freestyle and the 200 Freestyle individual events and the 200 Freestyle Relay (lead position) and the 400 Freestyle Relay (anchor position).  Matt placed first in all his events, even got a new best time for the 200 Freestyle, taking off 2 seconds from his old time, qualifying him for Junior Nationals in that swim, and breaking the sectional record.  Whew, what a great swim that was, for sure.  His two relays also broke the sectional record at this meet.(Photo: Matt F, Jonathan, Jesse, Mike, Matt G, Nik, and Charles sporting their sectional locks.)   Before all that, last Sunday, Valentine's Day, the boys all met at Cheffy's house and dyed their hair either blonde or blue (blue and gold being the school colors).  Matt opted for blonde.
(Photo: The Seniors (only 6/7ths of them shown) get to go first through the line, followed by the juniors, etc.)   Wednesdaynight the team had their pre-sectional spaghetti dinner in the basement of the Masonic Lodge (not just any place will agree to let 50 boys come and shave their hair in their facilities dontchaknow).
 (The senior table, left to right:  Nik, Jesse, Charles, Scott, Johnny, Cheffy, Matt F.)
(Photo:  Ali, Matt, Mike.  Because she swims for a different high school during the high school season, but is still part of the guys USA team, Ali dropped by to wish the guys luck.)
(Photo:  CHS girls' swim team shows up for a little Risky Business entertainment.)   Eats, speeches, fun, and most of all, the shaving of the heads of hair.  Well, sort of.  The senior guys get to shave the younger guys in any manner they wish...so you can imagine some of the configurations.  Nik shaved Matt and gave Matt a nice mohawk haircut.
 (Photo:  Scott shearing Jonathan; Nik giving Matt a Mohawk; Matt F giving Jack a cross shield, and Johnny giving John a much shorter version with "I Love Beth" carved into it.)
(Photo:  At Noblesville for Sectionals, warm-up time, Matt in back row with thumbs up salute.)  Thursday night the guys sported the fancy "do"s at preliminaries, but by Friday, the hair was all shaven and by finals on Saturday all the guys were bald and will remain so until after state this week.  A strange little tradition, but the guys all seem to have a lot of fun with it.
(Photo:  200 Freestyle:  Matt, first; Jonathan 2nd; Kiernan 5th.)
(Photo:  100 Freestyle: Coach Plumb reaches down to congratulate Matt, Jonathan, Charles for Placing 1,2,3.)
(Photo:  Never did get a decent shot of the three of them up there, they were so happy to place 1,2,3 in the 100 Freestyle swim, all going to state with their times.)
(Photo:  200 Freestyle Relay first place winners:  Matt and Charles up on the podium with Roma and Jonathan standing in front.)
(Photo:  First place 400 Freestyle Relay:  Matt and Jonathan in back, Nik and Charles in front.)    

(Last Photo:  Matt and Nik holding the CHS Sectional Trophy, both boys managed to get first in every event they swam in sectionals.)

 

Where do we stand going into state?  Matt is seeded first in the 200 Freestyle (but Jonathan and Daniel are right behind him) and fourth in the 100 Freestyle (with Harrison seeded ahead of him).  Both his relays are seeded first for state.  It should be an exciting upcoming weekend.  While all this is well and good, any swimmer can beat any other swimmer on any given day, so one enters optimistically excited, but realistically prepared for just another swim in just another meet where anything can happen.  There is a lot of very fierce competition with a lot of hungry swimmers scheduled to show up at state, all with their A Game.  There are no slow swimmers at state.  We shall see.

It's a Win, a Win, a Win, a Win, and a Win!

The CHS boys with their trophy after the meet.  Matt is in last row, far right.  Very exciting for all of them to win the trophy for the school.

 

Another great swim meet for Matt yesterday.  CHS hosted the MIC Championships, so there were eight teams competing.  Carmel boys & girls team won the meet.  Swimmers can swim up to 4 events (2 individual events; 2 relays or 1 individual event; 3 relays, which is what Matt swam yesterday).  All three of his relays came in first by quite a good margin.(Photo shows Matt finished and waiting for Gus to come in for the 200 Freestyle.)

   
He won his 200 Freestyle hands down against an old friendly foe from NCIN, Gus, who he has been swimming against since he was seven years old in USA swimming.  A formidable foe indeed.   Matt went in at 1:44.55 and came out with a new best time of 1:42.07, which might, with the exception of Kyle W who is Olympic bound, make him the fastest in the 200 Free in the state at this particular moment.  If not, he is very close. 

 

He and Gus were laughing afterward as Gus said, "My coach said, 'Get in there, all you have to do is beat Gerth, you can take him, you've done it before,' and I thought, 'Yeah, I can do it.'  Then when you came out like a shot out of a cannon, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to to catch you within the first ten seconds!"  Usually Matt and Gus are very close on times.  Yep, the boy had a great meet and was all smiles all the time.  They were all having a great time.   

And, another fun shot, this one of father and daughter goofing at the intermission:  The Judge was officiating and The Swimmer/Singer came to support her USA teammates since she goes to Brebeuf and not CHS and swims for them from October-February.  Laurie was also there, eager to go home and finish the Ellie soup I made this week as Ali decided to go to the meet after Laurie was already in prep for the soup.  Great to see them all, since during the high school season, Ali is not allowed to swim with her CSC team, high school rules, so other than choir, sightings of her around the pool are rare.   

 

 

 

And sometimes, when you have four boy swimmers, this IS date night...so cute seeing Ron and Sue (Mike's parents) spending time timing together at the meet.  They are one busy family with four boys swimming in four different groups and sometimes different meets on the same weekends in different states...I don't know how they do it! 

 

IU had a great first half against the Illini last night, but the youngsters just cannot seem to play a great 40 minutes total...we are patient, their time will come, who would have thought they would be this good this year?  Yep, we are the patient sort when it comes to good team building. 

 

It's another cold day.  Matt is off to choir rehearsal this afternoon and it is still up in the air whether I can move Mark into a museum visit this afternoon or not.  It might just be a day for hanging out staying warm and cozy at home. 

 

Taking all the Christmas decor down and packing it away until after Thanksgiving.  Each year I think that sounds like forever, and each year it comes sooner than I can ever imagine.  Have a great week.

It's About Time(s)

Running a little behind with the swim news for those readers who venture to the Table for just such fodder.

 

Three happy relay slayers (the fourth was wandering somewhere not in photographing range), Matt, Nik, and Mike.  They swam a killer relay, Matt swimming anchor and getting them the big win at the end...nothing more exciting to end a meet.

 

Last Saturday, January 2nd, CHS played host to Homestead (Indiana) and St. Charles (Columbus, Ohio), some very stiff competition for our gals and guys.  The girls won their meet while the guys tied with St. Charles.  (I believe St. Charles guys won their state meet last year.) 
Photo is Matt coming in at the finish for his 100 Freestyle, Mike's dad timing in that lane, and Mark timing in the next lane, concentrating on the swimmer in his lane, but wanting to know how Matt was doing in the lane next to him. Matt won both his individual events, the 50 and 100 Freestyles, finally breaking his 100 Free time, which was beginning to haunt him by way of his coach repeatedly saying (even though Matt would win the event at meets), "That's about the hundredth time you have swam that at 47, Gerth."  Interpretation:  "Not impressed until you start getting that time down."  As you can see by the scoreboard, the boy went a 46.29, which while making everyone happy, now sets the goal at "Let's get that under a 46."  Goals, it's what keeps them all going.  

 

Since both visiting teams had a long drive home, our team fed everyone with a taco bar, which I thought was very nice and very classy.

 

The swimmers were all starving, and their parents were delighted to be included in the invitation as well.  It was very nice seeing everyone gathered to eat together and chat after the meet.  Matt enjoyed the opportunity to get to talk with some of the competitors about swimming, about upcoming meets, and reacquaint himself with some guys he had met in years gone by, especially Blake who went to the Brophy Sports Center with the Indiana kids the summer before last where they all swam as Team Indiana and not CSC and Homestead, giving them some fun memories of representing their state together and not just their individual teams.  We parents had a nice time chatting with the parents of the other teams as well. 
It's also very nice to see this familiar face floating around doing his coaching job, socializing, and being such a great role model for Matt...who knew we would all be wearing CHS attire this year?!  Since we had Roch as Matt's coach for his first two years of high school swimming at Guerin, it means a lot to our whole family that Roch is now part of the swim coaching staff at CHS where Matt will complete his last two years of high school swimming.  Swimming is a family thing, it's great to have Roch continuing on.  Things are settling in.  The next meet is today with eight teams participating, a huge amount of swimmers to be filling up the lanes and heats, etc.  Looking forward to it actually, lots of swims, lots of swimmers, lots of fun! 

