Between warm-up laps, Kristin and I watched Coach teach Terri the breaststroke kick. He was not friendly about it, but he made sense.
A few minutes later, our practice began.
“We lost to Howard Township,” said our coach. “But it was our first meet. I expect us to do better next time. In fact, I expect us to win. Fifteen seconds to a fifty-meter freestyle!”
He blew the whistle and I swam hard. I had promised myself that I would try harder. I was keeping my promise.
When we finished the freestyle, Coach said, “Thirty seconds to a hundred-meter breaststroke.” Terri gave me a worried look.
“Just do what Coach taught you,” I said.
The whistle blew. I pushed off and started moving. When I lifted my head, I could see Coach Carson coming our way.
“Barkan, snap those legs together. Give it some muscle!” he called.
Poor Terri.
“No! You have it all wrong! Bring those legs up!” the coach called.
We were only on our first lap. There were three more to go. Coach Carson was barking at Terri with almost every stroke. Before she made the final turn, she started spluttering and stopped to hug the wall.
Our coach blew the end-of-the-round whistle for the other swimmers. Then he did something awful. He made everyone watch Terri do her final lap of breaststroke.
“Here is an example of the things you should not be doing in the breaststroke. Look and learn,” he said.
“I cannot believe how mean he is!” said Kristin. She said it quietly so Coach would not hear.
When Terri finally reached the wall, she looked as if she would burst into tears.
“Young lady, now that I have taught you the proper kick, I expect you to practice it. You will see what a difference it makes at the next meet,” said the coach.
He talked to us about the meet, which was scheduled for Wednesday.
“These meets are about more than just swimming. They are about being a team player,” he said. “To be a team player you need discipline. You need concentration. These are not magic potions. They are skills. Learn them. You will swim better. You will do everything better.”
I knew he was right. Whenever I did something while I daydreamed, it came out wrong. When I thought about what I was doing, it came out better. Coach Carson was making sense again. But Terri did not care.
“I do not like our coach anymore. I do not like him one bit!” she said.
“He was very tough on you,” said Kristin.
“He was a meanie-mo,” I said. “But you have to admit he was right about the kick. And all those things he said about discipline and concentration were true too. I think you should give him another chance. He is only trying to help us.”
Our rides were waiting for us when we got outside. I had not changed Terri’s mind about Coach Carson. But my mind was made up. Coach Carson was only trying to help us be winners.
The Scolding
I woke up on Monday ready to work hard for my team.
At breakfast, I played a concentration game. I opened a cupboard and memorized the cans on the top shelf. Split-pea soup, jumbo cashew nuts, baby corn kernels, sweet peas. While I ate, I concentrated on the list.
“Hi, how is swimming going?” asked Sam when he came into the kitchen.
“I cannot talk now. I am doing something important for practice,” I replied.
“Really? It looks to me like you are eating a bowl of Krispy Krunchie cereal,” said Sam.
“I am concentrating. Coach Carson says we need to learn discipline and concentration to do well on the team,” I said. “Now you made me forget a can!”
A few minutes later, Nannie drove me to practice. It started off well. We did our warm-ups. Then Coach gave us some tips on the freestyle. He showed us how to do an S-curve with our arms underwater.
“Bring your arms in, then push the water away!” he said. “I will come around and watch you work on this.”
He started with the fastest swimmers. Boo. He always started with them. I used the extra time to practice.
I swam one lap, pulling the water in, then pushing it away. When I got back to the other end, Terri and Kristin were hanging on to the wall, laughing.
“What is so funny?” I asked.
“I did not hear right and I was trying to do an X-curve!” said Terri.
“It looked so funny!” said Kristin. “I think we should do a B-curve. Bzzz.”
I was hanging on to the wall laughing with my friends. I did not see Coach Carson coming our way.
“Girls, get back to your swimming immediately,” he said.
“But I already did two — ”
I wanted to tell the coach that I had done two laps. But he had already turned and walked away.
Boo and bullfrogs. I had been having such a good morning. I had done my concentration exercises. I had done two laps very well with the S-curve. I was trying hard.
Terri, Kristin, and I were careful not to talk during the rest of the practice. At the end, Coach Carson asked to speak to us.
“I am not happy with your attitude,” he said. “This swim team is not meant to be fun and games. Did any of you hear a word I said yesterday about discipline and concentration?”
“I heard and I — ”
I tried to explain how hard I was trying. But the coach would not listen.
“If you want to spend your summer giggling, find somewhere else to go. This pool, during swim team practice, is not the place. Is that understood?”
None of us said a word. We just nodded.
When we reached the locker room, Terri said, “He is so mean!”
“You are right,” said Kristin. “He is awful!”
“I think he could say things a little more nicely. But I do not blame him for being angry,” I said. “We should not waste time fooling around when we could be practicing. How can we win at the meets if we do not practice?”
“Winning does not matter so much. He should not be mean,” said Terri.
I felt bad that my friends were so upset. But as the coach said, swim team practices were not all fun and games.
I wanted to win. I was going to try my best.
