Following the Feet is an 8-week summer series on SwimSwam. Written by Stina Oakes, the series follows the eight weeks of summer club season at Silver Spring, Maryland’s Daleview Swim Club, whose team mascot is the “Feet.” In relaying stories from the Feet’s season, Oakes hopes to capture the beautiful and unique connection each swimmer has to his or her local pool and club.
First A Meet
It’s early Saturday morning and I’m headed to the first A meet of the season with a carful of swimmers. It’s my eight-year-old son’s first A meet. He’s a bit of a reluctant swimmer; he’d rather play basketball or soccer. He’s on the team mostly because his sister is, and I’ve told him he has to stay until he can swim all four strokes legally. It’s fun to be part of the team and hang out at the pool; he’s just not thrilled about the swimming.
This morning I can tell he’s excited and a bit nervous. He insists he isn’t, but his chatter suggests otherwise.
“Hey, it’s funny that to get to the other pool we go the same way as to Daleview,” he says.
“We’re going to Daleview,” my daughter tells him.
“Why?” he asks. “I thought it was an away meet.”
“It is,” she answers. “We’re caravanning. It’s so fun. You’ll love it.”
***
A caravan of Feet. Photo courtesy of Tim Male.
We pull up and join the line of cars parked in front of the pool. All around us kids are dressed in camo, the meet’s theme, and lots of black and gold. One parent is handing out directions to the rival pool. Another is giving everyone temporary tattoos. Kids are decorating car windows with gold paint markers: “Eat Our Bubbles!” “Go Feet!” “We Will De-Feet You!” “Daleview Swim Team!”
My daughter and her friends grab markers and start in on our car. My son watches, but doesn’t actually write anything.
A parent walks around reminding everyone, “When you get there, don’t go in. Wait for the rest of the team and we’ll walk in together.”
Photo courtesy of Tim Male.
We pile back into our cars and head out, a line of decorated cars streaming through the neighborhood.
***
“Look!” my son cries out, “Feet!” A bed sheet with gold and black Feet hangs on the overpass of 270 North near the exit for the rival pool. The seniors had a busy night.
Pulling into the parking lot he tells me excitedly, “Mom, more Feet!” Outlines of feet, “Go Feet!” and “Daleview Pool” are written in chalk all over the pavement. Clearly the seniors had a very busy night.
***
“WE ARE THE FEET! WE ARE THE FEET!” the kids cheer as they enter the pool. Someone with a drum beats along with the chant. Several kids are holding up oversized gold Styrofoam feet.
Photo courtesy of Tim Male.
An older swimmer offers my son one of the feet, but he says, “No, thanks, I’m good.” I can tell he’s a bit intimidated by everything going on around him.
***
We wait for our warmups to start. Kids add more tattoos to backs, necks, arms, legs, feet (how meta), even a few faces. We are a swarm of black, gold, and feet.
My son takes a tattoo, but doesn’t actually put it on himself. Instead, he convinces his almost three-year-old sister to wear it. She walks around proudly showing her thigh tattoo to anyone who will pay her attention.
***
After warmups my son quietly stands by the side of the pool with his friend, also swimming his first A meet. They look so small in their black and gold jammers, their goggles perched on their heads. I can see his nerves now; he’s hunched his shoulders in and is shivering slightly. He’s ready, though.
I turn to another parent and smile. She nods and smiles back.
***
I watch my son line up for his first event: 25 free. When my kids swim I get nervous. I’m not focused on their times or places (okay, maybe I am a little); I just so badly want them to be happy with their accomplishments. As my son bends his body down to the starting position, I squeeze my husband’s arm.
After the race I focus on my son’s face. I want to see if he’s smiling. If he is, I know he feels good about his race. He turns his head in my direction. He’s smiling.
***
At halftime, my son leaves for his soccer game. I stay so I can see my daughter swim the rest of her events. As he goes, he reminds me, “Don’t forget to find out the score. I want to know who wins.”
I ask him if he wants to know his individual times. He shrugs his shoulders and says, “Sure.” Clearly he isn’t concerned about how he did.
***
Later, when he asks, I tell my son, “We won the meet!” We’re all a bit surprised; we’re seeded last in our division, the other team first. “We won by 11 points!” He’s pleased with this information, particularly because it’s so close. He asks who our next meet is against and how I think we’ll do. Is it possible he’s becoming more invested in the team? Has this meet made a swimmer out of him?
I then ask my son what he thinks of his first meet. He tells me, “I like meets better than practices. They’re more fun. I want to swim another one!”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stina Oakes is a member of Daleview Swim Club where she swims with the Masters group. She is new to swimming, having only learned how in the past year. She is the mother of two swimmers (ages 12 and 8) and one future swimmer (age 2). She is a Professorial Lecturer in the Writing Program at American University.