grommet guards: scout

i'm 2 months behind on this blog, but i am determined to get come
back and document some summer highlights. i just come across this a few
days ago when c shared photos and videos he had of the boys on his phone.

i found this one of scout doing some drills with his fellow guards.
here's one of the video clips c got.  scout looks so into it!
{he's in red lifeguard shorts, no hat}

~ i must mention scout was very disappointed with the grommet guards
workouts. he wanted them to be more difficult than they were.  after his big
brother showed him what his group {9-12 yr olds} were doing, he had been
practicing push-ups, planks, swimming laps in our pool and running more.

c encouraged his desire and would have the boys run the loop around our very hilly
neighborhood every morning in preparation.  he was ready to be pushed.  he would
come home every evening and over dinner tell us the jr. grom program was just too
'babyish' for him. c and i reminded him it was probably challenging for many or most
of the other 7 and 8 year olds and that next year, he will get to be with the big kids and
do all those things that finn did {including the pier jump}.

junior guard: finn oliver

finn completed his first year of junior guards last week
and it ended better than anyone of us had imagined.
after 4 weeks of swimming, surfing, kayaking and running,
it was time for graduation ceremonies.

c was in san francisco on business, so i worked from home to make
it easier to shuttle the kids to and from camps and so that i could
attend finn's junior guards graduation ceremony. 

i gathered at the lifeguard headquarters in mission bay with dozens of
other parents to learn about what our kids had been up to the last several weeks,
and to watch some kids receive a 'special achievement' award. I should note kids
are divided into three groups, 9-12, 13-15 and 16-17 year olds.

i was only half listening as they went through several group of kids, but when finn's instructor,
mr. gaudet, came to the microphone, i perked up. his first award went to a young girl who
was terrified of the ocean but overcame it.  after she walked off stage, mr. gaudet continued
with "this young man...{that got my attention because it eliminated half the kids in his group
because they were girls}.

scout and i, who were sitting under a palm tree pretty far away, made our way closer to the
stage so we could see and hear better.  mr. guadet went on to say that the young man showed up
and worked hard every day and was determined to improve.  he always asked questions -
very specific ones, about how to do something and after he would do it,
he'd come back out of the water and want a thorough critique". 

mothers know their children well....that's our job...and this description sounded exactly my son.
i said to scout "i think he's talking about finn" and he shrugged his shoulders unsure but watched
more intently.

sure enough. he called finn gerber up on stage.  i watched a huge grin form across his
little face and he was easy to follow as he was wearing his huge JG issued straw hat.
{kids get a choice of a trucker hat or a large brimmed straw hat}. he was presented a medal
for 'Most Improved Junior Guard' in his group.  scout and i cheered for him...
extra loud since dad  wasn't there to join in.

for finn to get this award is a HUGE deal, not because his dream is to be a lifeguard,
but because the odds were against him.  he is small for his age and he isn't a natural athlete.
he'd much rather use his brain over his brawn any day, so pushing his body every day to this
level of workouts was intense for him.  he came home every night sore for 4 weeks, but excited
that he could do a few more push-ups than he had a week earlier. he pushed himself hard and it
was wonderful to see him recognized for it.  i have a feeling he will never forget this day.  



























~ as we were walking to the car after the ceremony,
finn announced he was going to do jr. guards every summer until he turns 16.
he said "as much as i like it, it's not my passion and i don't want to be an intern
with the san diego lifeguards". {it's a paid position}. he told us he's going to work at
the science museum and help with the kids' camps. i smiled and told him that sounds
like the perfect job for him as a teen.

jr. lifeguard tryouts

every summer, hundreds of kids throughout san diego
from ages 7 to 17, participate in the junior lifeguard program.

i tried signing my two kiddos up last year but forgot to
register early {spots go within the first hour}, so this year 
c and i both had reminders pop up in our phones telling us
to jump online the minute registration opened.

our part was relatively easy.
finn and scout had it tougher.
they had to pass a swim test in order to participate.
as a jr. grom, scout just had to swim 2 laps in an
olympic size pool without touching the bottom or resting.
{easy peasy}

though scout desperately wanted a timed swim test,
he won't get one until he turns 9. 
they are required for the bigger kids only,
and the time allowed decreases as kids get older.

finn's age group had to swim 4 laps under 2:30,
probably very easy for competitor swimmers,
but for finn, a relaxed swimmer, it was challenging. 

over the last several weeks of swimming at the club,
finn had only made the time limit once during his practices,
so we were all a little anxious for him.

during tryouts, he dug deep and pushed through,
finishing with 6 seconds to spare.  

the boys were handed these yellow slips of paper
after their swim announcing they had passed!!

we celebrated a bit with high fives and called to share
the happy news with c. {i wish i had an extra phone to
capture the excitement and the smiles on their faces as they
talked to their daddy}.  pure happiness.

from here, we headed home, had a quick bite, threw on jeans
and long socks and headed to skateworld!

scout had been asking me for probably 3 months
to take him and it had been tough finding a free weekend
day.  we finally found one!

scout, at age 7, finally learned how to GLIDE....very different
than walking on skates. it's a much more enjoyable
experience and it made me giddy to see him finally get it.

for 3 hours, we skated, limbo'd, played the dice game
and raced - all of us. we lost to the 'derby' kids/adults
that were there in big numbers but that was ok.
we had a blast!

scout was having so much fun, he announced he wants
rollerskating to be our monthly 'date'.  i couldn't commit to
that, but i did tell him we would squeeze more in. much more.

we had a fabulously fun day...with sore muscles to remember it.

~ c missed all the fun {was in LA...his very last time
for the project that has been his baby the last several months}.
we filled him in on everything....and shared videos
he's joining us next time.