As I sit here, drinking coffee on this raining Sunday morning, I am feeling grateful. Grateful that you all have chosen to participate in youth sports as a family and grateful that you have chosen Capital Wave as the club to do that with.

Events like last night’s Mini Loo are a reinforcement to me for my personal beliefs in the value of youth sport.  

I have been involved in youth aquatic sports for the past 17 years, both swimming and water polo with my own children. While they are now both in their 20’s, the experiences and lessons learned we had as a family from their time in age group programs, still resonate with us today.

We know families are super busy with life these days, and we also know that sometimes we are bombarding families with practices, additional events and many, many emails. There is a reason behind the madness. The passion for youth sports is a core value of our club and we get excited to share that passion with our families.

Events like our Boogaloos and Mini Loo’s are the expression of that value. For me, personally they are the validating reason behind all of the work. It’s the little things that may not be visible from the stands. It’s the smiles at the end of a swim from new athletes completing an event. It’s the athlete who wanted a coach to swim with them for their first swim, completing the rest independently. The athlete who got scared partway through a swim, but pushed through and then remained and swam the rest of the night. The swimmers who stood on the blocks for the first time and dove. The drive of the more experienced athletes racing to the finish. These experiences stay with young people. They learn to believe in themselves. They learn resilience. They have fun. They make memories.

Thank you to the families for supporting your athletes. The energy from the stands was felt throughout the pool

Thank you to the parents who volunteered their time and energy on the pool deck.

Thank you to Liz for organizing the athletes in the stands(one of the hardest jobs).

Thank you to Tara (and family) for organizing the pizza!

Thank you to the coaches for sharing their love of sport and support of the athletes.

Thank you to Coach Fraser and for his leadership and vision.

I can’t wait to see these athletes continue to learn and grow, taking these lessons forward in both swimming and water polo! And life!