splash!

We walked up the stairs toward the bleachers at Steiner's indoor pool and through the door, and suddenly the echo of voices and water splashes bouncing off the tile walls surrounded us. The bleachers were full of cheering parents and fellow students, so Mom and I made our way to the side, looking for Kathy who was also there supporting Madi. Once found, we all cheered together as East High-ers swam their fastest.

Suddenly, though, Madi was next to us. She hadn't swam yet, but was up next. She wanted to say hi to us, though, and make sure we knew which lane we knew she'd be swimming: lane four.

Within minutes, Madi was standing on the jump off, goggles poised, eyes set for the end of the lane. The gun sounded, and splash! Madi was in. Swimming is so beautiful. There just is this fluid grace about putting one arm in front of another. We cheered and cheered, and after her 50 free- style, Madi came in third, 36 seconds.

Who could get up in front of so many in a swimsuit, swim under a clock, and against four schools? Not many. But Madi has always been fearless. Mom was saying on the way home how she was the child who could get a refill of ketchup at a restaurant without hesitation. She was the child who did the Clayton play without hesitation. The rest of the Close kids have been pretty shy, so swim team is huge. Wahoo, Madi!