Last Friday night; after the kids went down, we were left with a decision, merely 'to go, or not to go'.... to the swim tournament that is. Not a huge decision, or so we thought! Turns out the decision to make the three-hour trek to Zarcero for the swim tournament was, I imagine, like hitting the JACKPOT. Yes, the odds were slightly stacked against us, me being sick and on antibiotics, having to get up at 4 a.m. and drive 3 hours, the boys just getting over their virus and well, them choosing to spend their last swim practice (shall we say, less than focused) on their coach's instructions.
We chose “GO” and GO we did. We pulled out of Monteverde Saturday morning at about 5:20 a.m. headed down the mountain.
The drive took us through the town of Naranjo, which was settled in 1830, and originally known as “Los Naranjos” (the Orange Groves) due to the abundance of orange trees in the surrounding area. Although the name has been shortened and the amount of orange trees lessened, this city of 35,000 has remained an important agricultural hub for Costa Rica. Set at the base of the Espírito Santo Hills in Costa Rica’s gorgeous Central Valley, the area surrounding the town is stippled with farms growing all kinds of crops– plantains, corn, tapioca, coffee, rice, beans, sugar cane, tobacco, and beef, to name a few. The coffee plantations are perhaps the best represented, and plantation tours are becoming increasingly popular among tourists. This fertile area is drained by the Grande Colorado, Molino, Barranca, and El Espino rivers, and, at an elevation of 3,398 feet (1,036 meters), the temperature is a consistently cool 68° F (20° C).
From there, we ascended onto a ridge as we made our way to Zarcero.
Zarcero lies at an elevation of 1,736 meters above sea level in the Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range) of Costa Rica, 50 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital city of Alajuela and 27 kilometers southeast of Ciudad Quesada.
Zarcero, known for its brisk mountain climate, lies in a dairy and agricultural area also noted for the local enterprises that practice organic farming. Distinctive jams, cheese and other dairy products are among the items produced.
Set in the northern hills of San Ramon, this charming town makes a great stop for those travelling to La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano. Surrounded by coffee plantations and lush rolling hills, it is an ideal retreat for those who wish to spend a few days in a lovely place away from the hustle and bustle of the city life.
The town has a beautiful cottage style church. Admirers of religious architecture will be delighted by the interior of the church, which is covered with detailed religious paintings and elaborate pastel stencil work. Standing right in front of the San Rafael church is the famed topiary garden of ‘Parque Francisco Alvarado’. Sixteen green arches stand before the church, inviting you to the evergreen paradise around it. Offering a series of vibrant shrubbery, sculptured and clipped into whimsical shapes, the garden is a must-see. Well-manicured shrubs in the park are fashioned as animals, dancers and oxcarts. You will even find a dinosaurs, helicopter, airplane and even Christ carrying a cross.
This highland town is lined with cedar trees and is also home to the Los Ángeles Cloud Forest Reserve. This private park offers amazing trails and wildlife viewing opportunities. The views were spectacular as you looked out both sides of the car. The clouds hung, suspended in the valley and the fields of crops were neatly parceled out below. We arrived in Zarcero three hours later and found the swim arena without too much trouble. The arena was surrounded by pasture, which was hard to see due to the dense fog in the morning. As we walked into the arena, the boys were quick to note the various food tents outside and quickly put in their request for something ‘yummy’. We quickly found the Monteverde team and made our way over to join the group. I gave a quick wave to Beba, their coach, to let her know that the Schaefers were ‘in the house’.
The boys received their swim team shirts and we all chuckled over the spelling of Michael’s name on his sleeve. I just told him “that’s how Michael is spelled in Spanish’ and he bought it. MAICOL – exactly how it sounds, right? Mom even sported her shirt too to show her support for the team.
Again, we should know by now that nothing ever starts ON-TIME, so the 9:00 a.m. first race should have been billed out as a 10 or 10:15 a.m. start…but really, who is keeping track of time anyway.
