Success at Silver Spires

by Ann Bryant

  “Perhaps I’m just getting used to her coldness,” I said to Izzy.

  “Maybe she’s realized that there’s no point being horrible to you because you aren’t bothered!” said Bryony.

  “Yes, I bet Bryony’s right!” Izzy said. Then her eyes suddenly widened and she hunched her shoulders. “It’s the race today! I’m so scared!”

  I didn’t feel at all scared, though, because I didn’t mind who won. I was just a bit sad because it had suddenly sunk in that this was the last time I’d be here at Pollington Water this term.

  “I’m going to ask Mum and Dad if I can go sculling for a birthday present in the holidays!” I told Izzy quietly, thinking that I wouldn’t mind if I had that as a present for every birthday and every Christmas for the rest of my life.

  “Good one!” she said, cheering up again.

  Emily and the others absolutely loved Pollington Water the moment they set eyes on it, and Izzy and I felt proud showing them round the boathouse and explaining everything.

  “Look! All the boats have names!” said Antonia. “I will find my favourite!” A moment later she announced that it was Carla Conrad. “Because Carla is an Italian name!”

  Down on the landing stage, it felt strange having our friends there watching. Ryan said we could have twenty minutes’ warm-up, then he was going to get the race under way. I’d been so sure I didn’t mind who won the race, but the moment we were in that quad, I felt determination rushing through my whole body. It wasn’t that I particularly wanted to beat Holly’s team, just that I wanted my own team to win. I’d never been competitive about anything before, so it came as a bit of a shock.

  We worked hard during the warm-up, but not too hard, because I wanted Izzy and the others to save their energy. As we were practising, George and Ben were putting buoys out to mark the course for the race. Then Ryan called us together. He said that the race would be four hundred metres in length, that Poppy’s team would be setting off first, then there’d be a whistle for my team to set off, and shortly after that there’d be another whistle for Holly’s team. I glanced at Holly but her face showed nothing.

  When it was time to get the three boats lined up for the start I called, “Okay, we’re on the start… Bow, take a stroke. Just a light one…that’s enough.” Sabrina had done as I said. “Come forward… and keep relaxed. We’ll square up the blades in a minute.”

  My crew rested their blades on the water as Ryan called, “Attention team one…”

  Straight away there seemed to be a new feeling in the air. Concentration. Energy.

  “Go!”

  And Poppy’s team set off.

  From that moment on, our little audience on the landing stage started cheering and I realized it had been a great idea to ask Mrs. Pridham if we could have supporters. They made a good atmosphere so the race seemed somehow more special. But, all the same, it was important to keep my team concentrating. “We’re drifting a little… I need another stroke, bow… That’s fine… Let’s square up now,” I said, as I waited for Ryan’s call.

  “Team two… Attention!”

  “Ready, crew…?” I said, swallowing.

  “Go!” came Ryan’s command.

  My heart thumped as I tried to keep my voice loud enough above the noise from the audience on the landing stage, but calm enough for my crew to feel confident. Poppy’s team seemed to have drawn so far away. We had a lot of catching up to do, but we were getting there, and I was determined we’d do even better.

  The whistle for team three to start seemed to come after no time at all, and though it was worrying in one way, I also felt quite flattered that Ryan can’t have thought Holly’s crew was that much better than ours, as he didn’t give us much of a start over them.

  “Come on. Keep it up!” I yelled, because when I turned round I could see that Holly’s team was rowing hard and gaining on us a bit already. Everyone in my team tried even harder and I realized we were really catching up with team one. It was such a wonderful moment when we pulled ahead of them! Then out towards the island we whooshed, pulling and pushing, pulling and pushing, in perfect rhythm with each other.

  “Don’t worry!” Ryan called to Poppy from his little dinghy nearby. “You’re doing fine. Just keep going!” But a big groan came from her boat.

