pool closed

My girls are no longer Flying Fish swimmers, they are now Big Gators and quite disgruntled about it. In their hearts they are Flying Fish, in my heart they are flying Fish and I am a Flying Fish mum. But for the next year, give or take a few months, there will not be a Flying Fish team.

The pool we used belonged to Miami Dade College and a few months ago it was closed down by the Board of Health without notice. They may have realised it was coming but they didn't share that news with the teams that rent the pool, any of them or any of their Life Guards. One day we all received a text, Pool Closed, meet at Mak for practise. So we did, for 3 months. it was horrid. The pool is old and dirty and and and BUT we had a pool to swim in. The lifeguards and pool personnel from MDC were just told not to come to work and were not paid for 3 months. and left hanging daily as to whether the pool would be open. That is just wrong.

Miami Dade College told coach about 6 weeks ago that they were shutting down for a year to make changes and updates. He immediately flew into action to relocate us. No joy. After 35 years of teaching swimming he is hanging up his bright green shirts and his name and is joining forces with another team. This is the only way we can get access to a pool. It's crazy but here in Miami we have very very few 25 metre pools and even less that are open for public use. Everybody has their own pool in the back garden.

Friday night was our last night as Flying Fish, for 120 days we will unattached swimmers and come the new year we will be Big Gators. (even I don't like the name). We are really lucky to have a coach that cares so much. He could have just said, well that's it, join another team and when things get sorted out we'll start back again. This man has a large, ego and for him to join forces with another team, really shows how much he cares.

We asked all the kids to wear the team shirts on Friday for one last set of photos and even though practise was it's usual tough workout they had a little more fun in the pool and on the deck. Big Boss Man wasn't there, he took off for a few days. It was strange to wrap it up with out him. Better for him though, I think.

The early arrivers and the 2 assistant coaches

Coach Pedro. Rosies new Coach since June

She's ready

She is so small yet SO mighty in the water.

I see you Mummy. The Coaches were laughing cos I was in the stands taking photos and she saw me and everytime she broke the surface during breaststoke she popped out with a smile.

Same odd hand angle as her big sister. On an up side at least I can spot them easily.

Friday night is relay night. 

Love to see her dive and since it was our last night I got really close to the action. Not sure what the photo situation will be like at the new pool.

The group Mascot. 

On Tuesday of last week I received a text shortly before swimming was to start, to ask if I could bring Rosie to the later class for a try out. The coaches have known she can physically "do it" for a while now but BossMan was concerned that if she got kicked by a 13 yr old, or hit by a big lad, accidentally but with full swimming force, it would really hurt her. Well she tried out and she is in. She is a whole lot younger than most of her group mates and she is faster than some of the bigger boys which was funny to see. They were coming up to me and saying Dang, Rosie is fast. They chose her to be the group mascot. LOL

Lily and her Coach, Coach Vlad. She loves training with him and I am so glad he is coming to the new pool also.

Cos swimming for 2 hours isn't hard enough. let's use paddles

So many swimmers in the water it looks like Ocean surf.

head down

Lilys group of crazy friends. All of them are really nice kids.

crazies!

Oops, just one more cos I like it. 

On Monday afternoon I am heading over to MDC to the pool deck with Bossman to gather up the teams kit. The pull buoys, kick boards, etc etc. and we are loading up my SUV and heading over to Riveira, our new home, to set it up. This is a new chapter and we are looking forward to it. Each day brings us closer to being Flying Fish again, and having a whole new team for the kids to compete again can only be a good thing. New friendships, new pool, new horizons.

some good news

Have you wondered why there haven't been any day to day swimming photos on the blog for months and months? Well that is because the pool that we swim at, our pool, was closed by the Health Dept', back in February. Nothing serious like a skanky disease just many minor violations. Health Department violations can be things like, plants blocking exits. Who knew. They had two biggies, that involved a lot of maintenance but initially assured the Coach it would be quick.

