As it turned out, only one other student from Varmaland entered into the swimming competition: the daughter of Varmaland's PE and swimming teacher, ĺris. ĺris was also involved with running the competition and helpfully explained the whole process to us. We
were very appreciative, because our kids have never been involved in swim meets in the States. ĺris previously spent four years in Alabama, so her accent is part-Icelandic and part-Southern drawl, which gives it a unique sound. From her time in Alabama, she knew that swimming was not a part of school curriculum in the States. She also concluded that American kids are not generally as good of swimmers as Icelandic kids, who are taught swimming starting at age six at the latest. Before the swim meet began, ĺris told us that she had asked our girls if they knew how to swim when they first started swimming classes at Varmaland back in January. She was more than a little dubious when they said they did, but was pleasantly surprised to find out that the girls actually could swim. In fact, she even told us that she thinks that they have good form! We think that that was quite a compliment for Tami and her staff back at the Western State pool, who have been working with the girls at stroke clinics for the past few years.
Joslyn competed in the 25 meter freestyle and 25 m backstroke races. She came in last in each of the events. It probably didn't help that she was the shortest kid in her age group. Regardless, she had a lot of fun. All of the swimmers got medals for participation and Joslyn was really proud of it and wore it the rest of the day. Alex competed in the 50 m freestyle, 50 m breaststroke, and 50 m backstroke. Her rookie status was clear on the first race, because when the whistle was blown to start the race, she was obviously not ready for it. She didn't begin her dive until her only other competitor was already in the water! Still, Alex was a strong swimmer and managed to pass the other girl on the last lap. Alex got a better start on the breaststroke, but the other girl easily won that race. Alex won the backstroke race but did not compete in the final race, which was a mixture of styles. The other girl "raced" that one alone. Alex also enjoyed the swim meet and was very pleased with the medal. 
After the awards ceremony, the rest of the family changed into our swimming suits and
joined the girls outside (in the 20 degree Fahrenheit weather) to soak in the hot tubs and play in the outdoor swimming pool. By 2 pm we were getting hungry, so we cleaned up. We watched the indoor sporting events briefly, because there were a couple kids from Bifröst competing in them. We ate dinner at Hyrnan, which is an American-style café with pizza, burgers, and ice cream. We had not eaten there previously, but the food hit the spot for everyone.
After dinner we shopped and did some sight-seeing around Borgarnes. The region around Borgarnes plays a central role in Egils Saga, which is one of the most famous Icelandic sagas. Now that we have our bearings, we are starting to figure out the important locations that are mentioned in the saga. We drove home and decided to stop at the Glanni waterfall for a quick look. The weather has turned colder and a few inches of snow has fallen recently, so we wanted to see if Glanni looked different than it did a few days ago. The difference was remarkable! To get a feeling for how much the flow in the water had dropped, compare this picture of Glanni with the one we took (and posted) just three days ago! It will be interesting to see how the waterfall continues to change through the spring and into summer.
Back at home, we unpacked from the day on the town and then Facetimed with Shan's folks to wish my father a happy birthday, since he turned 70 today! My sister's family was down to help celebrate, so the girls were able to see and talk to their cousins as well, until they finally couldn't stay awake any longer. All of that swimming, hot-tubbing, hiking, and food in their stomach, combined with the lateness of the hour, had finally taken their toll!
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