swim, bike, run (and flip)

We are trying to kind of sneak up on Maya with the introduction to her athletic prowess. She has it but she doesn't really know it. Because she is such a competitive kid she tends to shy away from doing anything where she is at risk of losing. Her determination has been better suited for individual endeavors which is why gymnastics seems to be a good fit for her. She has refused soccer, softball and basketball even though she shows promise with the skills of all of those sports.

When her drive and her skill click she will be a force. 

But peer pressure can be a good thing. Her best friend Abby was going to do the Jr. Bears kids triathlon, would she like to do it too?  She shrugged. "Sure." 

Maya might be the first person ever to do a triathlon with a full face mask.

Now to say that Maya and Abby are cut from the same cloth would be accurate but not descriptive enough. It would more fair to say that when the black hole that exploded to create the universe, Abby and Maya were racing each other to the front of the line of creation, giggling and spanking each other's bums and making crazy faces while telling everyone else the best way to proceed at the dawn of time. 

When Maya and Abigal (affectionately dubbed "Mabigal") are together, your stomach hurts from laughing, you think about things you never considered before, especially when these incredibly industrious and creative children have been quiet for any length of time (they last went in the room carrying a jar of Peanut Butter, a map, some cotton balls, a flashlight and scissors...maybe I should check on them) and you are searching for a glass of wine and some ear plugs.

While we were waiting for the race to start I took the girls into the indoor field house at the University of Maine to get some of their wiggles out. They ran to the other side of the track (because who doesn't sprint around a track 15 minutes before a race?) and I could hear them screeching with glee. I heard the distinct phrase, "Sandbox!" and looked up to see them flinging sand through the air like confetti. 

It was the long jump pit. 

Abby is Maya's first best friend and she couldn't have picked a better one. When Trish came downstairs the other day while I was making dinner she said, "Something smells good down here!" To which Abby replied, "Oh, it's probably me."

In short, Maya has found her soul mate. 

 The triathlon was two laps in the pool followed by a 1 mile bike ride and a 1/2 mile run.  Parents could help their kids set up their transition spot but that was it. No help from us during the race. We were told before the start, "Parents, it is time to let go."  I reluctantly did.

Sandi was on call and, sadly, got called into work as the National Anthem. I took videos of all three events but it was such a bummer that she had to miss it.

Maya is a speed demon in sneakers. I am not exaggerating when I say she is hard for me to beat when we race.

 And I am flat out envious of her form.

 So proud of these girls!!

Nothing like having your grandparents come and cheer you on!

 As if that weren't enough for one day, the afternoon was spent at the girls' end of year gymnastics show. Gymnastics had sort of taken over our lives this year and I have from time to time whined about it. But as I sat in the auditorium watching all the classes show their skills all the way up to the competitive team the girls are on, I was totally wowed by what they could do and how hard they had worked to get there.

My kids kind of amazed me on this day and that is great thing to experience from time to time.

More grandparents!

 When we stopped for ice cream on the way home there were some other people from the show there and they went out of their way to speak to the girls and tell the how impressed they were with their tumbling. The girls beamed, feeling like celebrities.