Moving Along...

Everyone is sleeping in this morning around here...well, except me, of course.  I have a difficult time sleeping in...am a morning person (not that I am as much of a morning person as I used to be when I had all those years of getting up at 4:35 a.m. to get Matt to morning swim practice), and am enjoying some quiet time before the rush of the day begins. 

 

One nice thing about having parties at your house is that the house is always extra clean and sparkly and I love that!  Here are a few photos from a few random things that were happening things from this past week, as you can see, things are moving along.   

On the 19th, we went to the last evening of the Angels Sing Christmas concert, always a wonderful time, here is the traditional yearly photo of Matt and Ali in front of the Christmas trees at the concert.   

 

 Another fun shot of the two of them in their formal wear sitting on the floor waiting for their choir performance...they look like bag people, don't they?   

 

And another fun shot of Matt with a bunch of the girls, Ali on his shoulder not quite dressed for the concert, but still in on all the fun.  

 

On the 21st, CHS had a swim meet and Matt placed first in both of his individual events and both his relays placed first.  There were four teams at the meet and CHS won, winning 9 of the 11 events and all the relays, so the guys were all really happy about that.    Photo of Roch and Chris, Matt's two high school coaches, Roch now being at CHS coaching, so that is nice that Matt still gets to see his Guerin coach for the past two years continue on for hopefully his last two years of high school swimming.  Two better coaches I cannot think there are.   

The scoreboard from Matt's 200 Freestyle swim...he was in lane 5 of the top heat and finished first by quite a nice margin.  Always fun to see a swimmer just own the swim and finish so far ahead at a meet.  Even more fun when it is your swimmer.  Yes, the boy is still swimming with a bandaged hand, but hopefully this will come off on Monday and the only thing left to do is schedule the pin to be removed between short course and long course swim seasons so he doesn't miss any time in the water.  It makes him easy to spot with the bandaged hand, I will say that.
And, how else do you spot your swimmer in the melee of swimmers down on deck at a swim meet?
Well, it helps immensely if he happens to always be the tallest swimmer around.  You can pan the crowd and just search for the highest peak. 
On the 23nd, Matt went up to Elwood to help Grandpa put up their Christmas tree as he has done for years and years.  It's a special thing they do together and Matt enjoys it each year.  He was really busy this year, but determined to find time to go up and do this with Grandpa, it's a tradition with him, and he is very big on tradition.   

 

That evening Matt was invited to go with Daniel and his family, as well as Nik this year, out for dinner and to the Yuletide Concent downtown Indianapolis, where they had a visit with Santa, etc.   Dan and Kathy have their children each pick a friend to go with them and this year Brooke and Daniel got to pick two friends each, so it was a lot of fun for Matt to get to go to this again...they all get dressed up and have six hours of a really great time.  The photo on the right is the Three Amigos in front of the S & S Monument decorated for Christmas, Matt being the more serious of the three...Nik and Daniel sporting fashionable (to silly 17/18 year old boys at least) headgear.  All three are swimmers.  Nik is headed off to Boston College next year to swim and Daniel will grace the Princeton pool next year.
Do young men still have time for Santa?  Apparently so, Nik behind, Matt and Daniel no longer fitting on Santa's lap.  And, a nice shot of the six of them, Brooke on the right with her two friends included as well. 
And, the last shot is just in case anyone had any ideas where Matt's loyalty lies and where he might perhaps be thinking of attending college. 
Just in case you were wondering and all.  The shirt was a gift from Aunt Mary Ann and Uncle Phil up in Elwood yesterday and was requested by Matt on his Christmas Wish List. Too early to tell, and we are carefully saying nothing too much in the way of encouragement....yet.  We shall see, we shall see.  Speaking of "we shall see," Alex has agreed to appear in a photo "sometime this week," so it's just possible that such will appear.  A rare occasion indeed.  Too early to tell, but we shall see. 

Always on the Move

The guys at Junior Nationals Short Course after their 200 Freestyle Relay which placed 20th overall...no one saw that coming as they weren't even on the radar.   Harrison, Matt, Nik, Mike all swam it, and the last guy in the line is JJ, who is now off at college at OSU and on their swim team, hanging with his swim pals from home. 

 

There are no slow swimmers at Nationals.  In order to go to Nationals, you have to be fast.  The competition there is amazing and a great way for our swimmers to compete against the best of the best of the best!  All in all, here's how we did on our first year at Short Course Junior Nationals:

 

Matt's Relays:  200 Freestyle, seeded 35th, finished 20th out of 38; 200 IM, seeded 35th, finished 19th out of 39; 400 Freestyle, seeded 24, finished 23rd out of 39; 800 Freestyle, seeded 29th, finished 18th out of 30.

 

Matt's Individual swims:  50 Freestyle, seeded 126th, finished 63rd out of 154; 100 Backstroke, seeded 105, finished 106 out of 135; 100 Freestyle, seeded 125, finished 97th out of 140.  This is not bad for a first year qualifier.

 

The swimmers happily all returned safely, albeit tired, late Saturday night.  Matt had a very nice swim meet, with new best times, the thrills of competing and winning, the excitement of being at Nationals swimming with the best swimmers in the nation, the fun of being with good friends having good times outside the pool as well as inside, and a new appreciation for his sport.   He was one extremely happy boy.
Matt leading off the 200 Freestyle Relay (he got a new best time because the first person gets to keep their swim time in a relay and it was the fastest he has ever gone in that race), Harrison, Nik, and Mike (with back turned) are lined up, second starting block with black caps with a blue C on them.   

 

I have to say, it was really different with him gone for four days as we had leftovers the whole time he was gone!  Food consumption was way down, and we missed him a lot.  Sunday he was back to his regular routine of studying, IYC choir rehearsal, serving Mass, and a Knights' meeting, followed by more studying as finals are this week. 

 

He was thrilled to hear that he had been selected for the duet for the Christmas concert, Angels Sing, for his choir.  This is a major deal as the choir performs the Christmas concert three times to sold-out audiences, and it is also recorded for airing on our local television station in Indianapolis for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.  He loves that choir and all that singing.  There have been weekends when he swims the morning session at a swim meet, sings in a concert in the afternoon, and goes back for finals at night to swim...two days in a row.  It's not every swim team who has a swimmer entering in swim duds and exiting in a tuxedo, returning in said tuxedo, and changing into a Speedo.  It's a lot easier when it is an evening concert with no swim finals, therefore no evening swim sessions.  Life is always interesting with Matt around, he is always on the move going from one thing to the next. It's good to have him back.  I can tell right now that I am not going to do "empty nest" well at all.

On the Move...Off to Nationals

Tuesday night was the first home swim meet for the CHS boys high school team.  The swimmers practiced after school, then ate a boxed lunch before getting ready for the meet.  It's called Eats for Meets:  the swimmers fill out order forms for what they prefer to eat before a meet, and then the booster club picks those up and delivers the meals to them at the pool.  (Matt is shown in the photo by the windows sitting on the floor beside one of the silver poles.)  They have a good time eating and chatting about the upcoming meet. 

 

Tuesday was a big rival team, North Central of Indianapolis.  CHS won the meet, both the girls and the boys.   

 

Matt took first in both his events, 50 Freestyle and 100 Backstroke, so he was very happy with that and that the broken hand didn't slow him down much.  He also swam anchor in a freestyle relay and brought his team in for a first place finish to a lot of cheering, which is always fun. 

 

Shown here are Charles and Matt conversing after the 50 Freestyle.  It shows Matt's swim cast in case you were wondering what that looked like and all.  It used to be I could take photos of the guys and they were just darn cute in their little swim suits, etc., or they wore the long competition racing suits.  Now, however, the long competition racing suits are a thing of the past as they have been nixed so that swimmers who can't afford them aren't at a handicap.  Now, that the boys are much older, almost like adults, I can only show torso photos as anything else could be considered very risque.   

 

The last photo is from today as Matt was getting ready to board the transport to take them to Nationals.  12 swimmers from CSC had National times, so off they went today for that to Columbus, Ohio as OSU is hosting the short course Nationals, about a 3-1/2 hour drive from here.  JJ goes to college there, so the boys are hoping to get to see him in his new college digs.  As you can see, it is snowing, the parking lot was completely ice covered and this is always one nervous mom when her children are on the road in bad weather.  I'm just trying to think positive happy thoughts, so help me along, okay? 