After a four-hour wait, two hamburgers, Gatorade, banana bread, apples, beans and rice and chips, the boy’s first race was about to begin. They were super excited and followed Josue (assistant coach) into the staging area. Que frio! The staging area was a tent outside; mind you the tent had no side flaps, so you can imagine how cold the little 6 to 8 year olds must have been as they patiently waited for their seat assignments. I opted to stay inside, out of the cold wind, as my sinus infection did not need any help in getting worse. BRRRR! Michael and John quickly reminded me to put on their new swim caps and boy did they look ‘the part’. Mike and I were thrilled to see them step up and be independent as they were separated into different heats in their first race. The first race was with their flutter boards, 25 meters (about 10 meters longer than the hotel pool they practice in each week).
Here’s John getting a last minute pep talk from Josue before he takes the plunge.
Mike was positioned with the camera on one side as I flanked the other side with the rest of the team. And he was off – I had to chuckle as he kept sizing up his competition, looking to his side, rather than focusing on the straight away and the water ahead of him. It was exhilarating to hear all the other Team Monteverde parents encouraging him “VAMOS John”, “FUERTE, FUERTE”! He touched the wall and I jumped and hollered like any other proud parent. He had done it and I could not wait to scoop him up out of the water and into my arms.
Something happened to me at that very moment – it was like “oh my gosh, my little Gusty is growing up”, I felt that pride that all parents must feel when they see their child accomplish something. Perhaps this is a step in the process of ‘growing up and gaining independence’ that I had waited so long for. Believing in my children and letting them spread their wings, experience new challenges, triumphs and defeats!
Michael was next up and leaps into the water and kicks his way to the finish line.
Again, I am a crazy woman, screaming and yelling at the top of my lungs. I thought to myself “Oh, I’ve become one of those crazed sports mothers who make a spectacle of themselves as they cheer their children on’...did that stop me? Not a chance!
We waited for two more hours until the boy’s next race – Free Style, no floatation device, just sheer determination and will to make it the length of the pool. By this time, I found myself yawning and tired, so I could only imagine how Michael and John felt. As the entry forms for the race were being handed out, we discovered that John had been entered into the race as Jostin (Justin). After talking with him – he agreed that he would play the role of Jostin while being staged in the tent. However, he looked up at me and said “mom, can you call me John when I’m in the pool though?”. I laughed silently to myself as I gave him a reassuring pat on the back. By this time, some of the participants were leaving, so they started to consolidate some of the age groups. Besides Fabricio (a 13 year old boy) on our team, John and Michael were the only other kids from Team MONTEVERDE that swam the Freestyle. They again followed Josue up to the top of the pool – John quickly stepped up on the dive platform while Michael was a little apprehensive “What, I’m suppose to dive off this thing?”…with a thumbs up from me, he (in sure Michael fashion) cleared the pool with a huge belly flop and they were off. The other two boys in this race were at least 8 years old but that did not stop their determination to make it to the other side of the pool.
We’ve been talking a lot about perseverance with the boys and they certainly demonstrated the meaning of it on Saturday as they kept pushing the water past them as they did a mix of the front crawl and the doggy paddle. Both Mike and I, along with the other parents and kids, cheered them on – we all high-fived and butted fists during our congratulatory celebration.
We quickly dried the kids off, changed and met the rest of the team out front for a group picture and the medal ceremony. John was in all his glory, all smiles and oh so proud. Michael, who does not like to be in the limelight, graciously accepted his medal and stood quietly in the group, as a quick photo opp emerged.
The fog was rolling in as it was approaching 5:00 p.m. We grabbed a couple of snacks for the trip home and wandered back up the hill to our parking space.
We piled in, the kids exhausted, only to realize that I had left the lights on the entire day. We were going nowhere fast. Thanks to a very friendly family, the man just happened to be a mechanic; we were off toward Monteverde 30 minutes later. The ride home was quiet as the kids zonked out, barley making it out of the town of Zarcero. Mike and I reflected on the day as we headed toward home – we both agreed that the day was a success and that the boys gained so much in just a mere 16 hours! The participant medallion being the tangible ‘thing’, but it is those intangibles that we will remember and revel in for a long time to come.
Peace,
Signed: S