  The next time I turned round I saw that Holly’s team was gaining on us and no matter how much I kept encouraging my team, they just couldn’t go any faster. They all looked exhausted. Team three overtook us only seconds before the buoy that marked the finish of the race, and a great cheer went up from their boat and from the landing stage.

  “You were amazing!” said Antonia, patting me and Izzy on the back when we were on dry land once more.

  “Yes, well done!” said Nicole.

  “Holly’s lucky, she’s got all the strong rowers on her boat,” said Emily, probably trying to make me feel better about coming second. But the truth was, I wasn’t disappointed. My team had sculled better than ever before and I felt proud of them and told them so.

  “Good work, Sasha!” Ryan called out as he walked towards us. “And well done, team two. I can’t believe how much you’ve improved.” Then, turning to me, he said, “I bet you’d like to get sculling again though, wouldn’t you?”

  I nodded happily. “Yes, I like coxing, but my favourite thing is definitely sculling.”

  “Excellent, because later I have plans for you and Holly.” He beckoned her over to where we were standing. Everyone else stood round talking excitedly about the race and what fun it had been, and as the spectators spilled out their congratulations to the winners and their condolences to the losers, I followed Ryan and Holly further along the landing stage, to where Celia was crouching, holding on to a boat.

  I heard myself gasp and, beside me, Holly seemed dumbstruck. It was the most beautiful, gleaming, racing scull double I’d seen yet.

  “Yes,” said Ryan, smiling at our shocked faces. “This is a top-class double. A proper racing scull. I want to fast-track you two because I’m so impressed with the extraordinary progress you’ve each made. I’ve actually never seen anything like it in such a short time. You’ve definitely gone beyond stable sculls now, so this –” his hand reached out towards the wonderful, long slim boat – “is your next challenge!”

  I felt something tighten inside me at the same time as my heart sang. The thought of sculling in this amazing boat was like a dream come true. But sculling with Holly? Would the dream turn into a nightmare?

  Chapter Nine

  It was five thirty on Wednesday afternoon and Holly and I were arriving at Pollington Water in Miss Fosbrook’s car, for our special extra session in the amazing racing double. Holly was sitting in the front beside Miss Fosbrook and I’d been left on my own in the back. It was a relief that Miss Fosbrook had been chattering away throughout the journey, because it made it less obvious that Holly and I never actually said a single word to each other, but only ever spoke to Miss Fosbrook.

  As soon as we’d parked, Holly got out and rushed ahead of me to the boathouse, and by the time I got there Ben had come out and was heading off towards the lake.

  “Hi, Sasha,” he called. “Holly needs a hand with taking the boat down to the landing stage. Ryan’s waiting for you.”

  When I saw the boat that Holly was standing beside, the thrill I got was just as great as when I’d seen it in the lake at the end of the last session. At least I thought this was the same boat. It was difficult to tell, because there were quite a few in the boathouse that looked the same.

  Holly and I didn’t speak to each other at all as we carried the boat down to the lakeside, where Ryan was helping some boys who looked like beginners.

  “Well done,” said Ryan, scarcely looking at us. He broke off what he was doing with the boys for just a few seconds to ease our boat into the water, then called out to Ben to take over with the boys so he could work with me and Holly.

  “No shoes this time, girls,” he began, “because there ar
e fixed shoes attached to the bottom of the boat.” As we bent down to take our trainers off, Ryan carried on talking. “There are just the two positions, bow and stroke. And there’s no rudder, so it’ll be up to the person at bow to be responsible for steering and telling the one at stroke where to go.”

  “Which position needs the stronger sculler?” asked Holly.

  “They’re pretty much the same,” said Ryan, “but the person at bow has a bit more responsibility.”

  We did up the gates on the landing-stage side, then Ryan told me to get into the boat while Holly held on to it. “That’s right, Sasha, you’re at bow. Now do up your other gate.”

  Next I held on to the landing stage while Holly got in at stroke, and did up her gate.