 

IU won last night...wasn't expecting that, but very happy to have that win...it's going to be a fun year of basketball at Assembly Hall, yep, I do believe it is.  Big Ten Basketball makes winter go faster and be oh-so-much-more bearable around these parts.  It's nice when your team has something to watch and be excited about of a season.  Have not had a chance to see the Iowa Hawkeyes in action yet, but cheering for them as well.

 

 

 

 

Friday's Favorites Fare

READING:  Daniel Webster:  The Man and His Time by Robert V. Remini...the last of the three: Clay, Calhoun, and Webster, someone had to do it, and since you didn't want to, it had to be me. Written by the same author as the Clay book...huge and full of detail after detail.  What a joy! 

LISTENING TO:  Puccini's La Boheme as the Indianapolis Opera company just finished performing this.  I am always partial to this opera as Matt had the opportunity to sing one of the street children's parts with them when they performed it the last time.  Matt then grew faster than his voice and the children's parts were no longer available to a child who was taller than some of the adults! 

COOKING BYTES:  If you have the patience, am hoping to work on getting my posting more current for the blog-alongs in the coming week.  Have been cooking/baking most of them, but just not finding posting time.

FAV NEW FIND:  After months and months, 3:30-8:30 p.m. in our schedules is now free again...makes a huge difference is what I can get done in a day.  And free time cannot be over-rated, ever.  Am most appreciative.

FAV THING THIS WEEK:  Was worried that Matt's broken hand would slow him down too much in the water and cause some time increases in his swims, but the boys had their first high school swim meet on Tuesday and he took first place in his individual swim and swam great times for his lengths for his two relays, anchoring one of them to a big finish and lots of cheering. Guess he can swim okay even with a broken hand.  Sigh of relief.  Short course Nationals are next week.

GOING TO:  'Tis the Season and all, so doing much and throw some basketball and football games in there, some work, some fun things...and it all probably pretty much looks like your weekend as well!  Enjoy!

PRAYING FOR:  Safe travel for the CSC swimmers this weekend in Nashville, TN and next weekend for the CSC swimmers who are competing at Nationals at Ohio State in Columbus, OH, please join me.

Keep The Line Moving, Boys...

Each Friday morning during the high school swim season the CHS moms take turns preparing and serving breakfast for the 48 boy swimmers after morning practice and before school.  (The girl swimmers also have the same deal with their moms doing likewise during the girls' high school season, which starts and ends two weeks before and two weeks after the boys' season.)  Photo:  Matt starting at the bagel station and working his way down the line in the pool lobby at the high school this morning.

 

This morning was one of my turns with Sherry (JJ, Lauren, and Jesse's mom) and Sue (Mike and Jimmy's mom).  Sometimes one contributes food and sometimes one contributes food and also stays to work...today I did both, which was a whole lot of fun with all the boys loving the big breakfast...so many "thank yous!"  Photo:  Mike, Jonathan, two freshman swimmers who just swim high school and I don't know their names yet, and Jesse, making their way along the tables of food.  Last photo:  Lauren with her towel head trying to hide behind Nik while she picks up her lunch from her Mom, in blue.  It's all part of being a swimmer...early morning practices, getting dressed and hair done at the pool...the boys have it much easier in those regards than the girl swimmers!

 

Huge amounts of food, not much left at the end, no surprise. 4 dozen assorted bagels with spreads, 6 dozen pancakes, 3 large egg casseroles, 1 crockpot filled with just scrambled eggs, 1 crockpot filled with little breakfast sausages, 4 dozen bananas, 4 dozen oranges, gallon of orange juice, 2 gallons of chocolate milk, 1 gallon of white milk feeds a swim team of about 4 dozen or so.  Just in case you need to do that anytime soon and all.

Pull Up a Chair: Catching Up Around the Table

Well, well, well, look who is actually posting this week.  It's been busy around here, I have been working a lot, and the posts have just not been as forthcoming as usual. We'll see if I can do better this week. 

 

So, what's been going on around here...bits and pieces in photos from times I, or someone in my family, actually remembered to have camera in hand, or I should say, managed to have camera in hand and actually took photos with it.

 

We winterized the yard and plants, Alex's favorite peppers being the last to go, Matt hauling the big pots from deck to winter storage in garage, not exactly his favorite thing as storing all the big pots, and there are several, makes it harder for him to navigate in the garage from car to door.

  

The swimmers hanging out in Men's Den, always a popular activity.  (Janos, Mike, Daniel, Harrison, Kiernan, etc.)  Playing video games and watching movies ranks high on the list of things to do out of the water. 
The Knights had their yearly campout down in Brown County at the CYO camp.  Photos of some of my favorites upon return. 
Colin, Stephen, Matt, Jack, and Chas.  Matt is President this year of the Indiana Chapter of Knights as well as his own chapter, so he got to be Master of Ceremonies for the new initiates, and plan the retreat, etc.   Photo of my three favorite tall guys, Matt, Stuart, and Spencer.  As you can see, Matt at almost 6'4" is the shortest of the three. 

 

Some of the girls on Twitter had a bit of fun with Secret Baker, organized by three of them, where we each had a randomly selected participating member of the group to bake a little something for and send it to them.  Tracey got my name and I got a very nice package from Tracey that included Spiced Biscotti and Cranberry Bread, enjoyed by all.   I got Kerri's name, a girl I had yet to meet, so that was fun, and I sent her two kinds of cookies and some pumpkin bread.  Next month the Secret Baker group is sending Christmas cookies as the baked goods.   

 

Matt managed to break his hand on a Saturday night and have surgery on the following Tuesday, which was Alex's birthday.  Three and a half weeks from Short Course Senior Nationals and he was out of the water for a week, but back in after that week with a swimming cast, figuring out that one can swim with a broken hand after all.   

 

Alex turned 17 and had the candles to prove it.  His main wish is that he would be 18 instead...ah, the young, so eager to be adults and out on their own.

 

Friday Taylor came over and she and Matt did some seasonal holiday decorating, putting up the tree in the foyer (seen here with the stable underneath waiting for the appearance of the Nativity pieces bit by bit), the living room tree, the little sideboard tree in the dining room, and the greenery on the banister.  

 

We definitely have guy decorations, as Taylor described her family's decorations and her mother's collection of ornaments.  I was thinking Taylor was a good sport to help out with our mishmash of ornaments, lackadaisical manner of decorating, and hearing Matt say, "Oops, I broke one," in his yearly attempts at handling the little ornaments with those great big hands of his.  They had to leave before putting up the family room tree, but hey, they did a huge amount of work between morning swim practice and afternoon swim practice!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday the CSC fathers hosted the yearly tradition called The Dads' Day Breakfast for the Senior Group boys (high schoolers, Nik and Matt shown here, actually they were last in line Matt having to re-tape his regular splint cast after swimming in his swim splint cast) in their Dads' Day style, i.e. campout fare and fun. 
The guys loved it.  The menu consisted of Pancakes, Waffles, Sausages, Bacon, and I think they throw fruit and juice in there somewhere as I have never actually been to this, so I am only going by what I see in the photos.  Mark was assigned bacon and sausages (pre-cooked at home, so you can guess who did the pre-cooking at home as, although Mark offered to do it, I figured it would just be far easier to do it myself, however, now that I am thinking back, I could have sent him outside to grill those sausages...next year's plan).
Photo: Going clockwise starting with Jesse's back, Nik, Kiernan, Matt, JJ (home for the holidays from OSU where he swims now but happy to practice with his old team), and Charles.  

 

It's sort of a giggle with the boys as the girls' mothers host a similar breakfast for the girls on a separate day, which is quite a bit different:  more like hotel brunch style with linens and dishware, napkins, centerpieces, "girl food," and such.  Matt's comment:  "Oh, the boys' breakfast is much better, we just lined up, filled our plates, and ate without having to worry about a lot of girl things and manners and such."  There you have it.  Raising boys is definitely an education. 

 

Did I remember to take photos at Thanksgiving?  Nope...always busy, always a lot of people, and thoughts of camera and picture taking went by the wayside this year.  So now that there has been a bit of a catch-up around the Table, I hope to get back to posting for my baking/cooking groups this week.  Have a great week...it's going to be December already!

Matt & Ali at Homecoming: The Couple That Isn't

   The Couple That Isn't.  Homecoming dating isn't what it was in my day.  In my day, you had a date for Homecoming, or you sat home.   Now, with the swimmers at least, they all tend to go informal, and go in one large group.  At the dance, they dance with everyone. 

