Super Sporty

by Chrissie Perry

Now and then as she worked, Bec tilted her head and jiggled, trying to shake water from her ears.

  When she had finished, Bec leant back in her chair. It was pretty exciting, even though Bec knew she wouldn’t be the best in the class anymore. Not by a long shot! But if Hung thought Bec could keep up with the other squad kids, then she would try her hardest.

  Bec pulled an old magazine from her book shelf. She rested it on her desk and started flicking, looking for something. When she came to an article called Golden Girls, Bec stopped flicking.

  Smiling out of the page were four of the most amazing women that Bec had ever seen – the Aussie women’s swim team. Gold medal winners! And they really did look like golden girls – strong, fit bodies, glowing skin …

  A swimmer with blonde hair was laughing at the camera and holding up her fingernails, showing off her funky nail polish. She had a shiny gold medal around her neck.

  It gave Bec an idea. She lifted her jewellery box from the bottom drawer of her desk. Inside was her favourite lip balm, a packet of chewing gum, five bangles … and two bottles of nail polish. She had a dusty pink and a deep red one. Two bottles wasn’t much to work with, but Bec had a liquid paper pen too …

  Biting her bottom lip and frowning, Bec set to work. It wasn’t easy. The red brush kinked out to one side, making it hard to keep the strokes neat. But Bec worked slowly and made sure she did a good job.

  When she finished, Bec sat back and looked at her nails with satisfaction. Each one was half-pink and half-red – with white squiggles and dots on top! It looked pretty cool.

  Bec grinned and waved her hands in the air. It was a bit silly, copying the swimmer in the picture. But it was fun. too.

  And maybe, Bec thought, maybe one day I’ll win swimming races, too.

  ‘Great to have you on board, Bec,’ said Hung. He rubbed his hands together, keen to get to work.

  Bec smiled and hugged her net bag to her chest. The air felt damp and warm. Her heart was thudding with excitement. Inside her bag was everything she needed for junior squad. She had two new pairs of goggles, flippers, a water bottle. She was already wearing her cap and old bathers.

  A blurry announcement echoed over the PA as Hung introduced Bec to the other kids standing by the pool.

  It was hard to see their faces because they all had their caps and goggles on already. But Bec could tell the other kids were serious about swimming. Their bodies looked sleek and strong.

  ‘Here’s Ruby,’ said Hung, ‘and last of all, Holly,’ he finished, pointing to a girl in matching red cap and bathers at the end of the line.

  Holly was tall, and had strong, square shoulders. As she waved, Bec thought she saw something sparkle on her fingers.

  Is Holly wearing nail polish? Bec wondered. She shot Holly a smile.

  ‘OK, class. Warm-up first. Then laps,’ called Hung.

  Bec copied as Hung swung his arms and showed them how to stretch out their shoulder muscles.

  Then – splash, pish, plop – the rest of the class jumped into the water.

  Bec was about to follow when Hung asked her to wait. He stood next to her, his hands on his hips. ‘Let’s go over your freestyle stroke.’

  ‘Um …’ Bec felt a bit silly. The others were all in the water, and she wasn’t even wet yet! But then she nodded. Junior squad was about serious swimming. Bec was determined to do exactly what Hung asked. Even swimming through air!

  She reached forward and moved her arms in a freestyle stroke.

  ‘Right,’ said Hung, frowning. ‘You need to think about technique.’

  He held Bec’s arm and moved it through the air. ‘Lead with your elbow, not your hand, OK?’ Hung lifted Bec’s arm with the elbow high. ‘And imagine you’re trailing your fingers across the top of the water.’

  Bec moved her arms, keeping her elbows high, fingers trailing. The stroke felt strange and new.

  Hung stood back and nodded as Bec kept practising. ‘Good. Now you can do it in the water.’

  At last! Bec did a happy jump into the pool. Already she felt like a better swimmer. And she wasn’t even swimming yet!

  As Bec swam her first laps at squad, she tried harder than ever. Lead with my elbow, fingers trailing, reach forward hard …

  There was so much to think about. Normally Bec just swam, loving the feel of moving through the water.

