Barracudas + Sharpies

In the suburban Cary/Apex area of North Carolina, there lives a beast that arrives each summer: the neighborhood swim team!

As members of the Brookstone Barracudas, we are deeply entrenched in this summer activity. Let me take you through typical Tuesday evening activities in ridiculous pictorial detail!

First, stake out your spot on the pool deck with your respective age group (these scenes compliments of the 7 & 8 year old girls)

Next, pull out all the games and activity books you hauled along that will be completely ignored as soon as the girls start playing hand games (Miss Mary Mac-Mac-Mac, all dressed in black-black-black....), giggling and generally acting their age.

Then, allow an adult, whom you barely know, draw on your child with a permanent marker.

Try to ignore it when one of the girls takes the marker and starts writing things like "Eat My Bubbles" and "Barracuda Bite!" all over your child.

Next, and this is extremely crucial, quickly get in line at the concession stand before all of the ring pops, pizza slices and snow cones are gone and all you are left with is Laffy Taffy - ick!

Although Will is just a spectator, you can see he has fully embraced this part of the process!

As has his sister...

Wait, what are we doing here again? Oh, that's right, it is a swim meet. So, after warm ups, pizza, snow cones, and a fairly significant quantity of sugar, these kids are ready to hit the water. First, ala Michael Phelps, you have to get your arms loosened up.

Make sure your goggles are on nice and tight - you don't want the Phelps goggle malfunction!

Then.....a moment of deep concentration. Can you see it on her face? That's it! She has it! The eye of the tiger...grrrrr! Well, either that or she is patiently waiting to be told to step up. But I am going with the tiger thing.

Event: Backstroke.
"Swimmers, take the water"

"On Your Mark"

"HOOONK"

And she's off!

Typical post-event conversation:

"Mommy, how did I do?"

"You weren't last!!"

"Yea! I wasn't last!!"

Ah, how we Hughes reach for the stars!

Then, sometime between 9 and 10 pm, we take our little tigers home, where they pass out on their beds from sheer exhaustion and the down side of the sugar high.

"Mommy, now can I have some Sour Patch straws?"

Of course, you know...we love all of it!