 

Oh, sure, there are a few couples, like Beth and John, who are an automatic assumption when it comes to dating and events like Homecoming, etc., but by and large, there aren't a lot of couples in Matt's group of friends. 

 

Ali and Matt have been friends for years and years.  They swim together with CSC, they grew up through the years in ICC/IYC choir, have done countless swim meets, sang in countless musical performances, traveled in Italy together with the choir, etc., and there is just a certain amount of closeness that develops from those shared interests and times together. 

 

They are like an old married couple together.  One looks out for the other, each having their own ways of just motoring about together.  So it was that Matt took Ali to Homecoming...literally:  he picked her up, took her to the party, took her to the dance, took her to Stephanie's party afterward, and then took her home.  But it wasn't a date.  They weren't going to Homecoming together.  It was just Ali and Matt motoring about in their usual style.   

 

A nicer friend Matt could not find.  Are they dating?  Absolutely not.  Are they secretly hoping to date?  Absolutely not.  They are The Couple That Isn't.  They are just Matt and Ali.  And they had a great time at Homecoming!

 

Trying to get a photo of the two at Margaret's party...both on their cell phones chatting away with others, Ali trying to get her mom to hurry up and get to the party to take photos, etc., and Matt trying to talk Taylor into coming along to the party and having a good time.  Taylor had plans with girlfriends, but Laurie I did get to see.

 

CHS Homecoming

High School Homecoming this past weekend.  Are you ready?  Back Row (L-R): Harrison, Jonathan, Ryan, Jimmy, Ariana, Nik, Matt, Kiernan, Alexis, Cameron, ?, ?, Jack; Johnny, Robbie, Rhea, Amy, ?, Carly, Sam, Colleen, Marissa, Devon, Katie, Alicia, Stephanie, Caroline, Ali, Rebecca, Beth, John; Front Row:  Taylor, Erika, Margaret (the Hostess), Lacey, Emily, Lucy.  Good luck, the middle two rows are rather jumbled due to heights of swimmers. The swimmers gathered in force, missing about half of them, but a good turnout nonetheless. 
A bit of a stag line:  Johny, Matt F., Jack, Cameron, Kiernan, Nik, Matt, Cheffy in front of Matt, Jonathon, Harrison, and Mike.

 

This year, the lovely Margaret hosted the pre-party (with a pre-pre party at Ali's house for some to gather and get ready there, which Matt attended and got to spend a portion chatting with Mr. P, always a favorite). 
Nik, Matt, Jonathan, Harrison.

 

Margaret has a lovely home and lovely parents (her grandparents were also there, very fun to meet them), and her home is ideal for hosting hundreds of people on a given Saturday night. 
Margaret herself looked absolutely lovely in her white dress against those long dark locks of hers and although she has always been a tiny little girl, the boys for some reason have always called her "Large Marge," because they are, after all, boys and none of them ever realized Large Marge was going to grow up and be such a stunning beauty. 
The Juniors:  Harrison, John, Kiernan, Mike, Matt, Carly in back; Beth, Marissa, Ali, Devon, Caroline, and Cameron in front.

 

They ate, they chatted, they posed for photos, they all had a great time before heading off to the dance.  After the dance, they all went to Stephanie's house for more eating, chatting, and having a good time just being together.  

 

A nice photo of Lauren J. and Matt (she is the girl Matt took to homecoming their freshmen year and a good friend).  Lauren is on crutches so couldn't dance this year.

 

It is always amazing to me that these kids spend almost every single day together at swim practice and meets and yet when there is a non-swimming occasion, their first thoughts are always to get together and have a good time.  We have watched all these young ladies and gentleman grow up day by day over the years, this being our 11th year of swimming together.  It's hard to look at the photos of them all without a few tears...just two more years together before they all go their own ways...better enjoy it all an awful lot right now.  Photos from the evening (as all the kids will be checking the blog to see them today).

One Last Stand

Saturday the weather was warm, the sky was sunny and beautiful, and Matt had one last stand at swimming lessons all afternoon for all the children he taught over the summer here in our pool.  The last classes were Rachel, Rebecca, and Marie, so they all stood together for one final summer swimming photo of the season.  Bill comes to close the pool on Monday. 

Part of the entertainment always is finding Louise slithering about in the ground cover, mulch, plantings, etc. down by the pool.  She was cooperative enough to stick out her little red tongue at me as I snapped her photo.  You wouldn't think with all the activity down there, and lots of noisy children jumping around, Louise would be anywhere in sight, but she is a rather social creature and the little swimmers all love to be the one who spots her first. 

 At the end of the day, Chip and I had a little discussion about the mess he is leaving with all the tomato skins he discards as he eats his way through the last of the tomato crop on the deck.  It wasn't much of a discussion as he headed out once he spotted me opening the door onto the deck.  I wasn't really going to scold him as I like having him around, the mess is incidental.

Life in the slow lane...I love it more as time goes on.

Still Standing

  Lauren is in a few of Matt's classes this year, so last night was a bit of studying for a history test after swim practice.  JJ is off at college at OSU now, so Lauren has one less brother to contend with at her house.  Oh, and Matt's foot?  Not broken, just a contusion.  He can swim and will be back running by Tuesday.  (Sigh of relief since Mike is a boot from a foot injury and will miss six weeks of swimming, we got lucky.)  So, all in all, he's still standing, no broken bones.

Long Standing Friendships

   Matt's 17th birthday came and went with a smattering of celebrating here and there due to various swimming meets, swim commitments, travel swim gigs, etc., going on at the time, so finally on the 22nd of August we managed to get this group of guys (minus Alex who had to miss for the first time), Adam, Jacob, Matt, and Colin, together for a bit of celebrating by going to an Indians baseball game, etc. 

  These friends have been celebrating birthdays together since they first met in scouts in the first grade.  Matt had to drop out of scouts many years ago due to swimming commitments and scouting ones conflicting far too often, and Alex finally called it a day with scouting last year, but the friendships continue and the memories they built in those years of scouting activities, camping, and such have led to the memories they make now with their teen social years. 

  Their voices have all changed...they all shave...they all drive...they all are juniors and they all don't see that we parents still see them sitting around the birthday tables when their feet didn't even touch the floor and wonder where all this time went all so quickly. 

  Susan, these next two shots are for you!  Susan makes and custom decorates the most wonderful sugar cookies for all occasions.  She made Matt's centered around swimming, 17th birthday theme, baseball, etc. and they were a big hit with the guys who love cookies and brownies. 

  The next photo was taken after the baseball game with them sitting down at the kitchen table to desserts of cookies and brownies, and trying, with their 17 year old large size hands, to untie the little ribbons Susan had carefully tied to each little package of cookies. 

  It was hysterical to watch these guys try to get those little ribbons untied, unknotted, and the cookies unsheathed.  Susan, you would have enjoyed it and the giggles from the guys trying to see who could get theirs out first, or at all! 

  And, because Alex was not able to be there this year, here's a photo my friend Jan found the other day while scrapbooking some scout memories for Johnny, of Alex at scout camp in 2005 when he was twelve years old.  Alex, always the littlest guy through the years, is the one at the first table facing the camera.  Talk about changes...he's grown a bit since then, changed eyeglass styles, and has a different haircut, but when I look at this photo, I still see him like this as if it were yesterday.  You were missed, Alex.   

Near the Top (One Sentence Blogging Week)

  Matt is out at Junior Nationals this week where the team all got to visit the Space Needle in Seattle on Sunday, which Matt thought was a great deal, of course, so I thought I'd include a photo of that as I haven't managed to get Lauren J. to send any really good photos back yet, making my selection a bit sparse...the girls being much better with the photos than the guys:  from all accounts, they are having a nice time so far.

Nearly Time To Go (One Sentence Blogging Week)

   Early Saturday morning last once again found me on an airport run for Matt, with Mike also in tow this time, to meet up with their CSC swim teammates so they could head off to Junior Nationals near Seattle, Washington, for 8 days of swimming competition and fun: reading from left to right would be Matt, Mike, Nik, Rhiannon, Jessie, and Lauren, a few of the swimmers heading west, all with happy smiles and excited voices, even after a 5:30 a.m. practice and arrival at the airport around 7:30 a.m.

Nearly There

  Just a couple of photos from the beginning of the weekend at Senior State Finals.   Shows Matt exiting my car after a lunch at Lennie's and heading into the pool for his first swim. 

