Synchronized Swimming

Chapter 44: Last Practice

Sang

I'm always a bit superstitious when it comes to the last practice before a meet. On one hand, I want everything to go perfectly as a sort of good omen for the meet. There's that niggling thought, however, that if the swim through is amazing at the last practice then maybe I used up my one good swim and all subsequent swims would be worse. There are pros and cons to both perspectives, so if I'm being honest I change which one I use depending on how I swim.

If I swim poorly at the last practice, then it's good because I have my bad swim out of the way. If I swim well, then it's a good omen for the meet. That way it's a win-win situation, which keeps me from getting too stressed. We leave for Seattle tomorrow, and I don't want to be a nervous wreck on the plane.

The atmosphere is somber as we walk into the pool area for our last practice. It's too late to change anything that goes wrong, so this practice is more for keeping up conditioning than anything else. I place my bag next to Nathan's and grin when notice an empty spot on his that will be perfect for my keychain. A rush of pride goes through me when I pull out my Synchro Sharks swim cap and put it on- I represent a team now, and I'll swim harder than I ever have before to not let them down.

I assign a light warmup to avoid exhausting ourselves. It passes quickly, and too soon I'm standing by the side of the pool to swim my solo one last time. Everyone's watching to simulate a competition setting. I thought I would feel nervous, but instead I just feel... happy- I'm happy the boys have managed to transform synchro from something I dreaded to something I find joy in.

Mr. Blackbourne gives me a nod, signaling that I can walk out now. He whistles once when I'm in position. Sean starts the music and I dive in. The swim seems to take forever to finish, yet at the same time it's over before I've had time to become too tired. The boys gather around me after I get out of the water. Luke and Gabriel each wrap an arm around my shoulder and squish me in between them.

"You were great Sang!" Luke gushes.

"That was your best swim yet, Miss Sorenson," Mr. Blackbourne states. Beyond the millimeter smile, I can see a glimmer of pride in his eyes. Everyone praises me on an exceptional swim. It didn't feel that good to me, but that's often the case where the best swims feel like the worst ones.

"Quit squishing Sang Baby," North grumbles. Despite his gruff words, I can tell he's happy for me. Luke sticks his tongue out at his brother before letting go of me and stepping away. Gabriel does the same, only his departure comes with a few choice words for North.

Now that I'm finished swimming, the nerves hit me and I sink down to my knees. How will I ever replicate that swim? Everyone's so proud of me, and now I'll just disappoint them at nationals. I stare at my shaking hands. It's a good omen, I chant to myself. Good omen, good omen...

"Are you okay Sang?" Sean asks with worry in his voice. I realize all the boys have been staring at me as I try to control my nerves. I nod my head, pushing myself back to standing.

"Of course Sean," I say, "I'm just tired." Sean accepts my answer, but something flashes in his eyes. I glance at Mr. Blackbourne just in time to see him look away from Sean. Those two are definitely up to something.

"Why don't we have a break before team," Kota suggests. I gladly accept and excuse myself to go to the bathroom. It's the one place where the boys can't follow me.

Once I enter the locker room, I lay down on my back and stare up at the ceiling. I only have a few moments before the boys become concerned, and I have to make the most of them. Logically, I know there's nothing to worry about. Even if I don't have my best swim ever, the boys will still be my friends. I'll still be a Synchro Shark. That doesn't stop the tiny voice inside of me from telling me that I have to be the best, that anything less than perfect is failure. My stomach roils as a wave of nausea sweeps through me. I tamp it down, though- it's already been a few minutes and I don't want the boys to come barging in.

I splash some cold water on my face and leave the locker room feeling antsy. Mr. Blackbourne announces that it's time to swim team, so we gather up on deck.

"This is our last swim in Charleston," Kota says, "We've prepared for it as well as we could. Let's make this swim as sharp, tight, and energetic as we can. Let's leave for nationals on a high note!"

After Kota finishes his pep talk, everyone looks at me expectantly. Am I supposed to say something as the co-captain? "Um... during these past two months we've really come together as a team," I begin, "We know this routine, and we know how to swim it to the best of our abilities. So let's... swim?"

Kota chuckles and claps me on the back. "Pep talks will come more naturally with practice," he says. I give him a wry grin- even I have to admit my talk needs work.

We walk out and dive in once the music starts. As we set up for the first lift, I realize it's off balance- the front half of the lift is higher than the back half. Despite this, Victor manages to jump off when it's time.

But instead of jumping forwards, he jumps backwards. I cringe when I see him land mere inches away from the wall. If he hadn't been in such a tight ball, he could have been seriously hurt. When we come up for the first arm set, our pattern is messed up because Victor's in the wrong place and it takes us the whole first lap to correct it.

Just as everything is returning to normal, I get kicked in the knee during the setup for Gabriel's standing lift. My eggbeater stops, causing my push to be weaker than normal. The lift leans to one side and Gabriel ends up falling off. Thankfully, he doesn't land on top of anyone.

My knee continues to throb for the rest of the swim. I push past the pain, but I notice a decrease in my water height and a lack of extension in my legs. After we're finished, Mr. Blackbourne calls us over. We get out of the pool to huddle around him, and as I'm walking over I realize I'm limping. Sean's taking down the sound system and doesn't notice, and the other boys are caught up in their own thoughts. We all know it was a horrible swim.

"First, are you okay Mr. Morgan?" Mr. Blackbourne asks. Victor nods morosely.

"Yeah, I don't know how I ended up jumping backwards instead of forwards," he says, "But I didn't hit the wall."

"The lift was off balance," I interject. Mr. Blackbourne sighs.

"That swim was a fluke," he says, "One wrong thing led to another. I wouldn't dwell on it- it was just a chance to get out the pre-competition nerves. Now, is anyone hurt?"

I debate trying to cover up my injury, but I realize how disappointed Sean would be if he found out I was hurt and didn't tell him. The boys cry out with indignation when I explain my knee, but Sean shoos them away and gets me an ice pack and a band aid. The person must have kicked me with their toenail, as soon after I got out I realized there was a jagged cut that had started bleeding.

Sean gives me strict icing instructions and orders lots of rest. Our flight doesn't leave until noon tomorrow, so I can sleep in. Hopefully my knee will feel better in the morning. Even if it isn't better by the time I swim again, I know I'll push through and swim my hardest anyway.

I would do anything to make my family proud.