3:30 A.M. -- arise to check the weather report and highway report to see if it will be possible to travel to Bismarck, ND today for the girls' swim meet; travel was not advised through last night due to severe winter weather, but it seems that roads are being declared passable this morning . . . so get ready for the day
5:15 A.M. -- leave for Bismarck; discover that the roads are just fine: the driving lane is clear the entire way, the passing lane is mostly clear with some occasional snow accumulations, and plows are out clearing the drifts from the shoulders of the Interstate
6:45 A.M. (7:45 Central time) -- arrive at the BSC Aquatic and Wellness Center in time for Suzanna's warmup, which starts at 8:00 Central time (Abigail and Hillary's warmup and events are in the afternoon); discover that Suzanna is the only team member there and that her coach has not come, either; watch Susan's blood pressure rise as she texts and e-mails the other team members' parents (not coming because of the nonexistent "bad roads") and the coach ("There's a meet today? If any other team members show up this afternoon, let me know, and I'll think about coming for the afternoon's events")
8:00 A.M. (9:00 Central) -- clap for Suzanna as she shaves seconds off her previous times in all three of her events . . . and then qualifies for finals in the 100-yard backstroke!; fight boredom during the other 5,000 events that she is not in
10:30 A.M. (11:30 Central) -- go to the concessions stand to get a bite to eat between Suzanna's morning events and Abigail and Hillary's afternoon events; pay $4 for a bun containing pulled pork in barbecue sauce (no accompanying pickles, potato chips, celery sticks, etc.) and regret not having brought our own food to the meet
11:00 A.M. (12:00 P.M. Central) -- watch as Suzanna, with the team coach still nowhere to be found (he e-mailed Susan that he was having "car troubles"), volunteers to serve as coach pro tempore for her sisters and the two other team members whose parents bothered to take them to the meet (Abigail: "She was nicer to us than our actual coach")
12:00 P.M. (1:00 Central) -- clap for Abigail and Hillary as each of them shaves seconds off her previous time for each event (and as Hillary takes first place in her heat for both of her events) (but there are no finals for their age groups, so they can't qualify as Suzanna can in her age group); struggle to stay conscious during the other 5,000 events that they are not in
3:00 P.M. (4:00 Central) -- watch Suzanna return to the pool for warmups for the finals; consider our options for eating out once we're able to leave the very hot and humid pool area after a long day of sitting and sweating
4:00 P.M. (5:00 Central) -- clap for Suzanna as she swims her event 4 seconds more quickly than she did in the morning; pack up and wait in the much cooler entry to the building as Suzanna showers and dresses
5:00 P.M. (6:00 Central) -- drive to Olive Garden and relax with bowls of zuppa Toscana and fresh salad, baskets of garlic breadsticks, and plates of pasta in delicious sauces
7:00 P.M. (8:00 Central) -- drive back to Dickinson on roads still perfectly clean and drive-on-able
8:30 P.M. -- return home extremely exhausted . . . and, rather than going straight to bed, watch a few programs stored on the DVR (priorities!)
First, Congrats to each of the girls on their performances!
ReplyDeleteSecond, like I said on FB, you've taken responsiblities to do what you signed up for and that merits a "pat on the back" for each of you for making the drive to Bismarck! Good job people!
Thank you, Sanny!
ReplyDeleteIt was a successful day for the girls, and a frustrating day for their parents. However, I'm happy to report that coaching issues seem to have been resolved, and we've already gotten notice that not one but TWO coaches will be attending the next scheduled meet!
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