  He swam three swims, not getting  better times than his existing ones in any of the three, so while he was, of course, disappointed, every swimmer reaches a plateau, stays there for a bit and then surges forward with new best times again.  We've been doing this for ten years, so we know the experience well. 

  He was so nearly there on the 50 Free, but just could not take off those final ticks...that said, he dropped time in that swim 2-3 times this past month and that is probably all that was there for a swim of such a short distance.  He had reached a plateau on that last year and it took all year to get a drop, then it was followed by two more, so for that we are thankful.  

  Friday was Matt's 17th birthday, so he picked one of our favorite restaurants in Bloomington for his birthday dinner, the Limestone Grille.  If you haven't been, go...we always have wonderfully prepared food there, never a miss in anything. 

  He had a great time, wearing a new birthday shirt (Taylor had gotten him a black version of this shirt, which he loves, and it does look really good on him, fits very well, etc., and since it is difficult to fit Matt with those large swimming shoulders, I decided he could use another, so he picked out blue, always a good color for him:  I think I will have Taylor do the shopping from now on, she is much better at it than am I). 

  After his last swim on Saturday, he headed down to St. Meinrad for a religious retreat with the Knights of the Holy Templar, a group of high school aged young men who serve their church and community.  Matt was elected President of the Indiana group this year, so he was hoping to get to attend at least part of the retreat after swimming, missing Friday and Saturday morning, but still getting there in time for the rest of Saturday and Sunday.   He always manages to pack a lot into a little amount of time.  I cannot even believe he is 17 already...where did that time go?

   Just time enough to get his laundry done up and his suitcases repacked before he is off again in five days for a week of swimming at Junior Nationals in Washington State.  I cannot even believe the summer is almost over...it barely seems like it just got started, but we are nearly there:  time for school to start again on the 13th...he will miss the first two days being out at the swim meet, so guess he is figuring he can drag summer on just a little longer. 

 

Hiatus: It's Senior State Swimming!

       Senior State Swimming Championships begin tomorrow in Bloomington, so I am taking a little break from blogging from now until Sunday while we concentrate on supporting Matt in that. 

      Whisk Wednesdays will return next week. 

      Mastering the Art of French Cooking will return next week also. 

      Nancy's Notions will begin next Saturday, stay tuned for that one and I will explain then. 

      I will also be taking some time off for a little vacation and Art Museums from August 8-15, but hope to cook ahead next week and bank the posts to be published on the correct days.  At least that is the hope. 

      Think fast swim times, the boy needs to drop 11/100ths of 1 second in the 50 Free for a Jr. National time...so close, so very very close!

Seasonal Sectionals - Day One

      Day One of Sectionals started off quite well for Matt.  He had the 50 Freestyle this morning and got a new best time of 24.59, qualifying him for finals tonight.  He did not best that time tonight, so gets to keep the 24.59 from this morning as his new best time.  A good way to start a meet, so he was happy.  

      CSC swimmers are doing great, some with new best OPEN times, which is better than Jr. or Sr. National times, so Congrats to them!

      Photo is Matt and Stevie after they finished their swims this evening, happy to have something to show for Day One.  Keep those good thoughts going, tomorrow he swims the 200 Freestyle, Wednesday the 100 Backstroke, and Thursday the 100 Freestyle. 

 

Seasonal Sectionals

      Josh, Matt, Harrison, Mike V., Michael G., Daniel, and Peter eager to get started on the trip...didn't manage to get all the guys as they were arriving in dribs and drabs and I was lucky to get this many in one place at one time. 

      Harrison and Matt heading out to duel it out over the freestyles and backstroke. 

      Sarah and Lauren all smiles and ready to swim fast this week. 

      It's that time of year already, USA swimming Sectionals for the swimmers. 

      Summer has just flown by this year.  This morning the Sectional qualifiers loaded onto a bus and headed east for Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. 

      Charles packing his bags into the bus trunk.  Bags were checked. 

      The swimmers loaded onto the bus.  Lisa checked off all her trip lists making sure they were all set for the trip, and they headed off with hugs and waves from parents as they drove off, excited to be together and going off on a road trip for swimming. 

      Carly and Megan going for new best times and new good times! 

      Back to front:  Matt F., Michael, Trish, Rhiannon, and Elizabeth all seated and ready for a week of fast swimming and new best times! 

      And, because the silliness is never just limited to the antics of the swimmers, here's one of Carly's dad and Josh and Lauren's Dad goofing on the kids a bit.  Carly refused to hug her dad goodbye a second time because "he's all sweaty from working in the yard!"  So that Rick wouldn't feel rebuffed by his 16 year old, Larry ran over and gave him a big hug, with Carly dodging "corny embarrassing parents" by running for the bus!  We all laughed...some kids will still hug at the bus steps, and some won't...they are all growing up way too fast!

      Road trips: always fun to see the swimmers heading off to compete for those coveted spots at Nationals, fun to be a part of the excitement, the hopes, the dreams, the incredible work ethic this team has for their love of swimming and always, always, going for that new best time, that sense of achievement, the payoff for all the hard work. 

      Best of wishes, CSC Sectional Swimmers...we'll all be here for hugs and congratulations when you return!  We are so proud of each and every single one of you...we stand in awe every single day of what you do and what you have achieved.  We could not be happier than we are right now, so have fun, swim fast, and know that we appreciate all the efforts you put into swimming each and every day.  Go CSC!

Friday's Favorites Fare

READING:

Last week I received quite a few suggestions for novel reading, so I am gathering those and going in on those next week while we have a lot of swim meet time and I can read!  In the meantime, now, I am finishing up odds and ends and some magazine articles I have put aside to read.

PHOTOS:  Swimming Lessons with Matt (1) Dominic (2) Jacinta (3) Luke (4) Monica...all having a great time learning to swim! So cute!  

LISTENING TO:  Billy Joel and Elton John...how large are those concerts??!

COOKING THROUGH:  Le Cordon Bleu at Home (Le Cordon Bleu School of Cooking), this week's assignment is Velouté Du Barry (Cream of Cauliflower Soup), pages 419-420; Baking:  From My Home to Yours (Dorie Greenspan), this week's recipe is Blanc Manger on pages 398-399; The Bread Baker's Apprentice (Peter Reinhart), this week's recipe is Challah on pages 133-134; The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking(Marcella Hazan), this week's recipe is La Florentine Grilled T-Bone on page 385.  You can cook/bake along, too! 

FAV NEW FIND:  Matt's rankings in the Psych Sheets for upcoming Sectional Meet...pretty good for a 16 year old, yep, pretty good!  Actually, they are pretty good no matter the age since he swims Open (15 and older) these days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAV THING TODAY:

Okay, yesterday...dinner at the Hamilton County Fair...a charcoal grilled ribeye sandwich and a lemon shakeup!  I get one every single year...it's a tradition for the past 30 years.   

GOING TO:  Celebrate birthdays...Mark's Dad's was yesterday, Mark's is Sunday, and Matt's is the 31st, so we will head up to Elwood and celebrate with the three of them together.  The fair is going on, so we will be in and out of there looking at various projects our kid and our friends' kids have entered.  Getting Matt ready for sending off to the Sectional Meet on Sunday morning.

PRAYING FOR:  Safe travel...a lot of people vacationing and going various places...please join me.

Seasoned Conditioning

      Well, the World Championship Swimming Meet here in Indianapolis at the Nat has finished.  All those well-seasoned conditioned swimmers roaming our streets and the Nat now a thing of the past.  Don't know if you got to see any of it on tv, but the swimmers are poetry, grace, and power in the water at that level of swimming.  We had two girls from our club swimming in the meet, and what a thrill it was for them to compete at that level! 

      Our club officially had Saturday as our volunteer day to work at the meet and while the kids all got to see various swimmers, the adults were pretty busy working.  Mark was taking tickets yesterday when Mrs. Phelps came through the line, so he got to see her up close and personal...we all think that Mrs. Phelps is as much of a celebrity as her son, Michael.  She asked Mark if it would be possible to switch sides to sit on as she wanted to sit with another swim mom and Mark told her that she could give it a try with the ushers.  He said, "I was figuring if anyone could do it, she should be able to." 

      Matt, Daniel, and Stevie (compliments of the Haslers) got to have VIP tickets the night Michael broke the 200 Fly record, so they were thrilled with that, and the fact that they were sitting in the VIP section in front of Mrs. Phelps (seen in photo at left behind them in light blue shirt), so that when Michael was awarded flowers each time for winning an event, he would bring them to his mother in the stands and they got to see Michael a few times.  They were on television as when the cameras panned to that, the boys were right there front and center, so friends were texting them saying, "We just saw you all on TV!"  That was, however, as close as they got to actually meeting Michael. 

