Tri

You may have noticed that a very high percentage of the blogs out there have turned into parents writing about their kids. I know it's just not that interesting, but when you have a little kid, you just don't get out that much and find other amusing things to write about. I don't think it's a stretch to say that the quality of American writing is worse just because it's such a pain in the ass getting a babysitter.

By the time this posts, I will be days in on a trip to a resort with lots of bars and gambling -- a trip that includes many of the most fun adults that I know, and none of our children. But until that trip has come and gone, you'll have to wait for stories fit for grown ups.

Until then, you'll have to settle for a quick note about Vanya's first triathlon. He did the RocketKidz rookies tri on Saturday, and surprisingly, he really, really seemed to enjoy it. It's a very well-organized event. For the three and four year olds, the parent swims a short and refreshing lap with them, followed by a short lap on the bike, followed by a run to a finish line.

All of this was in a very nice park in North Baton Rouge that I have never as much as heard of. If the park itself had a brain, it would have assumed that light skin was an unattractive deformity passed on to a few unfortunate humans (which is actually kind of true if you consider the evolution of man). The park would have gone on to assume that the white minority had banded together to overtake the park and its surrounding areas, for the purpose of having a place to let our kids run. Perhaps the park would think, "What a shame -- that the ugly white children aren't allowed to play out there in the rest of the world."

We'll forgive the park its racism, because we're worldly enough to see the healthy wealthy children. Many had serious competition level gear, and were there for business. Others were scared, but most were just playful and eager.

The results of such a race are meaningless. Parents could choose to drag their little ones through the pull at any rate they like, and some kids wore life jackets, etc. But even so, Vanya was the very last little guy to pass over the finish line. They went off in different groups, and he ended up not being the last place finisher when adjustments for starting time were made. But that's two tris out of two attempts where the member of my house was last to cross the finish line, making it a family tradition.

My second favorite part was toward the end of the bicycle part. I drew up next to him to go into the transition area with him, and he slammed on his brakes and came to a stop.

"What are you doing?"

"I want you to give me a boost, so I'll go faster."

Oh.

My favorite part was at the beginning of the run. One of the volunteers handed him a cup of water like they do in serious races -- never mind the fact that he was only 8 minutes of exertion into the race.

He stopped, drank it at leisure, and then carefully set the cup neatly and upright on the ground.

Race results for the little kids are here. Nice showing by the girls at the top of the heap, I noticed.