Ranae Amicabiles et Delphinos Caeruleos et Crocodilos Vallis Viridis Superaverunt!

Obviously, I'm on a Latin kick.

The headline reads, "Friendly Frogs have defeated the Blue Dolphins and Green Valley Gators!"

We've been members of the Friendly Park Pool for several years, and all of our kids have swum for the Friendly Frogs at one time or another. This year our only swimmer was Sam. I love the summer swim season and will miss it when Sam ages out of the league. He did well on the first day of this year's City Championships, finishing fourth in the 50 yard breaststroke, and helping to take second in the 200 yard freestyle relay. Yeah, Sam!

When we first started swimming for the Frogs, Friendly was a perennial also-ran team, happy to finish fourth in the City Championships. Then one year they shocked themselves by taking third, then second the next year. In those days, the real competion was for second place because the Green Valley Gators had so dominated the league for so many years that no one could get within 200 points of them.

But two years ago, the Friendly coaches convinced themselves and their team that the Gators could be beaten -- and it happened. After a regular-season loss to Green Valley that turned on the very last relay race of the meet, Friendly took home the winners' trophy at the City Championship in 2003.

The Gators came roaring back in '04, but in the meantime the Greensboro Country Club Blue Dolphins became a threat. This summer, the three teams were about even going into the Championship. No one knew who would win. After the last swimmer was out of the pool last night, and the officials were adding up the scores, we were in suspense. But then . . .

Frogs win! Frogs win!

You can find complete race results at the CSA website (maintained by yours truly).

Ranae regunt!