      Aaron Piersol broke the world 100 Backstroke record last night...one of Matt's major swims, so that was a good and exciting way to end the run.  A lot of fast swimming and fun times for the CSC swimmers (and their families) over the week. 

      Ali and Sarah got to attend a World Swimming Championship kick-off breakfast with Cullen Jones (Olympic medal winner and one of the first African-Americans to be so in swimming), so here is a fun photo of them at the Make a Splash breakfast, compliments of Buddy and Laurie.

      Sectional swimming starts week after this at Miami and Matt is entered in four events for that, hoping that if he gets the cuts he wants in that meet, that he won't need to swim Senior State, making his next meet be Junior Nationals in Washington State and having that week of Senior State Swimming as a bit of a break.  Keep your fingers crossed as it would be nice to have that all in place earlier rather than later. 

Word on the Streets is They are Having a GREAT Time

       Yep, from all phone calls back home to our house and all the other swimmers' houses, and even the word on the streets is that the OTC swimmers are having a GREAT time in Colorado.  I have two photos sent from Matt's phone yesterday, which are not the best in clarity, but I'll post them anyway as they are all reading this out there and hoping to see photos of themselves posted.  (At the top in the rings are: Blue: Chris J.; Black: Harrison W; Red: Mike V. and Mali K.; Yellow: Dion L; Green: Matt and Allie D.) 

      A cute thing Matt shared: they are most delighted with their USA Olympic passes which not only contain those words, but also grant them access to and around the center.  Being swimmers who exercise hard and like to eat, the passes entitle them to go into the cafeteria and get food any time they want it without charge.  One thing I have learned over the past few years with teenage boys is that life is about sports and food, and occasionally other things as long as the sports and food have been taken care of first. 

      Matt said that the high altitude in Colorado Springs makes exercising, swimming, dryland, and stairs difficult...just breathing properly has become an issue.  Coaches tell them that once they get through this week, returning home, the practices will seem easy because of this week's training at that altitude.  We have a swim meet coming up, so if that results in new best times, so much the better. 

     Photo at right is Mali K, Matt G, Allie D, and Chris J checking out a toboggan.

     Today they were going white water rafting for the afternoon and the excitement about the prospect of doing that was running extremely high. 

      The time has just flown by so quickly for them...in another few days they will be flying home.  Enjoy the days left, Swimmers...we miss you terribly back here, but we are so proud of you all for achieving this trip and this opportunity!

Words Are Few and Far Between

       Haven't heard much from the swimmer out in Colorado because they keep them incredibly busy each day. 

      I guess that's good, but I miss the kid.  There are leftovers in this house.  No one volunteers to run to the store for me.  I have to do things like pump the rain off the pool cover.  And, well, I just miss him being around. 

      He did call Sunday and gush about the wonderful time he is having for eight minutes. 

      He sent these two photos from his phone.  I have to admit, he looks pretty good against that Colorado rugged mountain scenery. 

      The photo of the four boys on the rock is one from Sunday morning after Mass.  Tony took the Catholic boys to Mass with him and then showed them around the area of Seven Falls which they thought was a great deal.  

Back row: Cameron and Matt; Front row: Stevie and John. 

      He says his swim times are good and he is learning a lot.  He says the time is going too fast.  Sounds like it is everything he hoped for and more. 

      Lauren, if you are reading this, TAKE PHOTOS for me as the guys will come home with either NONE or "guy photos" of crazy things.  We miss you all!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

       Pretend it's Thursday.  That's about how far I am behind in blogging things happening around here.  So, it's Thursday, June 11th, 2009, at about 5:10 a.m. at the Indianapolis airport and Team Indy is getting ready to take off for Colorado and the Olympic Training Center.  27 Girls, 27 Boys. 

      CSC had the honor of having ten boys selected from their group of elite swimmers.  Matt was lucky enough to be one of them. 

      We barely slept through the night as we were so excited to just get going.  We were up at 4:00 a.m. more from the excitement than from the raging stormy weather, although it was a close call.  We drove through rain, lightening, thunder, and road construction to get to the airport on time. 

      I had barely enough time to line up the guys (the girls were scattered all over the area chatting), for a group photo of the ten CSC boy OTC swimmers.  Remember this was about 5:10 a.m. and all these guys are looking pretty happy to be getting on that plane that early in the morning. I've seen them plenty of times at that hour of the morning, but never looking quite this happy at that hour.  Congratulations, guys...we all hope you have a wonderful time and bring home some new best times.

      Reading left to right:  John S, Daniel H, Josh J, Nik A, Matt G, Mike V, Harrison W, Jonathan A, Stevie S, and Tyler G.

The Word is Out...

      The word is out, the requests have been pouring in, and while we weren't sure if we were posting Taylor as the "girl" friend or the "girlfriend," here is a nice photo from this evening of Matt and the lovely Taylor, The Girlfriend. 

      Taylor is the same age as Matt, has just completed her sophomore year of high school (at CHS) like Matt (at GCHS), attends St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church like Matt, is a dedicated sports-minded person like Matt, although gymnastics would be Taylor's venue while swimming is Matt's, and best of all, is sweet and cute, like Matt (okay, I am a little bit prejudiced in this area). 

      They have been going out to dinner and watching a movie one night a week since about February, and as Matt's curfew is 11:00, we have been able to keep a fairly close track on it all. 

      While I wasn't sure I was ready for a "girlfriend" type thing, seeing one another just one night a week for a few hours has been fairly painless for an over-protective mother.   Matt has good taste:  she is a lovely girl with a good heart.  They both seem to have their priorities all in the right places...and as parents, we couldn't ask for more at this age. 

      So whether we are ready or not, these days there is now a girl in Matt's life who he thinks quite a lot of...and as we get to know her, so do we.

 

A Few Lines About This and A Few About That

      Photo:  My lilac bush with blooming lilacs for CP as I can't seem to get it to load where it was actually supposed to end up...See, Caitlin, lilacs just for you! 

      All day Saturday Matt had an gig up at CHS where all the Olympic Training Center swimmers from Indiana got together to train a little, get all their forms turned in, meet one another, meet the coach going along (happens to be the CSC head coach: Chris, so that's nice), etc.  It started at 9:00 with dryland training an hour before.  

      Matt called home at 8:20 and said, "You both need to come up here as soon as possible."  Panic.  "Why?"  "Because apparently neither of you can read directions on how to fill out all these forms and you have to redo them.  Now." 

      He was a bit mortified that amongst all 54 swimmers, his were the only parents who had to be summoned to the practice because of faulty form-filling-out abilities.  The forms were to be filled out in black ink...we used a lovely shade of blue ink on ours.  Not acceptable.  We both looked at the instructions and somehow missed in BIG BOLD WRITING the words:  FILL OUT FORMS IN BLACK INK ONLY.  Oops.  16 year old boys are not amused by things of this nature.  At all.   

      We spent the weekend cleaning (still not done with spring cleaning the upstairs and at this rate, it could become summer cleaning, too many distractions), doing yard work (the guys handled this), cooking for Whisk and TWD (that would be me, of course), and generally just going from this to that. 

      Pool is not open...to protect the not-so-innocent, I will just say that it is rescheduled for next week. 

      Oh, Alex cleaned his room...dusted, vacuumed, straightened, cleaned, brought down six loads of laundry that he "just found laying around," and two bags of "stuff I don't need."  Wow.  I haven't seen his actual carpet in probably three years.  That was one of the battles I just chose not to pick and resigned myself to the fact that his room did have a door that closed to keep it all contained and out of my sight.  Looking good in there.  Who knew?

      Matt had an IYC concert in Columbus, Indiana today.  While they give the singers detail sheets and driving directions, Cassie and Danielle forgot to look at them, couldn't find them, or whatever, and drove to Columbus, OHIO instead (about 3-4 hours away instead of 1 hour away), not realizing they were in the wrong state, let alone wrong city, until they called home to figure out where the concert venue was located in "downtown Columbus."  You really need to know Cassie and Danielle to understand how such a thing could even happen...there is no end to the entertainment value those two have inadvertently provided in ICC/IYC over the years. 

      And, so I leave you on this quiet Sunday evening (okay, not so quiet as we are forced to mow the lawn on a Sunday due to all the rain we have had and are going to have), and wish you a very lovely week ahead. 

 

Before the CSC Brunch Banquet

      Matt and his USA swim coach, Chris P.  Last year, I predicted that Matt would be as tall as Chris this year...I will let you be the judge!  I think Chris is 6'4". 

