The season for our summer swim team, the Devil Rays, came to and end last night after defeating a team our kids had never been able to beat.

Our team is very popular around the neighborhood so we have 120 kids on the team out of a neighborhood with right under 300 houses. Since we have so many swimming, they swim mostly against biggest teams - country clubs, larger neighborhoods, swim clubs instead the neighborhoods with the general same number of houses.

That makes their feat of going undefeated and winning the division title all the more sweeter. The children were insanely excited and the celebration will continue tonight at a party.

My child isn't the fastest swimmer nor was she essential to this season but she showed up for practices and meets, she swam hard and she was a good teammate so this is an accomplishment for her too. She had so much fun this season and her times got so much better than last year and from the start of the season. In her third year, she has gone from a flailing armed swimmer to a very smooth swimmer. We are so proud of her and all her friends.

The team is coached by college kids and older teenagers in the neighborhood. In the day and age where we hear so much negative about teen drug use, sex and other negative issues, we are so lucky to have these kids. They are all the kind of people you love as an example for your children. They are all good-natured, responsible, polite kids who work very hard for this team. They are tough coaches but they also love these kids. The children clamor to them, hang on them. Don't get me wrong - these kids are all good looking, popular and fun kids who clearly could have made other choices than to go to school or work all day, run four swim practices a week and then a swim meet.

Some of the coaches still swim in the 15-18 group at meets - two of them are graduating seniors and adored by all. I really hope that Hayley turns out as nice as kristin and Frank. I love that she has these role models of teenagers, both male and female. I'm a firm believer in sports and the lessons they teach you on and off the field. Our swim team reaffirms that belief every year.