12-16-07 - We just returned from the AA Winter Championships held in the indoor pool in Cerritos. Congrats to all the swimmers who made it there! They worked very hard to get at least a AA time in the events they could enter at this meet, which meant there were very fast kids from all over at this meet (a number of national records were set this weekend!).
Here are some pictures...unfortunately, it was quite a challenge to shoot in this dark, indoor pool. (I had to shoot at 1600 ISO.) I would've had some video clips to post as well, but some stranger is enjoying our RST meet movies right now!
Anyway, enjoy the pictures of the kids working very hard...and having some fun as well! (Summer will have some pictures from a "swimmer's perspective", like the movie night in Coach Vicky's executive room!!! You can see those at http://summyspics.blogspot.com/).
*As always, click on the picture to enlarge it.
Dwayne hoping to startle him to a faster reaction time off the block.
"Come on, show me you want it bad enough! Don't worry that I go drinking (water) with the other team's dad!!!"
(Girl in yellow cap) "Oh no, I have to swim against that Mia girl...she's so fast!"
"Every parent knows the swimmers can't hear us screaming our heads off...and yet we can't help ourselves but yell our heads off. GO RST!!!!"
Fast swimmers pushed our swimmers to give their all.
RST swimmers are renowned for their good sportsmanship, no matter what place they come in.
Jasmine and her relay teammates are nice and relaxed before their relay event.
But when the race starts, they put their game face on.
Hannah finds a nice way to stay warm.
What do RST swimmers do when they're not racing? Have fun, of course! Here are some of the girls enjoying the jacuzzi at the hotel where we all stayed at.
The pool was very warm, too! Cannonball time!!!
Going out to eat with the team is a fun thing as well. This was a restaurant where there were peanuts on the table and you could throw the shells on the ground! Here, some of the guys try roasting their peanuts with the candle.
Someone tries to crack their peanut on Colin's cheek. The boy in the yellow is actually from another swim team and regularly competes against Colin in the big meets. They joined us for dinner, which was cool.
Some of the older girls, Jasmine and Marina, chill'n. with their stash of peanuts.
The dad from the other team enjoying a drink with Dwayne. Friendly rivals who can dine together--that's the RST spirit!
Nathaniel says, "Oh no Isaac, Summer's dad is taking our picture! Then everyone will know that we love styling hair and want to be hair stylists one day."
Isaac says, "Oh Nathanial, you're right! I will die of embarrassment from all the teasing. Just tell your brother Calvin to put me out of my misery now."
For Summer, she had to stay in one place given that she is allergic to peanuts--notice how clean it is around her! So the kids came to her, which was nice of them to visit her! As you can see, the peanuts seemed to have an interesting effect on some of the others (like Shea) as well.
Kyle says to Summer, "So, what does a girl actually carry in her purse? Can I see, please? Pretty please? Oh here, let me just take it off your shoulder for you and see...."
Melissa, who's "bread and butter" is the backstroke, gets a ride on Heidi's back.
Congrats to all the AA Winter Champs and Happy Holidays from RST!!!
1-27-08 RST hosts its first meet of the new year, the BC Meet. For a lot of these kids, it was their first meet so it was nice to be on "home turf".
1-20-08: Thx to Eddie Gornay and RST parents, we now have a new training room with a new roof! The other storage units also have a new roof just like this one.
"Come on, show me you want it bad enough! Don't worry that I go drinking (water) with the other team's dad!!!"
"Every parent knows the swimmers can't hear us screaming our heads off...and yet we can't help ourselves but yell our heads off. GO RST!!!!"
Fast swimmers pushed our swimmers to give their all.
RST swimmers are renowned for their good sportsmanship, no matter what place they come in.
Jasmine and her relay teammates are nice and relaxed before their relay event.
But when the race starts, they put their game face on.
What do RST swimmers do when they're not racing? Have fun, of course! Here are some of the girls enjoying the jacuzzi at the hotel where we all stayed at.
Going out to eat with the team is a fun thing as well. This was a restaurant where there were peanuts on the table and you could throw the shells on the ground! Here, some of the guys try roasting their peanuts with the candle.