     Our annual CSC banquet was yesterday, a brunch honoring all the swimmers and their families (Matt, Mike and Daniel at right)...around 300 swimmers in our club, so that's a big undertaking, and a whole lot of people and chatting for a morning. 

      We look forward to this each year and enjoy seeing the swimmers and their families.   

      In photo in back:  Daniel, Jonathan, Matt, Nick, Harrison; in front:  Mike, John, and Peter.    

      Matt F. missed being in the guys photo, but didn't mind posing with some of the girls.  Left to right:  Margaret, Lauren, Matt F., Taylor, Erica, Jessie, and Sarah.

      I confess, my knowledge these days gravitates more toward the older swimmers rather than the younger ones...the club encompasses swimmers from age 6 to high school, with some college student alums coming back in the summers to swim again for long course with the club. 

      My friend Jan and I were marveling at how our boys were all the size of the littlest ones when they were just starting out in swimming, and now...well, our boys are some of the tallest, Johnny being a junior this year, and Matt a sophomore. (Jan and Johnny at right.) 

      The speeches from the graduating seniors now bring tears to our eyes and lumps to our throats, whereas many years prior to this, they were just nice inspiring stories.  Now we are saying goodbye to kids we have known and been swimming with for ten years. 

      Jessie (pictured at left with Lauren and Carly) gave the girls' speech and Josh (JJ) gave the boys' speech.  Jessie's was sweet and meaningful, and while Josh's was all that, it was also very humorous, as is fitting for JJ. 

      Josh is an amazing swimmer...most all of the swimmers come up through the ranks, from the time they are 6 and 7.  Josh, however, just started swimming four years ago and is one of the best CSC has...national times, etc., and next year he will swim in college for Ohio State.  

      In his speech he recalled how he was playing in the backyard four years ago and his parents saw Michael Phelps being interviewed on tv, the interviewer pointing out that Michael's arm span was greater than his height, etc.  Sherry and Larry called Josh in, told him to hold out his arms, started measuring, and said, "You aren't going to like this maybe, but from now on, you are going to swim!"  And, so he did...working his way up very quickly to national time status. 

      Another photo of some of the guys, this one with Josh as he was not in the first, also including another fan favorite, Charles.  Left to right:  John, Dan, Matt, Nick, Josh (JJ), Mike, and Charles. 

      We have come to enjoy watching JJ's career soar as he lives across the way from us, swims the same swims Matt does, and is just a whole lotta fun to be around.  It won't be the same at meets with JJ gone next year. 

      So, here are photos of swimmers, etc.  Laurie, Ali, and Buddy at right, and last, but not least, a shot of the two singer swimmers, Matt and Ali. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

      A lot of noticeable gaps here as I could not get around the room with so many people and the swimmers are all like trying to nail jello to the wall to have them stand still for photos while they are busy socializing.  Sometimes I can pin them down for photos after the banquet, but not this year as they all drive, and they were headed out as soon as things wrapped up for other things, jobs, choir, etc.  This was the best I could do this year.  Enjoy!  (You can click on all photos to enlarge.)

 

In Front of the Restaurant

      Molly and Matt in front of the restaurant where we had breakfast recently...the two Godchildren, friends since birth, Molly the elder by just two months.  Molly's mom, Cindy, is Matt's Godmother, and I am Molly's Godmother, and we have enjoyed photographing them through the years together...when they were younger, our plan was to marry them off after college, but since each seems to view the other more like a brother or sister, that plan has pretty much been shelved over the years.  It's fun to watch them grow up together, though.  Lots of photos through the years of lots of fun times. 

      That was my first favorite thing to share today...the second is this:  this morning I did not have to be anywhere until 9:30, so after everyone left the house for work and school, I decided that I was going to just snuggle under the warm covers with my book and read until 8:30.  It was raining and dark and dreary, however, I do love the sound of rain falling against the roof and windows, so I just read my book and listened to the sounds of the rain falling for an hour...it was really nice.  I am very lucky.  I hope you had a lovely day, too.

On Top of The World

      Each year the USA Swimming organization sponsors elite swimming camps that are designed for swimmers, ages 14-19, who have exceptionally fast swimming times. 

      The Olympic Training Center in Colorado and the Brophy Sports Center in Arizona host these swimmers at training camps designed to give additional training toward Olympic goals.  It is invitation only, the invitations being very few. 

      Indiana Swimming awarded 27 boys and 27 girl these coveted invitations to the Olympic Training Center for a week this June (all expenses paid except the flight), swimmers the committee believes will have fast enough times to compete in the Olympic Trials in 2012. 

      Matt received an invitation last year to Brophy and this year he received one to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado for his 100 Backstroke and his 100 Freestyle.  It came last week, and the boy has been walking on air on top of the world ever since. 

      18 of the 54 invitations went to CSC members, the largest contingent of club representation in Indiana.  Congratulations (alphabetically) to the girls:  Alexis B., Jessie H., Megan J., Lauren J., Lucy K., Lacey L., Trish R., Rhiannon S., Lauren S.; and the guys: Jonathan A., Nick A., Tylor G., Matt G., Daniel H., Josh J., John S., Mike V., and Harrison W.  We are so very proud of each and every single one of you!

 

Behind

      Last swim of the last session of the last day...all that's left on deck are the freestylers:  Harrison, Michael, Nick, JJ, and Matt, Coach Chris P., Coach Ian, and Coach Chris W. 

      Zones are now behind us.  The 100 Freestyle finals were the last events on the last day.   

      Matt swam a respectable 54.13, not a better time than this morning, but better than the 55.22 he was seeded at as he went into the meet at the beginning of the weekend.  The swimmers are rejoicing, having a bit of fun after a job well done.

      With the swimming behind us, we can now start officially getting in the Spring Break frame of mind.  Before we part for a week, I thought I would enlighten those of you who are sending emails inquiring as to the theme of this month's titles for the GKT posts and can't quite figure out the common bond linking the words.  The title words:   Over, Past, Above, From, Since, Through, Between, During, After, Among, and Behind are all prepositions.  That's the link...prepositions. 

      Have a great week!

 

Among

      Matt and Nick having a great time at the meet this morning...great swims make very happy swimmers and coaches!

      This has to be among the top best swim meets Matt has ever had to date.  Another new best time, this time in the 100 Freestyle. 

      He went in at 55.22 and clocked a 53.87 this morning, which earned him the fastest time of the CSC boys, something he has never done in the 100 Freestyle before. 

      It also earned him his second Olympic Trial Camp time, so he is keeping his fingers crossed between now and the time the letters come out that he will get an invitation to the Olympic Trial Camp this summer. 

      He finished 14th, so that means he is among those in the consolation final this evening.  Between now and then he has IYC choir rehearsal...they are getting ready for their New York City tour in June.   

      He also swam the 400 Freestyle Relay this morning...shown suiting up and lining up are Nick (in front), JJ, Harrison, and Matt behind.  They finished fourth.

      We are almost finished with the swimming for the short course season.  In two weeks we start practices back up for the long course season, which will carry us through August.

      It's cold and rainy here today...with some talk of maybe a few snowy bits flying around later.  Good day for the LAST fire of the season in the fireplace (she says hopefully) while I watch the MSU game this afternoon. I need Oklahoma to win tonight for any hope of staying alive in the NCAA pool at Mark's office, as I had rather a little more faith in Jim B. and the boys of Orange than perhaps I should have entertained this year, but sometimes you just vote with your heart! 

      The swimming can only get better if somehow this evening he manages to take another eight tenths of a second off that time and get a Junior National cut.  We are definitely not pinning any hopes on this tonight, but if it happens, that would take this meet from "among" the best to "over the top!"

      Hope you are having an enjoyable Sunday!

 

After

      Getting into these fancy racing suits is no easy feat.  It takes a swimmer, a friend or two, and at least one coach to get it all assembled.  I don't know how they swim in those things!  Matt and Stevie getting suited up for the 100 Backstroke this evening.

      After the letdown this morning in the 100 Backstroke, Matt went back tonight with a renewed commitment to get a new best time in that swim.  He did it!  He went in at 1:01.63, and tonight he clocked 1:00.63, a whole second faster than his seed time and a new best time for him, about a half second off that elusive Junior National cut in that swim, but we have a couple months to try and get there.   (Photos are shots of Matt's 100 back tonight...he is the one leading down the return stretch in the first photo and then he is shown hitting the pad for a first place in that heat.)     

