The Ten Commandments

I've seen this list a few times and I always enjoy reading it again, so I thought I'd share it on the blog.

Ten Commandments for Swimming Parents
I.     Thou shalt not impose thy ambitions on thy child.
II.    Thou shalt be supportive no matter what.
III.   Thou shalt not coach thy child.
IV.    Thou shalt only have positive things to say at a swimming meet.
V.     Thou shalt acknowledge thy child's fears.
VI.    Thou shalt not criticize the officials.
VII.   Honor thy child's coach.
VIII.  Thou shalt be supportive of thy team.
IX.    Thy child shalt have goals besides winning.
X.      Thou shalt not expect thy child to become an Olympian.

Now I didn't see anything on there about spending $150 on a technical swimming suit but I guess I could probably rationalize it with commandment #2.  That counts as being supportive, right?  Gina got her first Speedo Fastskin swimsuit a couple of years ago and she really loved the way it felt and she did get some really nice times while wearing it.  But it has gotten stretched and now that particular suit is not officially allowed in USA-sanctioned swim meets.  In order to wear it at high school champs she had to pick all the little dots off the front.  It broke my heart to see her picking all those dots off the suit I used hard earned money to purchase! 

After witnessing her renewed enthusiasm upon returning to USC after a not so great high school season, I decided to surprise her with the new Speedo Fastskin II suit.  I think she was actually shocked that we got her a new one.   Here's a photo of the tiny little suit.  She won't even try it on because she wants it as tight as possible for champs!  It may take two of us to get it on her but here's hoping for some great swims over the next few weeks!