  But now her head was full of hand positions and stroke technique. Her brain had to work as hard as her body!

  When she made it to the shallow end, Bec stopped for a rest. Her cheeks burned hot. Her chest rose with each breath.

  In the next lane, Holly was swimming towards the end. Bec watched her steady rhythm, impressed.

  I’ll say hi when she stops, thought Bec.

  As Holly swam closer to the wall, she tucked her head down and spun forwards in an easy turn. Then she pushed off the wall and kept swimming.

  Wow! thought Bec. So much for saying hi.

  She watched the small moving splash as Holly kicked away.

  Then Bec pushed forward to start another lap, trying to copy Holly’s rhythm. Stroke, stroke, stroke … breathe. Stroke, stroke, stroke … breathe.

  At the other end, Holly turned again and kept swimming back past Bec. She was so fast! Bec could tell that she had no chance of keeping up.

  But for once Bec didn’t mind not being the fastest. She knew that she had a million things to learn at squad. And Bec couldn’t wait to learn every single one.

  By the end of class, Bec was exhausted. She had never worked so hard in all her life!

  She sat on a bench in the change rooms, listening to the squad girls chatting and laughing in the showers. Her arms and legs felt floppy and tired. She didn’t even have enough energy to shower!

  Even her water bottle felt heavy as she lifted it and gulped. But the cool water still tasted great. Bec pulled her lunchbox out of her bag, and started munching on cheese and biscuits.

  Yum! Bec wasn’t just tired and thirsty. She was famished!

  The door of a shower cubicle opened and Holly stepped out. She had one towel wrapped around her head, and another around her body.

  ‘How was your first squad class?’ Holly asked. She dropped her bag on the bench with a thud.

  ‘Good,’ said Bec, a small smile on her face. Then she felt her face break into a huge grin. ‘Except I think my arms might drop off!’

  Holly laughed. ‘It gets easier,’ she said, ‘once your muscles get used to it.’

  She started pulling on a pair of jeans, somehow keeping the towels still in place.

  Bec brushed some crumbs from her fingers and stood up. ‘I can’t wait to learn how to turn underwater the way you do. It’s just like they do at the Olympics!’

  Holly smiled. ‘Tumble turns are really fun! Wouldn’t it be amazing to make it into the Olympics?’ For a moment, Holly stared into space, her eyes wide and shiny.

  Bec sighed and nodded as she started getting dressed. She knew why Holly’s eyes were so dreamy. It was exactly how Bec had felt looking at the Golden Girls.

  Before long, Holly was fully dressed. She slung her bag over one shoulder. ‘Hey, I like your nails, Bec,’ Holly said.

  Bec held her nails up for Holly to inspect.

  ‘Cool squiggles,’ said Holly, ‘but I’m a star girl myself.’

  Holly held up her fingernails. They were bright yellow with sparkly red stars!

  For a moment, the two girls grinned at each other. Then Ruby and Georgia came out of the showers and started pulling on their clothes too.

  ‘Hey, is anyone hungry?’ Bec asked, holding out her lunchbox of cheese and biscuits. There was more than enough to share!

  ‘Wow!’

  ‘Yum!’

  ‘Hey, thanks.’

  Before she knew it, Bec’s lunchbox was empty and she had made three new friends.

  She was still tired, and she was even still a bit hungry. But after just one squad class, Bec had met other kids who loved swimming as much as she did.
Plus she had a chance to swim better than ever before.

  Life just couldn’t be more awesome!

  Bec swam hard, pounding each arm into the water. She knew she was almost at the wall. Taking a big breath, Bec spun forwards and around in a smooth tumble turn. Then she pushed off the end of the pool to swim away again.

  Over the past six weeks, Bec had learnt heaps about swimming. More than she ever thought possible!

  ‘Cup your hands like this,’ Hung would say. Or, ‘Try breathing on both sides, every three strokes.’

  He was like a magician – each tip was like a magical chant that helped her move faster through the water. Abracadabra!

  When Bec reached the other end of the pool, she stopped and checked the clock.

  Good. She was swimming fast today.

  In the next lane, Ruby was already leaning against the wall.

