Chapter Six

  READY FOR COMPETITION?

  The arena buzzed with voices as Jenny made her way to the pool the next afternoon. She breathed deeply, in and out, and tried to focus on her teammates and on what the coach was saying. She tried to remember how much fun she’d had singing karaoke and what it had felt like when people applauded.

  Just like at the last meet, today’s first event was the 200-yard medley relay. And once again, Jenny was swimming freestyle. Maya gained a small lead right away, and then Larissa widened it with her strong breaststroke. But during the butterfly portion, the other team started to gain on Sarah.

  The cheers and chatter of the large crowd echoed in the arena, but Jenny kept her thoughts focused on her teammate. “Come on, Sarah! You got this!” she called from the starting block.

  Sarah touched the wall just ahead of the other team’s swimmer, and Jenny dove into the water and began swimming. She could feel all eyes on her as she cut through the water, but she told her muscles to keep working. She reached the opposite end of the pool and flipped quickly.

  Jenny felt her cheeks beginning to burn even in the cool water. But before the worry could fully set in, she felt the wall beneath her fingers and heard the buzzer sound. The Knights had won!

  If I can sing in front of strangers, I can swim in front strangers, Jenny thought. Right?

  Jenny looked over and saw the other team’s swimmer also at the wall, looking disappointed. It had been a close race.

  “Yay! Great job, Jenny!” Sarah said as Jenny climbed out of the pool.

  “Yeah, way to go! See, it’s only your second meet, and you’re already doing better,” added Larissa.

  Jenny smiled at the encouragements. She wanted to feel excited, like she had after she and Maya had finished their songs. Instead she still felt nervous. They’d won, but just barely. If they’d lost again, it would’ve been all her fault.

  The next few events were a blur. Jenny sat on the pool deck trying to cheer her friends on, but mostly she worried about her next event — the individual 200-yard freestyle. Eight laps, with all those people watching her? It would be just her and the other swimmer, no team. Jenny felt sweaty just thinking about it.

  A whistle sounded, and suddenly Coach Turner was waving her over. Jenny closed her eyes for a moment. Just focus on the swimming, she told herself. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, then walked over to the edge of the pool and got into position.

  BZZZZZ! the buzzer sounded.

  Jenny launched off the starting block, but as soon as she hit the water, her arms felt heavy. When she glanced up at the end of the fourth lap, she could see that the other swimmer had already flipped and was pulling ahead.

  Jenny swam as hard as she could for the remaining laps, but her nerves were too much. All she could think about was how everyone was watching her fail. She lost the event by several seconds.

  “It’s okay,” Coach said kindly when she saw Jenny’s sad face. “We’re way ahead overall. One event isn’t going to make us lose the meet. Why don’t you take a break on the bench?”

  Jenny walked over to the bench and sat down, huddled in her towel. She looked down at her shaking hands. Will I ever be able to compete? she wondered.

  Chapter Seven

  POOLSIDE SAVE

  On Sunday afternoon, the community pool was crowded with people enjoying the last few days of warm weather. Jenny had arrived early and gotten a lane so she could swim some practice laps and think about her problem.

  I love swimming, and my friends, and my coach, she thought as she swam backstroke. But if I can’t figure out how to compete in front of a crowd, how can I stay on the team?

  Jenny finished her lap and climbed out of the water. The pool deck was crowded with sunbathers and kids playing. The lifeguard was down from his chair, talking to some kids who had been running too close to the pool.

  As Jenny’s eyes drifted across the water, she suddenly noticed something. A little girl was in the deep end, struggling to keep her head above the waves of the water. The girl bobbed up and down. There was a scared look on her face.

  “Hey!” Jenny shouted to the lifeguard. But it was too loud. He didn’t hear her.

  There’s no way I can get his attention in time, Jenny realized. Without hesitation, she dove into the water. She quickly swam over to the girl, lifted her head out of the water, and carried her to the steps at the shallow end of the pool.

  “It’s okay, I’ve got you,” Jenny said calmly as she swam.

  A crowd of onlookers was standing around the pool watching now. The lifeguard rushed over to meet Jenny at the steps. He took the girl from Jenny and set her down on a towel to look her over.

  The little girl coughed and spluttered and then started to cry. Jenny let out a sigh of relief. The girl was upset, but it seemed like she would be okay.

  “Oh, my goodness!” the girl’s mother cried, running over. She hugged her daughter tightly. “I looked away for a second, and Lily was gone. What happened?”

  “I think she accidentally drifted into the deep end,” Jenny explained. “I saw her struggling, but the lifeguard was busy. I knew I had to act fast.”

  “You did a great job,” the lifeguard told Jenny.

  The little girl’s mom reached over and gave Jenny a big hug. “Thank you so much!” she said gratefully.

  “Of course!” Jenny said. She gave the mother and daughter another smile and then headed to the locker room to change.

  Jenny was pulling her shirt over her head when she realized something. She hadn’t thought about the crowd or feeling embarrassed even once. Her thoughts had been on helping the little girl, not on herself.