Coach Karen
I was not the only one trying my best at swimming. Emily was trying hard too.
On Monday after practice, Daddy, Emily, and I headed to the Kormans’ pool.
“I hope the Kormans are having fun on their vacation,” I said. “I am having a lot of fun in their pool.”
“And I think Emily is going to learn to swim this summer,” said Daddy.
“Emmie go in the water!” said my sister when we reached the Kormans’.
“I think you are ready to see how it feels without your water wings,” said Daddy.
Daddy and I walked Emily down the steps in the shallow end. Then Daddy took both of Emily’s hands in his and let her kick around.
“Wheee!” said Emily as Daddy pulled her along.
I was supposed to be practicing my breaststroke, but Daddy and Emily were having so much fun.
“May I have a turn holding Emily?” I asked.
Daddy did not look too sure.
“I will not let her go even for a second,” I said.
“Emily, Karen is going to swim with you for awhile,” said Daddy.
I took Emily’s hands and pulled her around the way Daddy had. Emily kicked happily. Daddy sat at the edge of the pool watching us.
“I think Emily should see how it feels to put her face in the water,” I said. “She can blow bubbles.”
“That is just how I taught you,” said Daddy. “You show Emily how.”
I pulled Emily near the steps and stood by her side.
“Okay, Emily, watch me,” I said.
I put my face into the water and blew.
“Bubbles!” said Emily.
“Now you try it,” I said.
Emily put her face in the water. Then her whole head followed. She came up spluttering.
“No, j
ust put your face in,” I said.
Emily tried again. This time she put just her face in.
“Now blow bubbles,” I said.
Emily blew hard. In a couple of seconds she came up spluttering again. She did not look happy.
“You are blowing too hard,” I said. “Blow lightly. Like this.”
I showed Emily how. She tried again. But she blew just as hard as before.
“No, that is all wrong!” I said. “You have to concentrate!”
I guess I said it pretty loudly. Emily burst into tears. Daddy slipped into the water and scooped her up in his arms.
“Why are you being so hard on Emily? She is doing her best,” said Daddy.
“I am sorry I made her cry. I was trying to help her the way Coach Carson helps us at practice,” I said. “I want to help her swim to win.”
“This is not the swim team,” said Daddy. “We are trying to help your sister feel at home in the water. Shouting is not the way.”
“I am sorry, Emily,” I said. “Will you let me try again?”
“No!” said Emily.
I did not blame her. I left Emily with Daddy and practiced my stroke.
Flip Turns
The next morning at practice, Coach Carson taught us something new and exciting. Flip turns.
“There are four steps to a flip turn,” he said. “The approach. The tuck. The flip. The push-off.”
The coach worked with us for a long time. He was not mean. He was just very clear about how we should do a flip turn. I thought that was a good thing.
“The flip turn can make a big difference in your race. Learn it. Practice it. Use it,” he said.
The hardest part for me was still getting to the wall at the right time. A couple of times I hit the heels of my feet on the wall. That hurt! Then other times, I missed the wall completely. Finally I got the hang of it. The rest of the swimmers in my group were giving up.
“It is too much like diving,” said Kristin. “I do not like being head down in the water.”
“I cannot do it at all,” said Terri. “Flipping makes me mixed up and dizzy.”
I practiced the turn in the Kormans’ pool two days in a row. Our next meet was a very important one. It was our second meet with Howard Township. We had lost the first meet. This was our chance to win!
I practiced hard. When it was time for the meet, I was ready for it. I was sure that doing the flip turns the way Coach Carson taught me was going to make all the difference.
This time we were the visiting team. We chanted our team cheer so loudly that we probably woke their whole town.
It was not long before the meet began. I was in two races. Freestyle and backstroke. As soon as I hit the water, my teammates shouted, “Go, Karen, go! Go, Karen, go!”
I felt like a world-famous sports star. The only things missing were the TV cameras and sports announcers. I swam as hard as I could.
Guess what! I took second place and third. Of course I wished I had been first. But the points from my races helped put us over the top and we won the meet! We won it!
“Good job, Brewer,” said Coach Carson when I got on the bus to go home.
Good job? Was that all? He did not sound very excited, considering how well I had done.
“I got us a lot of points,” I said. “I helped us win!”
“Yes. Maybe one day you will take first place,” said the coach. “Okay, now move to the back of the bus. You are holding up the other swimmers.”
I stomped down the aisle and threw myself onto a seat. My coach was a big meaniemo. I was the only kid my age doing flip turns and he still was not happy. Boo and bullfrogs. I was not happy either.
On Thursday morning, Coach Carson said, “I have a swimmer who needs instruction.”
I felt sorry for the swimmer. I hoped it was not Terri. She was already feeling upset about our meet because she had not done very well.
Everyone turned to see who Coach Carson was going to work with. He walked toward our lane. Uh-oh. Poor Terri.
“Karen Brewer, we need to work on your turns,” he said.
I could not believe my ears.
“The rest of you, get busy doing warm-ups,” said the coach.