  It felt funny pushing my feet into the shoes that were attached to a metal plate, when we were used to just having a Velcro strap to stick over our own shoes in the stable sculls. I was wondering if I’d be able to get my feet out if we lost our balance and fell in, but then I’d managed all right during the capsize drill, so…

  Ryan must have seen me looking anxious. “The heels have a thin stringy strap keeping them attached to the boat, so don’t worry, you’ll be able to whip your feet out quickly if you do happen to capsize.” He gave us both a big grin. “But there’s no way that’s going to happen, two old hands like you two.”

  “Now, Sasha,” he went on, “I want you just to rest your hands on the blades but don’t paddle at all, then you’ll be acting as a stabilizer for the scull. Holly, you start to paddle gently to get the feel of how light the scull is… That’s right, gently does it. Don’t paddle at all with the left blade…good… Now ease round so you’re lined up ready to go straight back. Sasha, turn round from time to time to check the direction, and tell Holly if she needs to pull harder on one side to steer.”

  I was so relieved that Ryan was staying with us, because it felt really scary to be in charge of such a fine scull. But the other reason it was good to have him close by was because I was so nervous about being on my own with Holly.

  Once she’d been practising for a little time it was my turn to paddle, while she stayed perfectly still. As soon as I began, it was the best feeling I’d had since I’d first realized I could scull. This scull was altogether different from the stable ones and after this I knew I’d never want to go back to a stable one again. It’s hard to explain, but I almost felt I was a part of this boat, and trying not to wobble was the best challenge in the world.

  I had a good long go and then we each had one more shorter turn before Ryan said we were ready to start working as a team. We had to use just our arms at first and then gradually increase the stroke length until we were using our legs as well and taking really long strokes. I thought how brilliant it would be if we really could work as a team. It would be just so cool if Holly and I got on well with each other and trained together, and I could think of her as my sculling partner. But there was no way that would ever happen.

  “Looking good,” said Ryan, grinning. Then he called to George, who was in another boat not far off. “Pretty good pair, eh?”

  George gave us a thumbs up and called out that we looked really professional, which was a lovely compliment. Soon I could feel that Holly was speeding up, yet I was sure I remembered Ryan saying that, although Holly should set the rhythm, she shouldn’t speed up unless I asked her to. Maybe she was irritated with me for not wanting to go fast enough. I pushed on my legs a bit harder to match her speed and we really seemed to put a spurt on.

  “That’s great!” called Ryan. “Go as far as you want but not right round the island, because I want to keep you in sight. I won’t be far away, but if you carry on like you are at the moment, you’ll be back in no time!”

  Neither Holly nor I said a word, and yet, in a funny way, we were a good team, because somehow we were managing to keep in time instinctively. Although Holly was setting the pace, I was fitting in completely naturally.

  In the end I was so happy with the way we were managing that I just had to say something. After all there was no one else anywhere near us – it was just us and the scull and the cold blue water – so it felt a bit odd that we were both completely silent. “Good, isn’t it?” was all I could think of saying.

  There was a pause and I felt my stomach tightening, because it didn’t seem like she was going to reply. But then she did. “Uh-huh.”

  That was all she said. It was better than nothing, though.

  Up till then we’d been going more or less in a straight line, but we had to turn slightly now, which meant that I had to tell Holly what to do. I swallowed.

  “Right oar lighter, Holly,” I managed, a bit shakily.

  She did as I said, and did it again when I asked her to do the same thing a few moments later. So then we sculled through a lovely stretch of water that we’d never tried before. And that was when I was suddenly aware that Holly was pulling harder again, getting us to go faster. Apart from telling her to slow down, which I didn’t want to do, there was nothing for it except to try to keep up with the speed she was setting. But my legs were beginning to ache. Still, she was probably right to stretch us. Ryan would surely approve if he was watching.

