Swimming in It

My daughter Jessica has been practicing and competing all season for a chance to qualify for the YMCA NY State Swimming Championships held in Ithaca NY.  Last year she qualified for a single event, and through hard work (she’s known as a Try Hard) this year she is in 4 events as well as two relays.  So we drove out Friday so that she could compete in the 200 IM, and was surprised when her Pop-Pop made the trip to watch.  She scored her best time ever of 2:29.56, and worked up a ferocious appetite.  So we headed downtown to a place that Jess and Jenn loved last year, the Ithaca Ale House (http://www.ithacaalehouse.com/).

The Ithaca Ale House is downtown, and offers a great menu and lots of beer on tap.  They had several drafts from Ithaca brewing, including their White Gold and Excelsior Anniversary 16.  I had a killer pastrami sandwich, and split it with my dad whose Thai peanut noodles were just a tad too spicy for him (but perfect for me).  The others got great pizza (margarita for the ladies and plain for Jacob) while we watched Syracuse choke to NC State (it was a sad night for ‘Cuse fans).  We had a fantastic evening, getting Jess’ first event out of the way and spending time together.  But Jess was swimming in the morning, so we headed back to the hotel to get some rest.

The next morning we headed over a bit later to the pool since Jess was one of the last events of the morning.  Jess swam her 2^nd best time ever in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:41.91.  Jess’ friend Lizzie came down to watch her swim and spend the afternoon, so Jacob, Pop-Pop checked out the local waterfalls before heading over to 5 Guys for lunch.  Then my dad got on the road and Jacob and I headed over to Ithaca Brewing (http://ithacabeer.com/) to see what they had to offer.  I enjoyed a sampler that was loaded with beers from their 5 Barrel series, including their Polar Vortex, Billiner Weisse, and Keymaster Saison.  We got back together with the ladies, had dinner (I highly recommend the chicken mole burrito from Viva Taquerita), and watched Jess’ record her best time ever in the 200 Medley relay, a 33.83 for her breaststroke.  It was great seeing her compete so hard with her relay teammates, and being accepted by the older girls.

The next morning Jess swam 3 events; the 100 Fly, 100 Breast, and as part of the 200 Free relay.  Again, she got her 2^nd best time in 2 of the 3 events, and qualified for the finals that evening in her specialty, the 100 Breast.  So we were hungry, and headed over to Northstar (http://www.northstarpub.com/) for some brunch.  I got their cheesy hash, made with sausage and eggs, with a side of grits.  I enjoyed my meal with an Ithaca Hopbloem, an 8% ABV Belgian IPA that is included in the Ithaca Box of Belgians variety pack. 

We had some time to kill before the evening, so we checked out the waterfalls and Wegman’s (Jacob’s new favorite), before settling in over at Ithaca Coffee Roasters (http://www.ithacacoffee.com/) to have a brew and watch some college basketball.  UVA was playing Duke for the ACC Championship, and I was having some difficulty figuring out who to root for since I dislike both teams.  I chose Duke which ensured that they would lose, but I enjoyed free popcorn and a Wagner Bourbon Barrel Aged Black Stove Porter on draft, a delicious sipping beer that weighed in at 7.2% ABV. 

We went back for the finals and had fun cheering on all of the Barracuda who qualified.  Jess got 10^th place in the 100 Breast with her best time ever of 1:14.65.  The Barracudas came in 2^nd for the meet, coming within 30 points of breaking Flushing’s 27 year win streak at the championships (better luck next year).  And after the final hugs we made the long trek back home.

We had a great weekend, and were so proud of all the effort she put into her swimming.  To top the year off, the following weekend at the Barracuda banquet Jess was recognized for being the most improved girl swimmer in her age group.  And she’s not done yet since she told Jenn and I that she has her sights on Nationals next year.  I know that I won’t be betting against her. – 15422

 
“A glass of water?  Salmon swim in it.” – W.C. Fields