office happier than he'd felt for a long time. But suddenly the whole afternoon seemed empty. He hadn't
realized how much he'd begun to schedule his life around swimming practice.
He decided to head for home and tell his mother the good news about his leg. He was halfway there when he heard footsteps
behind him. He turned to see who it was.
Tanya ran up next to him and stopped, breathless.
“I've been chasing you for the last four blocks,” she panted. “Stop, already!”
“I don't know if you're ever going to make a long-distance sprinter,” he said, joking.
“Go ahead and laugh,” she said. “But I have some hot news for you. I checked the bulletin board outsideCoach Fulton's office. And —” she paused dramatically.
“And — come on!” Jerry said impatiently.
“And I saw the roster for the meet against the Clapham Clippers next week. The coach has you down for two different events!”
“He does?”
“Yes!” she said, nodding. “You know what that means, don't you?”
“I… I think so,” he replied, hesitatingly. He was almost afraid to say it out loud.
But Tanya wasn't. “It means you're a full-fledged member of the swimming team now!”
9
Jerry was so excited that he hadn't even asked Tanya which two events the coach had him down for. But he soon found out. He
was scheduled to swim the one-hundred-yard freestyle and the two-hundred-yard freestyle.
“So what's wrong with my butterfly? With my breaststroke?” he asked.
“Don't be a ninny,” she said. “Those are two terrific events. You should be happy as… as a…”
“Happy as a shark at a clambake?” he suggested.
“No, more like a jellyfish at a jamboree,” she said.
“A what?”
“Jelly? Jam — bo-ree? Get it?”
“Oh, that's awful!” he groaned. “I'd better get on my way before you come out with any more.”
“Okay,” she said. “See you at practice.”
“Hey, Tanya,” he called after her. “Thanks for the good news.”
From that moment on, Jerry poured himself into his swimming practice. He was pleased his extra effort learning how to do flip
turns and racing dives had paid off. Still, he knew he wouldn't be content to swim short-distance freestyle events for the
rest of the season. Lars, Wayne, and Sammy Wu had the breaststroke spots filled, and he still didn't feel comfortable with
the butterfly. That left the backstroke.
So, in addition to perfecting his flip turns and dives, Jerry started concentrating on his backstroke drills a little more
each day. The very first thing he did when he got in the pool was swim lap after lap.
As he pushed off from the edge of the pool, he checked what he had been taught by Coach Fulton and the other coaches during
previous practices.
Arm over arm. Check.
Six kicks to a two-arm cycle. Check.
Extra push when the arm was stretched full-length just past the head. Check.
Slice the water with the little finger first. Check.
Pull the arm through the water deep — and push through at the thigh. Check.
Stroke by stroke, he ploughed his way down the lane until his outstretched fingertips touched the opposite wall. And then
it was time for the backstroke turn that he had learned after a lot of hard work.
As soon as his hand touched the pool wall, he snapped his head backward and downward, arched his back, and brought up his
knees into a kind of underwater somersault. Tony had shown him how to give himself a little bit of a twist after that to help
settle into a proper backstroke position after the turn. Then, when his feet hit the wall, he stretched his right arm back
for a strong starting stroke as he pushed off with both feet.
Whew! It was hard work, but he knew it was the only way he could make any headway with the backstroke. All the practice was
starting to pay off.
“Nice going.”
“Looking good, there.”
“Good turn. Way to go.”
As he got to know them, other members of the team were generous with their praise — and
realized how much he'd begun to schedule his life around swimming practice.
He decided to head for home and tell his mother the good news about his leg. He was halfway there when he heard footsteps
behind him. He turned to see who it was.
Tanya ran up next to him and stopped, breathless.
“I've been chasing you for the last four blocks,” she panted. “Stop, already!”
“I don't know if you're ever going to make a long-distance sprinter,” he said, joking.
“Go ahead and laugh,” she said. “But I have some hot news for you. I checked the bulletin board outsideCoach Fulton's office. And —” she paused dramatically.
“And — come on!” Jerry said impatiently.
“And I saw the roster for the meet against the Clapham Clippers next week. The coach has you down for two different events!”
“He does?”
“Yes!” she said, nodding. “You know what that means, don't you?”
“I… I think so,” he replied, hesitatingly. He was almost afraid to say it out loud.
But Tanya wasn't. “It means you're a full-fledged member of the swimming team now!”
9
Jerry was so excited that he hadn't even asked Tanya which two events the coach had him down for. But he soon found out. He
was scheduled to swim the one-hundred-yard freestyle and the two-hundred-yard freestyle.
“So what's wrong with my butterfly? With my breaststroke?” he asked.
“Don't be a ninny,” she said. “Those are two terrific events. You should be happy as… as a…”
“Happy as a shark at a clambake?” he suggested.
“No, more like a jellyfish at a jamboree,” she said.
“A what?”
“Jelly? Jam — bo-ree? Get it?”
“Oh, that's awful!” he groaned. “I'd better get on my way before you come out with any more.”
“Okay,” she said. “See you at practice.”
“Hey, Tanya,” he called after her. “Thanks for the good news.”
From that moment on, Jerry poured himself into his swimming practice. He was pleased his extra effort learning how to do flip
turns and racing dives had paid off. Still, he knew he wouldn't be content to swim short-distance freestyle events for the
rest of the season. Lars, Wayne, and Sammy Wu had the breaststroke spots filled, and he still didn't feel comfortable with
the butterfly. That left the backstroke.
So, in addition to perfecting his flip turns and dives, Jerry started concentrating on his backstroke drills a little more
each day. The very first thing he did when he got in the pool was swim lap after lap.
As he pushed off from the edge of the pool, he checked what he had been taught by Coach Fulton and the other coaches during
previous practices.
Arm over arm. Check.
Six kicks to a two-arm cycle. Check.
Extra push when the arm was stretched full-length just past the head. Check.
Slice the water with the little finger first. Check.
Pull the arm through the water deep — and push through at the thigh. Check.
Stroke by stroke, he ploughed his way down the lane until his outstretched fingertips touched the opposite wall. And then
it was time for the backstroke turn that he had learned after a lot of hard work.
As soon as his hand touched the pool wall, he snapped his head backward and downward, arched his back, and brought up his
knees into a kind of underwater somersault. Tony had shown him how to give himself a little bit of a twist after that to help
settle into a proper backstroke position after the turn. Then, when his feet hit the wall, he stretched his right arm back
for a strong starting stroke as he pushed off with both feet.
Whew! It was hard work, but he knew it was the only way he could make any headway with the backstroke. All the practice was
starting to pay off.
“Nice going.”
“Looking good, there.”
“Good turn. Way to go.”
As he got to know them, other members of the team were generous with their praise — and
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