       He ended up finishing 17th for the meet, but in actual time, he was 9th overall.  I will try to explain this:  when you swim pre-liminaries, you swim for a time to swim in one of the finals heats.  There is a top finals heat (8 swimmers), a consolation finals heat (8 more swimmers), and a bonus finals heat (8 more swimmers), for a total of 24 swimmers.  Then there are two alternates in place in case someone scratches or gets ill. 

      Once you qualify in pre-lims and you are placed in one of those three heats for finals, you cannot move up in placings between the groups.  Only the top heat can place for podium and medals.  The next two heats can only place in their respective heats. 

      What this means, is that you cannot "jump" into another heat if you swim a better time than someone in that heat in finals.  You can only place in your heat.  So, while Matt's morning swim was not his best, he did make the bonus heat and he could only place in the bonus heat this evening. 

      That said, he swam very well this evening and his time was the 9th best for the day.  So, while he finished 17th for the meet, his time was a 9th place finish.  And, once you get a new best time, it's YOURS, you get to keep it until you get another new best time.   

       Photo at right is a bit of fun while they were warming up for the relay swim...warming up or goofing off, sometimes it is hard to tell!  Tylor, Stevie, John, Matt, and JJ. 

      They swam the 400 Medley Relay tonight and Matt swam in the B relay...you swim 100 meters of one of the four major strokes, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle...and you are placed on a relay depending on what stroke you swim best.  Matt's strokes are the freestyle and the backstroke.  JJ got the backstroke for the A relay and Stevie got the freestyle for the A relay as they both had better times than Matt in those two swims, so he swam the anchor (freestyle) for the B relay.    

     Matt (blue cap red C) on the block ready to swim anchor for the relay.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      The photo shows the pool as Matt is leading the way back toward the finish.  And, the accompanying photo shows Matt touching the pad and their relay winning the heat.  It is very exciting when your swimmer gets to swim the anchor leg of a relay and brings it home.  

 

      The best part is that he did his "leg" in a :53 something and that is the fastest he has ever gone in a 100 freestyle, so he is hoping tomorrow in the 100 free he can get close to that.  An exciting evening after all! 

      So, Aunt Karen, are you feeling the excitement, breathing the chlorine, aware of just how much you have been sitting on bleachers, etc. all weekend so far?? Do you feel like you are there?  (Aunt Karen likes these scrapbook posts as she says since she can't be there, it makes her feel like she was there just seeing it all.)  

      And after this, I am heading to bed because we have one more day of swimming...the 100 Freestyle tomorrow.  And after that...a two week break!!!

 

 

During

     Matt and JJ (Josh) getting ready to swim the 100 Backstroke this morning.  They got to swim side by side (JJ in Lane 4, Matt in Lane 5), which is always good for Matt as JJ is a senior and one very fast swimmer, so Matt usually swims faster when JJ is in the next lane...well, usually.  Not today. 

      While we have a little time here during the break between swim sessions, I thought I'd update a bit. 

      Those of you wishing to see this week's Whisk Wednesdays' assignment, you can scroll down to Wednesday's date and I now have it posted.  I ended up making it for lunch today as this was the first I could get to it this week.  It was a pretty big lunch, but we hadn't had much in the way of breakfast when we left for the pool this morning, so it worked out fine.   

      This morning's swim, the 100 Backstroke, was not the stellar swim Matt had hoped it would be, as he added a little time, so he wasn't all that pleased.  (Note photo at right showing the end of the swim with no smiling boy with a "thumbs up" sign for Mom and Dad in the stands at the end, a sure sign he was not happy with the swim.)

      Nevertheless, this is his best swim and he did make finals, even with the time he swam this morning, so he will be swimming it tonight for another try at a best time.  JJ finished 3rd, Nick 7th, Stevie 16th, Matt 18th, and Harrison 19th, so we will have several CSC swimmers to watch this evening.  He also swims in a relay, but I'm not sure which one yet. 

      So enough updates, during the break, I need to get some laundry done, hopefully make my TWD dessert for this week, and get things in general order.  What's going on over at your place during this time?  Hope it's fun and/or productive! 

Friday's Favorites Fare

PHOTO:  Matt and Coach Mary Lynne Voigt at the Winter Sports Awards program at Guerin this week.  Mary Lynne was the Assistant Coach due to Roch's business and travel schedule this year, and he was not able to be there to speak as Matt's head coach, so Mary Lynne spoke for Matt and his swimming season.  It was very moving and sweet, all the nice things she said and did for Matt all season was so much appreciated.  Her talk about Matt to the assembly was really wonderful.

READING:  Nothing Like It In The World:  The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad by Stephen E. Ambrose.  Still building the railroad.  (See last week's entry.)

LISTENING TO:  Bruce Springsteen 

COOKING THROUGH:  Le Cordon Bleu at Home (Le Cordon Bleu School of Cooking), this week's assignment is Cuisses de Grenouille aux Herbes (Herbed Frog's Legs) from Chocolate & Zucchini; Baking:  From My Home to Yours (Dorie Greenspan), this week's recipe is Coconut Butter Thins, and can be found on pages 145.  You can cook/bake along, too!

FAV NEW FIND:   Curly Kabob Skewers (p. 48 in the new Sur La you-know-where catalog); 15 inches long and curl into 8 inch diameter circles so they fit on a dinner plate; four for ten bucks...how cool are those...and my birthday is coming up, so I thought I would leave this page open on the counter with a big star by them!  Just in time for summer grilling season!   

FAV THING TODAY:  There's swimming zones, of course, always a favorite, and the NCAA tournament is a happening thing, always a favorite, so I guess I have two today.  Matt has another new best time from this morning in the 200 Freestyle.  He went in with a 2:02.97 and clocked a 1:59.63 this morning, so he is one happy boy this afternoon.  He is first alternate tonight for that swim, so if someone scratches, he will get to swim in the finals.  If not, he is swimming on the 800 Freestyle relay this evening, so he will swim either way. 

GOING TO:   Watch swimming, watch basketball, watch and see if I can get two more rooms checked off the spring cleaning list, and most of all going to have a wonderful time next week on spring break!   

PRAYING FOR:   Safety for all travelers, especially all the spring break families, and yes, I admit it, a new best time and Junior National cut for Matt in the 100 Backstroke, please join me. 

Between

     We have sunshine!  We have beautiful yellow daffodils!  

      Here we are between swim sessions, rejoicing in a new best 50 Freestyle time on the first day of a four day meet.  Matt is swimming at the USA Swimming Speedo Champions Series (we are Central Zone Section 3) here in Indy at the Nat.  The boy went in at 25.20, and clocked 25.14 at the morning's session. 

      While he was happy to have dropped 6/100ths of a second (always rejoice at the drops!), his goal of getting it under a 25 has eluded him for months, so he is hoping for a chance to get back in the water for finals and whittle away some more time. 

      After a refueling stop with several of his teammates, tons of pasta at Noodles, they are all supposed to be home resting before heading back to the pool at 3:15.   So, we are just kicking around this afternoon enjoying the time together between doing this that and the other. 

      Here's the link for the Live Scoreboard for those of you who are interested.  Matt's events are as follows:  Thursday 50 Freestyle (Event 5); Friday 200 Freestyle (Event 10), meet starts at 9:00 a.m. and Event 10 follows the first event which is the Girls 200 Freestyle; Saturday 100 Backstroke (Event 18), meet starts at 9:00 a.m. and Event 18 follows the first event which is the Girls 100 Backstroke; Sunday 100 Freestyle (Event 32), meet starts at 9:00 a.m. and Event 32 follows both Girls and Boys 200 IM and the Girls 100 Freestyle.  Evening finals Thursday, Friday, and Saturday start at 5:30 and on Sunday at 4:30.  They follow the same order as pre-lims.  Here's the connect for the schedule for those of you who know how to read such a thing: click here.  You need to scroll down a bit to get the Order of Events schedule. 

      Have a great Thursday...the weekend is only a day away! 

 

Since

      Since it's Saturday night, and since the guys enjoy hanging out in the Men's Den playing any number of video games, and since I had a freezer full of numerous cartons of excellent ice cream, and since they all love ice cream, it seemed like a good way to add to the evening, and definitely a good use for all that ice cream!

      It's been that kind of evening around here...NCAA games, teens hanging out, my very excellent book available for time outs and such. 

      Hope you are all enjoying yourselves at your house, since it is the weekend and all! 

      (In the photo:  Matt, Mike, Nick, and Josh; Not in the photo:  Harrison, who arrived too late for the group photo.)