Oh how we look forward to the LaJolla Rough Water Swim each year. The event is held in the LaJolla Cove every September and draws swimmers from across the US and beyond. Our swim team makes a weekend trip out of it by meeting at the Cove for a practice swim on Saturday then going back to the beautiful hotel, The LaJolla Sheraton, cleaning up and going to dinner at TGIFridays. Sunday morning, bright and early, the first race begins with girls ages 6 and under taking to the beach and swimming their hearts out. Then, the race continues by age group and boys and girls. It continues through the Gator Man, a 3 mile swim that only the fiercest swimmers dare tackle.
One of the things I like best about this event is spending time with all of the swim team families that participate. Our team is constantly growing and I often only get to know people by casual "hello's" at the pool deck and seeing their checks each month since I'm the treasurer. Our Saturday evening dinner allows lots of time to chat, laugh and get to know each other. Trust me, there is no shortage of laughter!
This was our 4th year participating in this exciting event. Makenna first competed as a 7 year-old, braving the rough ocean waves with a fierce competitive spirit. The second year we went, Kiley, Makenna and myself all competed. We were so thrilled that Kiley competed as she's not much of a risk taker. It was also a huge accomplishment for me since I'd never competed as a swimmer before, especially a 1 mile ocean swim! Our third year, Kiley decided she was perfectly content as a "one-hit-wonder," she earned her medal and had no desire to compete again. However, Makenna and I welcomed the challenge again. This year however, Makenna faced the event alone. I was out with a knee injury, unable to train and could hardly handle walking up and down steps. So, Makenna competed solo, making us proud parents even prouder. Way to go Makenna!
