Here is Maddie stressed about going to a pool she has never seen before for a practice to get them ready for their first meet next weekend...
Here is the sign we saw going into the pool area...
Here is the amazing 50 meter pool (correction: 2 eight lane olympic size pools, side by side placed on a complex of professional sports fields). Couldn't believe that this was on Guam- and how under used it is! This incredible facility is at the Leo Palace, it was home of the Pan American Games last year. What kills me is the girl's swim team is the biggest on the island and they practice in a 15 meter pool.... the other 6 teams cram in and fight for swim times in the only other average size pool that is on Guam....and this professional place exists and is never used. I've really got to look into the reason behind that! Couldn't believe it.
It all went well. The girls did great....and Maddie as usual was fine once she saw what she was dealing with- that girl hates the unknown.Rained like crazy for the whole second half of the day...lots of lightening so of course the power was out for the afternoon.
One last thing... I've been dying to get a picture of these guys for you- wild chickens (there is a lot of wild pheasant and turkey too), you see them in various places on the island. These guys were near the Leo Palace, we have a few that live up the road from us. Neat to hear the rooster every now and again.
Just a quick question...are Maddie and Ellie's swim team teammates Guamanian (sp?) or are they also from the base or is it a mixture of the two?
ReplyDeleteAnd are they ahead or behind (or equal) in their training regime compared to their teammates.
Okay, that was two quick questions...grin...but a competitive Grandpa wants to know!
I think they are the only base kids. Most aren't Chamorro- local kids oddly enough don't seem to be into swimming. Some may be Chamorro and from the local islands but the majority of the kids are Japanese, then some other mixed cultures- like Filipino maybe? The girls are right on track with kids their age on the team. These coaches are awesome on stroke refinement so Maddie and Ellie are getting some great tweaking done on their strokes.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous pool for competition. Is it very far from the base.?I will be watching for the answer why the Tsunami Team doesn't use it as a practice pool. The girls are looking tanned and happy,,,warm weather seems to agree with them...A gift from me. Did Maddies birthday card arrive? Curious how long the mail takes. Love to all Ma
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