  For three or four minutes I managed to keep up with her, but when she pulled even harder I thought my lungs were going to burst and I didn’t know how Holly was managing. I’d never realized she was such a strong sculler. No wonder she’d been impatient with me for not asking her to go faster. She was way better than me. I pushed as hard as I possibly could and was on the point of telling her that she’d have to slow down because I couldn’t keep up, when the scull suddenly juddered and I realized that something was very wrong.

  Holly’s arms must have given out, because one of her blades slapped the water at completely the wrong angle and she lost her grip on the other. The scull was wobbling.

  “Try to keep hold of the blades, Holly,” I said, fearing the worst and thinking back desperately to what we’d been taught in the capsize drill.

  I concentrated hard on staying as still as I possibly could, because that was the only way we were going to stop the scull from capsizing. But Holly was flailing about and saying, “Oh no! Oh no!”

  “It’s okay, Holly, try not to panic, we’ll be okay…”

  But the boat was lurching further and further down to one side.

  “No, it’s no good! No! No!” screamed Holly.

  And that was when I knew there was nothing more I could do. I tried so hard not to panic myself, just quickly pulled my feet out of the shoes as the boat turned right over and the cold water hit me and took my breath away. I pushed myself to the surface urgently and got a terrible shock when I realized that Holly was still underneath. Then I understood with a jolt that she must have got her foot stuck in one of the shoes, so I grabbed hold of her under her arms and eased her up to get her head out of the water.

  “It’s okay,” I said, through my chattering teeth, as I trod water hard. “I can release your foot. Just give me a second.” I reached under the scull until my hand came into contact with the metal and then the shoe. I noticed at that moment that Holly’s face was really white, and knew I had to work quickly. “Hold tight to the side of the scull, Holly,” I said gently, as I released her foot. “There you are.”

  She was shivering terribly, looking really upset, and I noticed that she’d cut her arm on something. Blood was mixing with the water, sending pink streams trickling down her arm.

  “I think Ryan’s spotted us. He’s on his way,” I carried on, trying to reassure her. And thinking about Ryan made me remember something else we’d talked about in the swimming pool when we’d done the capsize drill. “Let’s leave the boat upside down, Holly. Here, I’ll help you get up on top of it, then your body won’t lose its heat so fast.”

  So that’s how we waited for Ryan, me treading water, stiff and tense, Holly like a rag doll; both of us silent, both staring straight ahead. And it was only then that I noticed the name of our boa
t for the first time as I read it slowly upside down: Carla Conrad. What a coincidence! It was the name of the boat that Antonia had said she liked best.

  My gaze shifted back to Holly. Her eyes were very red, and I wondered if it was because of the water or whether she’d been crying.

  “Look, Ryan’s just about here,” I said, to try and comfort her, because I’d never seen her like this before.

  “You’re all right, Holly,” said Ryan in a calm voice as he pulled alongside. “Come on, let’s get you in here.” He helped her into his little launch and wrapped her in a thermal blanket. “Don’t worry about your arm. A little blood goes a long way when it’s mixed with water!”

  “My f-foot got stuck,” Holly said in a small voice.

  Ryan looked puzzled as he reached underneath our upturned scull. “Let’s see,” he said. “Yes,” he said slowly. “That’s odd. The string’s broken.” He looked from one to the other of us. “Did you get the boat that Ben told you to get?”

  Holly didn’t answer, and I didn’t actually know the answer because I hadn’t been there.

  “Well, not to worry,” Ryan carried straight on, looking at Holly’s white face. “These things happen. Sit down there, Holly. That’s right, it’s warmer on the floor of the boat. You won’t feel the wind so much.” Next he turned his attention to me. “What about you, Sasha? Do you want to come in here and get warm? I can get one of the others to bring the scull back. But I reckon you’d be able to scull the double back on your own. It’s up to you.”

  “I’ll scull it back,” I said firmly, even though I was shivering with cold by then.

  I was determined to manage on my own and I listened carefully as Ryan gave me instructions to arrange the blades so they were parallel with the boat.

  “Well done,” he said. “Now stand on the rigger so you can reach the far rigger.”