  Maybe this is a clue! Jenny thought. If she could keep her focus on helping her team rather than on herself, maybe she could compete after all.

  Chapter Eight

  KEEPING FOCUSED

  At practice on Monday, the Knights began with their usual warm-ups. As the girls stretched, Jenny told Maya all about what had happened with the little girl.

  “Wow, it’s a good thing you were there!” Maya said.

  “Yeah,” Jenny agreed, “I’m so glad I noticed her and knew what to do. It was intense, but it felt good to help. And now hopefully I can help the swim team win!”

  “Yeah!” Maya shouted. “Go Knights!”

  They laughed and went out of the gym to join Larissa, Sarah, and the rest of the team who’d already gathered by the side of the pool. Coach Turner was just starting to go over event assignments for their home meet.

  “Jenny, you’ll be swimming in three events: the 200-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle relay, and 100-yard backstroke,” Coach told her.

  Jenny nodded. Those were events she was comfortable with in practice. Now all she needed to do was stay focused for the home meet. She decided to pretend the practice was a meet. When she wasn’t swimming, she spent all of her time paying attention to her teammates. She cheered them on and shouted encouragement.

  When it was her turn in the water, Jenny thought about Maya and all of her friends up on the deck cheering for her. They were depending on her to swim her best! She moved through the water with quick strokes and kept her thoughts on the finish line.

  Coach Turner was impressed. When Jenny touched the wall, the coach clicked the stopwatch and made a note on her clipboard. “I think you swam your fastest ever today, Jenny!” she said. “Are you going to bring all that energy to the meet?”

  Jenny pulled up her goggles and looked over at her team. Maya and Larissa were both grinning and giving her a thumbs-up.

  “Definitely,” Jenny replied, smiling.

  * * *

  That night at dinner, Jenny asked her parents if they would come to the meet. She’d never wanted them to come before. She had been sure that the extra attention would make her even more nervous. But this time was going to be different. She was going to make her teammates proud, and she wanted her parents to see it.

  “Of course! We would love to come,” her mom said. “I’m glad you’re feeling better about having an audience.”

  “Agreed!” said Jenny’s dad. “We can’t wait to see you swim.”

  “And win!” Jenny added with a grin.

  Chapter Nine

  SWIMMING FOR THE TEAM

  That Saturday was a home meet for the Knights. It was also a tri-meet, meaning three teams were competing, and there were more people than usual. Almost every seat in the stands was full.

  As Jenny walked out to join her team by the pool, her eyes drifted up to the crowded stands. But she quickly turned her back and started talking to Larissa about her events, not letting herself get psyched out.

  Jenny watched her friends swim the first relay of the meet. She kept all her attention on the girls gliding through the water. They won the first relay by a second and a half. It was a good start.

  “Event number two, the 200-yard freestyle,” the announcer called through the speakers. “Swimmers, please come to the starting blocks.”

  Jenny took a deep breath. That was her event. She got onto the starting block and pulled her goggles down. She placed her left foot back and her right foot up to the edge of the block. Then she bent her knees and crouched down.

  “Take your mark,” the announcer said.

  Jenny gripped the block. Her whole body tensed as she waited for the starting buzzer.

  BZZZZZ!

  Jenny flew into the water. Keeping her body as straight as possible, she glided through the water. She thought about the finish line and her teammates counting on her to swim her fastest. The water rushed by her.

  When her hand met the edge of the pool on the final lap, Jenny heard crazy cheering from her team. She looked up and saw that the other swimmers were still several strokes behind. She’d done it!

  Jenny pushed herself up out of the pool and gave Maya a wet, happy hug.

  “You were on fire!” Maya exclaimed.

  Jenny grinned. “We are totally winning this thing!” she said confidently.

  * * *

  The 200-yard freestyle relay was Jenny’s next event. By the time it was her turn to hit the water, one of the other teams had taken the lead. But she didn’t let that stop her. Jenny jumped in and swam with confidence, finally pulling ahead of the other swimmer on her last lap. It was enough for Anna, who was swimming the final two laps, to keep the lead and win.

  The excitement was contagious. Every member of the team was giving it her all and swimming her very best. Everyone was cheering.

  Jenny risked a glance up at the crowd and saw her parents grinning proudly. She gave them a little wave and then turned back to her friends. She had one more event, and she needed to stay focused.

  * * *

  Jenny’s last event of the meet was the 100-yard backstroke. It was another solo race. After her previous two successes, though, Jenny was feeling good. It was easy to keep her thoughts on the water as she climbed onto the block.

  The buzzer sounded, and Jenny pushed off the wall. Since she was on her back this time, she could see the crowd out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head slightly so that all she could see were her teammates cheering from the side of the pool.

  “Go, Jenny, go!” yelled Larissa.

  “You’re doing great!” shouted Maya.

  Sarah, Anna, and the rest of the Knights whistled and clapped.

  Jenny swam even harder. She was not going to let them down.

