Guppy . . . Gupster . . . Guppy girl. This nickname was given to Ariana a couple of summers ago when we (and she) discovered that she really liked swimming and was actually quite good at it. But it was not always so . . .
“You’re going to drown me! You’re going to drown me!” Ariana SCREAMED when we took her into the deeper (4 1/2 feet) waters of our community pool. Bryan and I soon realized that the crowd that was at the pool when we got there quickly thinned out after our arrival. It was THAT bad.
In his ever-patient way, Bryan ascertained that Ariana meant “You’re going to dunk me!” and not “You’re going to drown me!” So, once he got the semantics squared away and addressed her fears, we went to work and taught Ariana how to swim. In short order, she became a little fish, and the nickname “Guppy” stuck.
I was excited when Ariana showed an aptitude and an interest in swimming because swimming is in my blood. I swam competitively on the San Dimas Aquatics USA team from age 10-18; Breaststroke and Butterfly were my events. Although by no stretch of the imagination could I be considered Olympic material, swimming on the team taught me so many wonderful skills and lessons–hard work, goal setting, team work, time management, the importance of exercise, etc. By working summers as a lifeguard and swim instructor, I earned a good wage which helped with my college expenses. Because of the positive experience I had with this sport, I’ve looked forward to the day when my own kids would participate in competitive swimming.
Yesterday, as Ariana practiced for the first time with the Frisco Aquatics year-round team, I couldn’t have been more impressed with her. She worked so hard and was very attentive to Coach Jackie. I hope that this will be the start of a life-long love for her and a means of learning so many important life skills.
