qualifications

It was swim team qualifications day so after basketball camp I took the boys to Olive Garden to get those carbs in!

It was a big night for the boys and the fab four was ready to go! BIG nights are better when you share them with your best friends...this I know for sure!

Riggs & Colin......

and Rollins & Braden.....

The night was emotional and exciting...only the top 14 swimmers in each event would move onto champions....and get to ride in that big party bus with the team! We were checking times...awaiting results....and cheering like it was the Olympics!

Riggs had an amazing night of swimming! He was on fire! He qualified in all five of his events and even took 10 seconds off his IM time! He secured his spot in the party bus....

Colin also had an amazing night......qualifying in his events and securing his spot in the party bus!

I was so proud of these two! At half time we went ahead and got root beer snow cones to celebrate!

Little brother struggled a little bit more tonight.....

HIs goggles came off in his first two races and his times were a little slower than usual...not good when you are trying to be in the top 14.....

after ever race I would try to get to him.... knowing he would be in tears but every time I got to him he was still wearing his sweet...I gave it my best smile....God, I love this little boy...

Braden had a tough night too...his little body was so tired from basketball and football camp...he would dive in and try so hard...but just loose steam in the end...

 He was able to come back at the end of the night and Breast stroke his way into Championships and secure his spot in the party bus!

Rollins had one more shot...we had been working on his butterfly so much...he does a little flutter kick and has a tendency to find himself with a DQ on this event...but he swam his heart out....won his heat....took 8 second off his best time......and did not get disqualified! We were so proud of him and he was so proud of himself!

But....sadly....it wasn't good enough to secure him a spot at Championships. My heart fell on the floor as I realized this. How was I supposed to tell him that gently that Riggs, Colin and Braden had made it and he had not. That even though he had worked just as hard....and given it his whole heart...that today his best wasn't good enough. Images of him standing in the Glen Oaks parking lot while the other three climbed aboard the party bus on Saturday brought tears to my eyes....I wasn't sure what to do....

But I did what I do....and I figured out the best way to present this to my sweet boy....we filled him up with love and told him we were so proud of him...how proud we were of all of them. I did a little investigating and discovered that Rolls was in fact on the alternate list....So we pumped him up about that and told him how exciting it was that only swimmers and alternates got to ride in the party bus to championships. He took it like a champ...and although he will be in his swimming gear...goggles at the ready on Saturday the chances of him swimming are slim to none. But he will be happy to be pulling away with his friends in the party bus and he will cheer for them...... and love them every step of the way....that is my Rollins...my sweet, precious, wonderful, Rollins. In my heart...he qualifies over and over again every day...