Follow the summer tour

For me, taking my daughter to her exams in the summer wasn't a race, but rather a father-daughter vacation.

Competitions and games at the Nha Trang Green Race Track.

Take your time to participate in the exam.

These trips are eye-opening, offering opportunities to interact and learn from friends; they are chances to discover new places and regions we've never been to before. The annual National Youth Swimming and Lifesaving Competition, "Green Race," is one such competition.

For many years now, every summer, the national swimming championship, organized by the Department of Physical Education and Sports (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), has been held in rotation across various provinces and cities.

As a stressful school year drew to a close and the cicadas began their summer song, my father and I set off on our "Green Race" adventure. Calling it an adventure sounds grand, but the essence of the word "adventure" lies in its most leisurely sense.

Major cities across the country take turns hosting student athletes for the competition. First Da Nang , then Hue, then Hai Phong, last year Nha Trang, and this year Thanh Hoa. And this year the competition is expected to be held in the mountainous city of Kon Tum.

Cultivate discipline, independence, and self-confidence.

In the annual student swimming competition system, the Green Race swimming competition is arguably one of the most challenging events for medals, alongside the student sports competitions organized by the Ministry of Education and Training. To win a medal, athletes must not only possess talent but also train diligently and seriously.

Experience playing the stone xylophone at Truong Son craft village, Nha Trang.

And it is precisely this time spent living, training, and competing together that has helped the children become independent, united, and resilient in competition. Usually, the athletes go ahead with the coaching staff, while parents only join the team in the days leading up to the competition.

At this stage, the children must learn to respect the team's schedule, be friendly and sociable with their swimming partners, and adhere to the training plan and coach's tactics... And obviously, this helps them to become better individuals in their studies and in life later on.

However, as I always remind my daughter, serious training and giving your best in competition, but with the most relaxed mindset, means that winning and losing are normal occurrences. It's easy to say, but to develop that kind of resilience, you need to go through many real-life experiences.

I vividly remember the 2023 Nha Trang Green Race. My fellow swimmer made a false start, so the referee stopped the heat to restart. My daughter burst into tears, and it took the organizers and coaches a while to calm her down before she could continue competing. This shows just how immense the pressure is in a competition, even a grassroots one.

And the main purpose is to travel.

After spending more than a week in the host city, in addition to training and competition time, the athletes and their parents were free to arrange time to visit sights and enjoy local specialties.

Experience playing the stone xylophone at Truong Son craft village, Nha Trang.

I have a habit of using my free time when visiting a new place to learn about its cultural and historical landmarks. I believe that life is finite, and everything changes in an instant; what we don't witness now may very well be different tomorrow. So, I always visit whenever I have the chance, because who knows if I'll be able to visit again.

For example, during their trip to Nha Trang that year, the father and daughter took the opportunity to visit Long Son Pagoda, the Mountain Church, the Oceanographic Institute, and the YerSin Museum within the Pasteur Institute grounds. Later, when they got home and the teacher assigned a homework assignment about a Champa cultural structure, the daughter proudly showed off that she had written about the Ponagar Tower, which they had visited during the trip.

During the 2024 Green Race season in Thanh Hoa, we had the opportunity to wander through the Ho Dynasty citadel, Lam Kinh, and the prehistoric archaeological site of Nui Do. Touching the centuries-old gray stone gates and strolling along the worn stone paths, we realized there couldn't be a more visually engaging and memorable history lesson than this.

Throughout the long and arduous journey of raising children, which the ancients often encapsulated in the nine-word phrase "parental companionship," I've always believed that the gentlest approach for parents is to adopt a mindset of companionship, learning alongside their children and playing with them. I often follow my children on their outings with that same carefree attitude.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/theo-con-du-dau-mua-he-3156312.html