  Back and forth across the pool she went, thoughts of victory filling her mind. Jenny couldn’t tell where the other swimmers were in the water, so she just focused on swimming with strong, efficient strokes and long kicks.

  Before she knew it, she was touching the wall. Jenny flipped off her back and looked for the other swimmers. One girl was still finishing, but the girl in the lane to Jenny’s left was also done and glancing around. It must have been close.

  Both girls looked up at the board to watch for their times. Jenny gasped as the times lit up the board — she had won!

  Jenny jumped out of the pool and smiled big as her friends rushed over to her. “Go Knights!” she shouted.

  Her teammates cheered and crowded around her. “Go Knights!” they shouted.

  Chapter Ten

  THE BEST FEELING

  Tuesday after school, Jenny walked up to a white house and rang the doorbell. It turned out that the girl Jenny had helped at the community pool was in her little sister Rachel’s first-grade class.

  The girl’s mother had called Monday evening and asked if Jenny would stop by sometime. The little girl’s name was Lily Baker, and she wanted to meet the person who had saved her.

  Mrs. Baker opened the door. Lily was standing just behind her mom, wearing a tunic with pink hearts and matching pink leggings. She smiled shyly up at Jenny.

  “Come in, Jenny!” Mrs. Baker said happily, waving Jenny inside.

  Jenny followed Lily and Mrs. Baker through the house and into the kitchen. Mrs. Baker gave them both some lemonade and a chocolate chip cookie, then left the girls to talk.

  “Thanks for helping me,” Lily said as she munched on her cookie. “I was so scared.”

  Jenny smiled. “I’m so happy that I could help you!” she said. “And you know, you helped me too.”

  “I did?” Lily asked. Her eyes went wide.

  “You did,” Jenny said, nodding. “I’m on the swim team at school, but before that day at the pool, I was really scared to swim in front of a crowd. I worried about what people would think of me if I messed up, and then I got nervous and really did mess up! But when I helped you, I wasn’t scared at all. It was too important to be scary. I realized that helping my team win was a little bit like helping you. When I thought about it as helping instead of performing, I wasn’t scared anymore.”

  “Wow,” Lily said. “I want to be on the swim team too! If I could swim like you, I wouldn’t need anyone to save me.”

  “That’s right,” Jenny said. “You just need to practice, and you’ll get the hang of it in no time. Maybe next summer, I can even give you some lessons at the pool.”

  “Really?” Lily said. A big grin appeared on her face. “That would be so cool!”

  “Sure,” Jenny said. “It would be good for the future swim team, too, right?”

  “Right!” Lily agreed.

  The two girls chatted while they finished their snack. Jenny went home soon after, smiling all the way. Doing her best and winning was a great feeling, but helping others was the best feeling of all!

  Author Bio

  Leigh McDonald lives in sunny Tucson, Arizona, with her art teacher husband, two spunky daughters, and two big, crazy dogs. Besides her family and friends, her favorite thing in the world is books — writing, designing, and especially reading them!

  Illustrator Bio

  Katie Wood fell in love with drawing when she was very small. Since graduating from Loughborough University School of Art and Design in 2004, she has been living her dream working as a freelance illustrator. From her studio in Leicester, England, she creates bright and lively illustrations for books and magazines all over the world.

  Glossary

  competition (kom-puh-TISH-uhn) —

  a contest where people are trying to get the same thing

  contagious (kuhn-TAY-juhss) —

  able to spread very easily

  efficient (ih-FISH-uhnt) —

  working well and not wasting time or energy

  embarrassed (em-BA-ruhsd) —

  feeling uncomfortable and foolish in front of others

  medley (MED-lee) —

  in swimming, a medley is a type of race that uses all four of the competition strokes in a specific order

  reassured (ree-uh-SHURD) —

  helped someone feel calm and less upset

  relay (ree-LAY) —

  in swimming, a relay is a type of race where four swimmers each swim an equal distance. There are relays in different distances and that use different strokes.

  Discussion Questions

  Competitions and big crowds made Jenny so nervous that she debated quitting the swim team. What things make you nervous? Talk about some ways to handle your nerves.

  Jenny was worried that she was bringing her team down. Do you think that her teammates ever felt the same way? Talk about why or why not, and try to use examples from the story.

  Swimming is a combination of team and individual events. Which do you prefer —working on a team or working by yourself? Talk about why.

  Writing Prompts

  Maya helped Jenny get out of her comfort zone by singing karaoke with her. Write a paragraph about a time you helped your friend with something.

  We all get stressed and nervous sometimes. That’s why it’s important to know how to calm down and focus. Make a list of things you do when you’re feeling stressed and explain why they help.

  Although Jenny wasn’t sure about joining the swim team, by the end of the story she was happy with her decision. Have you ever done something you felt nervous about at first but were later glad you did? Write two to three paragraphs about your experience.

  Competition Swimming Strokes

  Become a pool pro and learn more about the four competition swimming strokes!

 

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