Our Best Stuff From a Week That Felt a Little Hopeful

Plus, the investigation into the Capitol riots, a warning for Biden on Iran, and more.

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As a parent, you learn not to spend too much time doing cost-benefit analyses or considering the “ROI”—return on investment—for some of the crazier demands on your time. Like spending two hours in the car so your kid can swim one race that takes a little over 2 minutes, for example.

But we’re a swimming family. And the pandemic has been absolutely brutal for indoor sports. The truncated baseball season our sons experienced last spring and summer seems miraculous compared with what we had to go through to experience club swimming and even rec basketball the last few months. So when you finally get a three-day championship meet, against other teams, and the schedule works out that you have a day with only one race, you hop in the car. 

It’s been almost exactly a year since our youngest qualified for the age group state championship meet, only to have it get canceled the day before it was supposed to start. It was crushing. But what’s been worse is spending the  months since practicing and practicing with no real competition. Our club has done its best, but it’s been rough. 

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  1. Avatar photo
    Vanessa Wedding

    Another swim mom here! Thankfully, Virginia has had club swimming since late June, with monthly sanctioned meets since October. We even had an abbreviated high school season, complete with States. I totally get the driving an hour for one race. This year I drove 4.5 hrs one way, with a two night hotel stay, just so my daughter could swim for 25.44 secs in a relay. And I would do it again in a heartbeat, because I'm daily thankful for this thread of normal that has kept her sane this past year.

    (And I finally subscribed fully, just to comment on this 🤣)

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      Rachael Larimore vertical-nib Author

      Thank you for becoming a member! On the bright side, you can comment on all of our other articles now too, something to do while you're waiting for that relay. You're lucky that you've had sanctioned meets. Ohio Swimming has proved pretty flexible -- we had "meets" starting in July or so. But our team would bring in each practice group for about an hour, to maintain distancing and contact tracing, and let the kids pick three events. We had timers and an officiating crew (so glad I became an official years ago) and it "counted." But it's hard to swim three times in an hour. It's hard when there is no cheering, no kids at the end of the pool yelling for you. ... It's funny, i kicked myself when I realized after I finished writing and revising and after I sent: I forgot to include the anecdote about how my parents once drove us all to Kalamazoo, Michigan, (six or seven hours) so my brother could swim for 28 seconds in a relay. But those weekends aren't all about the swimming. So many important friendships forged, and memories made.

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  2. Scott Mc

    Rachael thank you for always making a real life connection. Your weekly wraps are my favorite read of the week!
    (Yes mention that to Jonah! But he solo sessions the best podcast. Don’t tell him though). Happy for your family.

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    Emerson

    The link to the Nicholas Clairmont piece is incorrect. It goes to a Sweep article.

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      Rachael Larimore vertical-nib Author

      I would like to say you won the prize for paying attention! Like when Van Halen put a rider in contracts demanding a bowl of M&Ms with all the brown ones removed. Alas ... Thanks for letting us know!

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        Emerson

        You're welcome. Thanks for pointing out the article; it was very insightful.

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  4. Kaweeka

    Hint for swimming parents in the time of Covid - become an official! Best seat in the house though there is a discussion about what’s worse - disqualifying your own child or the head referees . . . Getting “stink eye” from other parents is another downside, however, without officials there are no meets!

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      Rachael Larimore vertical-nib Author

      As it turns out ... that is why this newsletter came to you on Sunday rather than Saturday. I couldn't quite finish it Friday night, and then I officiated both kids' sessions on Saturday. Usually the head officials thank you for volunteering. These days the parents are the ones saying thank you. I can't remember if I've ever had to DQ my own kid; I don't think so. I do remember that when we were with our previous club and our youngest was 8, the coach let him swim the 400 IM. I made sure that another official was on his lane for that race, because i really don't think I could have DQ'd him after going all that way.

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    Michael Taylor

    I can’t count how many hours I have spent in that Miami natatorium. I do miss jockeying for a seat at 645AM with overzealous parents saving seats for their city sized families. Oxford isn’t bad for finding food though.

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      Rachael Larimore vertical-nib Author

      Bagel Street Deli! if you think Miami is bad, you should try getting a seat at Keating when the Marlins are hosting a meet.

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        Michael Taylor

        Yes, BSD every meet morning. Agreed— meets at Keating were terrible. Finals of HS Coaches Classic there are a Fire Marshall nightmare. Getting an entire row at their auction was a game changer.

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          Rachael Larimore vertical-nib Author

          On the bright side, your kid was good enough was good enough to make finals at the Coaches Classic! It's probably easier to make finals at some other states' state-championship meet than it is to make finals at the Coaches Classic.

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    Dave Conant - MO

    Great wrap-up and an outstanding family story Rachael. My nephew is a swim coach and this may have been the toughest year of his life so far. Better times are coming.

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      Rachael Larimore vertical-nib Author

      Thank you. Our coaches have been working so hard. And so have the kids!

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    Victor Clairmont

    Thanks for the round up!

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    Carl M

    I read the swim meet story - along with its memories of normalcy and the painful disappointments of the past year - and felt right there with you. For us, the sport is baseball and the state (unfortunately) is California, but the experience is very familiar.

    I'm practically giddy at the thought of the upcoming season, shortened though it will be. And then a whole summer of travel ball! Waking up at 5 am on a Saturday to get to Stockton or Woodland or Manteca by 8 ... crazy how much I've missed that.

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    Julie from Texas

    I needed some hope today. Your swimming story provided that. Thank you!

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  10. ML Miyashita

    I absolutely get the swimming thing. My kids both swim competitively. In addition to being swimmers, they are both dancers, performers, singers and musicians. Choir and band have been a total blow out. My almost 16 yo son started playing cello this summer because that has been the one thing that has been able to take place! Last week he played at a chamber festival with his string quartet. No audience, but it was still a small slice of normal.

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      Rachael Larimore vertical-nib Author

      How do you have any time to do anything else? your kids are so busy! How wonderful of you to give them so many opportunities. I hope they can get the music back soon.

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    2. ML Miyashita

      Wanted to add I also live in Ohio. I’m in Amish Country 😁

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      1. Avatar photocircle-angle-nib
        Rachael Larimore vertical-nib Author

        Holmes county?

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        1. ML Miyashita

          Wayne. Home of College of Wooster

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          1. ML Miyashita

            I’m a lawyer and frequently practice in Holmes County though which is just south of us.

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