  ‘Cheese and crackers?’ she said, pushing a strand of hair back under her cap.

  Bec shook her head. ‘Nope.’

  Since Bec’s first day, the squad girls had taken turns bringing a snack to share after class. Today was Bec’s turn, and the others were trying to guess what she’d brought.

  ‘Sushi rolls?’ called Georgia from two lanes away.

  Bec shook her head.

  Soon Holly stopped to rest in the lane on Bec’s other side. She lifted up her hands, showing Bec her blank fingernails. She made a funny boo hoo face.

  ‘My PE teacher made me take my nail polish off,’ said Holly with a pout.

  Bec showed Holly her fingernails. ‘Mum caught me out too,’ she whispered, ‘But it’s going back on later.’

  Holly giggled.

  ‘Salad sandwiches?’ called Georgia.

  ‘Nope!’ called Bec happily. They would never guess she’d made banana smoothies – kept icy cold in a thermos!

  Together, Bec and Holly fixed their goggles and pushed off to swim again.

  Stroke, stroke, stroke, breathe …

  Bec reached forward into each stroke, trying to keep up with Holly. She always tried to keep up with her friend. But Bec still wasn’t quite fast enough.

  Each time she breathed on Holly’s side, Bec looked to see where Holly was up to. Her body felt fast and strong.

  Bec felt excitement rise in her chest. Holly’s moving splash was just there, in the next lane …

  At the same time, both girls spun forwards to turn at the wall. Bec grinned to herself underwater.

  I can’t believe it! For the first time ever, I am keeping up with Holly!

  At the end of class, Bec climbed out of the pool. She felt hot and tired, but she was still really happy about keeping up with Holly.

  Hung had a thoughtful look on his face. ‘As some of you already know, Fairburn club races are only two weeks away,’ he called.

  Most of the others nodded. Holly shook her arms as if she was warming up for club races already.

  Hung looked over at Bec. ‘And I think you’re ready for your first race, Bec.’

  Awesome! Bec shot Holly a big smile, and started rocking on the balls of her feet. She was going to swim in a real race!

  Bec listened closely as Hung talked about the training they’d be doing to prepare. She was almost shivering with excitement.

  This was what squad was all about. Bec couldn’t wait to race.

  Over the next two weeks, Bec couldn’t stop thinking about the club races. They were so super serious!

  She had lots to think about. Working on her breathing, getting her breaststroke kick right, building up her strength. And eating loads of good food to give her energy …

  Even when she was at school, or meant to be listening to her mum, Bec’s mind was a jumble of Hung’s tips – how to shoot fast off the block, how to do each stroke, how to breathe in a strong, steady rhythm.

  I have to race well, she kept telling herself. I have to keep up with the others.

  Whenever Bec thought about keeping up with the rest of the squad, her heart started to race in her chest as if she was already swimming.

  Bec’s head was so full of swimming and racing that she didn’t have room to remember other things – like her homework or her windcheater.

  On the day before club races, she even forgot her lunch. When Bec’s dad tapped on the classroom window, everyone giggled. Cassie, who was sitting next to Bec, nudged her and rolled her eyes.

  Bec felt her cheeks flush red. Normally she was super organised. She never forgot anything! But racing was all she could think about now.

  Never mind, Bec told herself. She’d need a healthy lunch if she was going to swim fast tomorrow.

  The next morning, Bec could hardly think straight. She felt like her whole body had kicked into overdrive. Her legs felt shaky from excitement. Her stomach felt fluttery and nervous.

  What’s going on? Bec wondered. She wasn’t used to feeling nervous like this. Usually Bec felt confident and strong, and sure of what she could do. She wasn’t used to having jittery legs and flutters inside.

  Why was she feeling so awful?

  Bec walked into the pool complex and gulped. The stands were so full!

  Bec had no idea there were so many members of the swim club – teenagers, adults and even some kids who looked younger than Bec. And everyone was wearing Fairburn club colours – red and yellow!

  Seeing so many people made Bec feel jittery all over again. Her first race was going to be in front of a huge crowd!

  She found her friends beside the warmup pool.

  ‘Are you ready, Bec?’ asked Ruby. ‘I love racing!’ She shook her arms and legs like a rag doll.

