Sunday, November 14, 2004

Oooooooh, Barracuda
Today the girls swim team (the Barracudas, sponsored by our JCC) had their first swim meet of the season. They were very nervous, despite having done time trials a few days ago. We all had a tiring afternoon, but I think they girls really enjoyed themselves.

The exhibition meet was at the Woodbridge Community Center, which we sometimes visit for ice skating. Ellie swam 25 yard freestyle and 25 yard backstroke. She was initially relieved to learn that the other team had no girls 6 and under, so she would only be racing against her own teammates. However she still got nervous, and later told us that her eyes started tearing up as she approached the starting block. She thought she had to go off the starting block (not required at her age), so she climbed up and dove in as the buzzer sounded. I was a timer, and was there to meet her at the end of her races.

Clara swam 50 yard freestyle and 50 yard backstroke. She had good form, but was concentrating on her stroke so much that she did not do a flip turn. She was also an alternate for a relay, but was not needed. She will swim a relay next week. After the meet, there were refreshments for the kids upstairs in a lounge.

I was a backup timer for the meet. I figured out the job about halfway through the event: I was to start my stopwatch at the beginning of the race, and not stop it until all swimmers were done. Then if any lane timers had a problem with their stopwatch, they would call me over to time the swimmer in that lane. I was called into duty a few times, and it certainly made the hours go by more quickly (there were about 60 events).

Both girls did really well. They were right with the pack, which we think is great for first year swimmers. The team is great for them: they work hard and learn a lot, but the emphasis is on fitness and improvement. The coaches really emphasize that the most important ribbon to win is a "best time" ribbon, meaning a personal best for a given event. Now that Clara and Ellie have official times in some events, they can try to beat those times and get those "best time" ribbons!
posted by Tom 8:34 PM

Saturday, November 13, 2004

Melted Ice Cream Cake
Last night we were invited to have Shabbat dinner at the home of friends. The girls and I made a new dessert from The Cake Mix Doctor: Melted Ice Cream Cake. Simply mix a basic white cake mix with three eggs and 2 cups of melted ice cream--- your choice of flavor. Add your favorite frosting to the baked cake. We used a pint of Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream, which I knew the girls would love. Next time, I'd like to try Coffee Heath Bar Crunch.
posted by Tom 8:01 AM