Time dragged on and communication failed, totally. The pool "owners" become elusive and the whole dealio a big mess. For the first couple of weeks Coach was pulling insurance policies daily to cover the kids at whatever pool he could get them into for practice that night. Thankfully he has a lot of clout as a swim Coach and people were bending over backwards to help him. But it was a pain the neck but we knew it was only for a couple of weeks so it was OK. Each day we would receive a text telling us where to swim that night. As time dragged on it became apparent we needed a temporary permanent home and he found us one.

The funny thing about sunny South Florida is there are very few public pools and even less Olympic size ones. Nearly everyone has either a community pool or a backyard one. Trying to get into one of the big pools is almost impossible because they are already full of school teams, swim teams, water polo teams and learn to swim classes. It is a challenge. We ended up at a County pool that we use for Saturday Swims when our pool is closed for holidays etc. No one really likes this pool but it's a pool. We sucked it up cos it was for a couple of weeks. That was at the beginning of February.

Skanky pool has worn on everyone. It is gross there, truly. It is old and run down and just generally tired and dirty. The running joke became, if the Health Dept thought our pool was in sorry shape I guess they have never set foot over here cos this is a violation waiting to be cited. Coach made us all promise, jokingly of course, that none of us would call the DOH. If that pool got closed we were screwed. Whilst we were there for 3 months another pool got closed and skanky pool opened it's heart and allowed them in too. Now we were squeezed into even less lanes and staying even later at night. I won't even mention what time the girls have been going to bed.

Everyone at Skanky pool was so kind, they seem oblivious to their grotty conditions and the fact that they were so kind means a lot. To enter the pool you have to walk through the toilet/changing rooms and they are old and not air conditioned and always always muddy. Yeah, there is mud on the floor cos you enter via the park and and drag that dirt into a changing room where kids are showering. EEEWWWW. The water from the showers drains through one of two main floor drains, it really is old and horrid.

Anyhoo, we had a place to swim. My coaching lessons resumed after about a month when it became apparent we were not going home anytime soon. Some of the parents quit taking their kids cos it was to far to drive or they just didn't like it. It has been rough and the strain on the team palpable. Rumours have been rampant. Last night after practice coach sat and talked to a couple of us and there was no news. Communication still at a low. His contract has a little clause in it, as does everyones who uses that pool, that basically leaves him high and dry.

Last night I was watching Greys, at about 10.30. (I DVR'd it) when I decided to check my phone. This is odd for me as once I watch Greys you cannot move me. I paused the show went and got my phone and it was all glowy with a bunch of missed calls and texts. All of them from the Coach and the other team Mum. This one stood out.

Coach: POOL OPENS MONDAY !!!!!

This one was screaming too:
Mother Teresa: WHY AREN'T YOU ANSWERING. CALL ME

I called and I swear we screamed and shouted like five year olds. Our pool is open and we move home on Monday. Oh happy days. I was tempted to wake up the girls but I refrained. I knew it would be the best news I could give them to get them moving in the morning.

I am so happy, the girls are over the moon. Word is spreading like wild fire and the my phone won't quit. I'm happy to keep typing, yes, it's true.

So be prepared for the barrage of pool pictures again of the kiddos.

Oh and the one question Mother Teresa and I had for Coach, why didn't you tell us earlier? He said, do you really think if I had this information earlier I wouldn't have shared it or that the other Coach that is also sharing the pool woudln't have shared it, they just sent it to me. At 9.29 pm. Yeah that's how they roll.

Woohoo, we are going home to the clean big bright pool where I won't be concerned about the girls catching the bubonic plague.

My BFF was here last week and she came to the pool with us and I sent a photo of the 2 of us to my sister and she replied: love the photo but ewww where are you, it's disgusting? I laughed so hard. You couldn't even see the pool just a tiny little corner.

Just a tiny little corner of Skanky. 

The timing is perfect. Long course season has started and the the girls both have meets next weekend. Long course is new to Rosie and so practising in her pool will put her head where it should be for a tough meet.