  Bec dropped her net bag and glanced up at her parents in the stands. ‘I guess so.’ She felt a little bit excited, but mostly she felt nervous.

  ‘Hey,’ said Holly, punching Bec playfully on the arm. ‘Don’t be nervous. You’ll be fine once you’re in the pool.’

  Bec nodded.

  But the warm-up laps felt strange. It was hard trying to find a rhythm when all she could think about was racing in front of so many people.

  By the time she was standing on the block, Bec’s heart was pounding. She tried to take some deep breaths.

  The starter gun clicked, meaning ‘be ready’. Next to Bec, the other squad kids took their places on the blocks.

  A hush fell over the crowd in the stands.

  Bec leant forward – arms ready to shoot forward, legs ready to push …

  Her thighs were shaking.

  BANG!

  With the sound of the starter gun, Bec pushed forward and dived into the pool. Bec’s heart was thudding so loudly that she could hardly think.

  Then – flick, flick, flick – she kicked up to the surface, ready to begin her stroke.

  Already her lungs felt tight. Stroke, stroke, stroke, breathe …

  Stroke, stroke … breathe, GASP!

  Bec pushed herself, but her legs were like jelly. Her arms felt loose and weak.

  How can I swim fast? Bec thought desperately. I can hardly breathe!

  By the end of the club races, Bec felt miserable. She had come last in every race. By a million miles! She sure hadn’t kept up with the others.

  When the rest of the squad kids headed for the change rooms, Bec followed slowly. She didn’t want to get changed with her friends.

  She looked up at the stands to see her mum smile and wave. Her dad gave her a thumbs-up.

  Bec wanted to run up to her parents and hide in a big hug. But she couldn’t do that yet. First she had to get changed.

  As she walked into the change rooms, Bec looked down at her hands. She frowned at her crazy fingernails. They didn’t seem right anymore. Not after racing so badly.

  ‘Here she is!’

  Suddenly Holly, Ruby and Georgia crowded around Bec. She gulped, feeling shy after swimming so badly.

  ‘We couldn’t start without you,’ said Holly. She pointed to a bench covered in party food – snakes, jam sandwiches, truffle balls and a packet of Twisties.

  B
ec’s stomach gurgled. ‘Is it someone’s birthday?’ she asked quietly.

  ‘No,’ Ruby said, offering the truffle balls around. ‘It’s secret, so don’t tell the squad boys. But after we race, we always have a party!’ She popped a ball in her mouth, and then grinned with chocolate between her teeth.

  ‘Cool! Thanks,’ Bec said, suddenly feeling a little bit better.

  She dangled a snake into her mouth, loving the rush of flavour. Normally she liked to eat healthy food after swimming. But right now, a sugar hit was just what she needed.

  All four girls crowded around the bench, chatting as they ate.

  ‘I remember my first race,’ Ruby said. ‘I swam crooked and crashed into the pool ropes.’

  ‘I remember that!’ cried Holly. ‘You almost swam into my lane.’

  Everyone laughed.

  ‘I was really nervous for my first race, too,’ said Holly, smiling kindly at Bec.

  Bec glanced down at the bench, then back up at Holly. ‘You were amazing today,’ she said. Holly had won three races.

  ‘Aw, wish I’d swam faster,’ Holly said with a frown. ‘I’ll need to, if I’m going to win a medal at the state championships.’

  Bec raised her eyebrows. ‘State championships?’ she repeated.

  ‘Yeah, didn’t you know?’ said Georgia. ‘All the winners today get to swim for Fairburn at the state champs.’

  No wonder Holly had been so serious about the club races.

  Suddenly a wave of disappointment flowed along Bec’s arms and down her legs. She had messed up today. Now she had no chance to swim at the state championships.

  Why couldn’t I have swum faster? Bec thought to herself miserably.

  ‘Wait, Bec!’

  At the start of her next squad class, Hung called Bec aside for a talk.

  Bec looked down at her bare fingernails and frowned. She wasn’t looking forward to squad today.

  ‘How are you?’ asked Hung. He patted the bench for Bec to sit down next to him.