Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I moved away from home when my youngest sister was 10 years old. I never really got to know her, and as I visited during the holidays, I was able to bond a little more with the girl who was growing up ever so quickly into a fine young lady. Some days I felt like I wasn't doing my job as a Big Sister because I lived across the country from her and wasn't there for many "firsts." I am glad my middle sister was there for her to be her role model.  Those two got really close, as they are only 5 years apart, and sometimes that was hard for me to see. But deep down I was grateful to have wonderful sisters who loved each other so much. I knew they hadn't forgotten about me, and we always had wonderful times together during Christmas and Summer vacations.

Loved it when she came to MO
for my college graduation!
May 2012

Now that she is nearly 16 years old, I have seen her become a beautiful young woman who is confident, talented, and smart. It is so much fun, now that she has her own phone and is old enough to understand real life, to text her and facebook her on an almost daily basis.  My sister is on a club swim team, as well as her high school Varsity swim team. Last week, my dad sent me a copy of her swim club's monthly newsletter, and she was the featured athlete of the month. I am going to use some bragging rights as a big sister, and share that article.

Kristina with her coach, Misty

December 2012

Our Kino swimmer of the month for July is Kristina Whipple. Even though she is only 15 and just about to begin her Sophomore year at Mountain View High School, she is a veteran within our senior group, as she began with us 2 years ago as part of our High School season training group. This is a lesson that consistency and work ethic pays off. Kristina has spent some time with our 13 - 14 group and the majority transitioning into the senior groups and over that time we have seen an amazing metamorphosis.

From a child who rarely answered in more than one word, we now see
an engaging young lady with more friends than you could keep track of, and she is a critical part of our group as we move forward. She has done a fantastic job with our dryland training and even owns some team training records, and has been as dedicated to that portion of our training as any athlete on our team. And it shows in her swimming, she has had some great results recently and we expect many more in the future.

Kristina has worked hard to refine her strokes and is as supportive of her teammates as any athlete I've ever worked with, she enjoys them, helps them and supports them in every way, and that is probably more important that any race result could be. We anticipate that she will be gaining her Far Western or Sectional cuts soon, maybe even during this upcoming HS season and no one will be more deserving when that happens. In sum, there truly is no one else like "The Whip" and we are lucky to have her as past of our team, and congratulations to our July swimmer of the month!
 
All I could think when I read this was, "Wow, my sister is AWESOME!" Even though we are far apart, I sure do love getting to know her more and more. I am so grateful for technology :).