“I thought my turns were pretty good,” I said to him when he turned back to me.
“I am not here to talk. I came to watch you swim. Flip!” said Coach Carson.
I looked at his face. I could see that this was no time to argue. I swam away from the wall. Then I swam back and flipped. The coach asked me to do it again. And again. And again. He gave me pointers each time. I was glad for the pointers. My turns were getting better. But I was also getting dizzy.
“Is it okay if I take a little break?” I asked.
“No, it is not. If you want to be a winner, you have to be strong,” said Coach Carson. “Remember to take a big bite of air before you turn. Let me see it again.”
I had to do it. After all, he was our coach. But I did not like it. I was dizzy and tired. Finally I saw what Terri was talking about. Our coach was mean. He barked his orders at us. I do not even know if he was happy when I got points at the swim meet. It felt like nothing we did could please him.
If being on the team meant being treated like this, maybe I did not want to be on it at all.
Red, White, and Blue
I was glad I was not going to the Kormans’ pool in the afternoon. I had done enough swimming for one day.
I had invited Terri and Kristin over to make Fourth of July decorations and plan our menu.
“We should make Fourth of July Popsicles!” I said. “We can make red, white, and blue ones.”
“Great idea,” said Terri. “They can be cherry, lemon, and blueberry.”
“We can have a No-Drip Contest,” said Kristin. “Each player gets a point for every drip. Whoever has the least points is the winner.”
We were coming up with excellent ideas. I needed to write them down. I found a sheet of paper and wrote Menu at the top. Below that I wrote Popsicles — red, white, and blue. At the top of another page I wrote Games. Below that I wrote No-Drip Contest.
“I think Coach Carson is a drip,” said Terri. “All he thinks about is winning.”
“He is so hard on us,” said Kristin. “I am not so sure I want to stay on his team.”
“But it is our team. It is fun being together and I like swimming,” I said. “At least I used too. Coach Carson is kind of taking the fun out of it.”
“He sure is,” said Terri. “I used to like swimming too, even though I am not so good at it.”
“I do not want to talk about the coach now,” said Kristin. “I want to talk about the Fourth of July. I think we should make American flags.”
“Good idea,” I said. “We can make the flags right now!”
I got out red, white, and blue construction paper.
“We each need to make two flags,” I said. “Ones for ourselves and ones for Tammy, Hannie, and Nancy.”
I wondered how Hannie and Nancy were doing. Even though I was having fun with my new summer friends, I missed my old ones.
“I would like to have watermelon at the picnic,” said Terry. “And I would like to know what we should do about Coach Carson. I know we do not want to talk about him too much. But I cannot help it. He is on my mind.”
“That is okay,” said Kristin. “I cannot help thinking about him either.”
“Getting watermelon for the picnic is easy,” I said. “Figuring out what to do about Coach Carson is hard. I think this is too hard to figure out by ourselves. We have to ask our parents for help.”
“I think you are right,” said Terri.
We made our flags and added some more food and games to our list. We did a good day’s work.
After Terri and Kristin left, I talked to Daddy and Elizabeth. I told them all about Coach Carson.
“I cannot believe it is the same Ron Carson we have read about,” said Elizabeth. “He is a town hero.”
“He is also a m
eanie-mo,” I replied.
I told them how he scolded Terri when she could not do the breaststroke kick the right way. And I told them that he had not been nice to me when I got on the bus. “That was after I did flip turns and helped get points for our team,” I said.
I told them how he made me do flip turns till I was dizzy.
“I am glad you are telling us these things, Karen,” said Daddy. “When we come to your meet tomorrow night we will be sure to keep our eyes on Coach Carson. Then we will have a better idea what to do.”
My troubles were not over. I still had to go to practice in the morning. But help was on the way.
Mr. Nice Coach
Friday morning practice was no fun. Coach Carson was his meanie-mo self. He pushed too hard and talked too much about winning. I hoped our plan to get grown-up help was going to work.
Our meet that night was held at our pool. We were competing against the Rockville swim team. Coach Carson blew the whistle to get our attention.
“Greetings and welcome to Stoneybrook,” he said. “Stoneybrook swimmers, we need a big welcoming cheer for our guests.”
Two, four, six, eight!
Who do we appreciate?
Rockville swim team!
Rockville swim team! Yea!
Kristin, Terri, and I were standing near the pool with our team. We were cheering as loudly as we could. I waved to my family seated above us.
“And now let the swimming begin!” said Coach Carson.
He was acting very friendly and nice. I wondered when he would change into his mean self.
My first race was the fifty-meter freestyle. I came in third.
“Watch him change now,” I said to Kristin and Terri.
Guess what. He was nice, even though I had not won the race.
“Good job, Karen,” he said. “Your flip turn has improved.”
“Thank you,” I replied.
Wow! I did not remember the coach saying two nice sentences in a row before. I decided to enjoy the coach while he was on good behavior.
The scores were close until the end of the meet. Then Stoneybrook pulled ahead. My friends and I cheered so loudly that our throats hurt.