TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Cover

  Title Page

  CHAPTER ONE: SUMMERTIME SWIMMING

  CHAPTER TWO: TIME FOR TRYOUTS

  CHAPTER THREE: PERFECT PRACTICE

  CHAPTER FOUR: FREEZING UP

  CHAPTER FIVE: OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE

  CHAPTER SIX: READY FOR COMPETITION?

  CHAPTER SEVEN: POOLSIDE SAVE

  CHAPTER EIGHT: KEEPING FOCUSED

  CHAPTER NINE: SWIMMING FOR THE TEAM

  CHAPTER TEN: THE BEST FEELING

  Author Bio

  Illustrator Bio

  Glossary

  Discussion Questions

  Writing Prompts

  Competition Swimming Strokes

  Girls with Game Read More Jake Maddox Stories!

  The Fun Doesn't Stop Here!

  Copyright

  Back Cover

  Chapter One

  SUMMERTIME SWIMMING

  “Race you to the pool!” Rachel shouted.

  “No running!” Jenny called back.

  Jenny smiled as her younger sister Rachel walked as fast as her little legs could go toward the community swimming pool. Sun sparkled on the clear water. It was August, and in just a few days summer would end, and Jenny would be starting sixth grade.

  “Hey, Jenny!” a girl shouted.

  Jenny looked over to see her friend Maya waving from the deep end. Jenny smiled and waved back at her, then turned to find Rachel. Her little sister was already starting down the steps into the pool.

  “Wait up, Rachel!” Jenny shouted. She motioned for Maya to join them in the shallow end. Jenny walked down the steps and let herself slide under the cool water. “Ahhhh,” she said as she popped back up. “I love swimming!”

  “Me too,” Maya said, swimming up to her. “In fact, I think I’m going to join the swim team this year.”

  “Oh, really?” Jenny asked as she waded through the water toward Rachel.

  “Yeah,” Maya said. “It’ll be fun. I mean, we’ve spent all summer in the pool, why not keep it up?”

  Jenny frowned. “I don’t know,” she said. “I love swimming, but I don’t like competition. It always makes me nervous.”

  “But you’d be great,” Maya insisted.

  “Yeah, you’re super fast!” Rachel agreed as she dog-paddled past the two friends.

  “Maybe,” Jenny said, twisting a strand of wet hair around her finger. “I’ll think about it.”

  “Just don’t take too long,” Maya cautioned. “School starts next week, and tryouts won’t be long after!”

  * * *

  The girls stayed at the pool all afternoon, swimming until the sun was high in the sky. Rachel sat on the edge of the pool while she ate a snack and kicked her legs in the water. Maya and Jenny floated in the water nearby, talking about what middle school would be like.

  Suddenly, Maya stood up in the water and poked Jenny in the ribs. “Race ya!” she shouted, taking off toward the opposite end of the pool.

  Jenny laughed and quickly flipped over. She cut through the water with powerful strokes. Soon she caught up to Maya and then easily passed her. Jenny grabbed the wall a couple of seconds before her friend.

  Maya came up from the water, grinning. “Ha! See? You have to join the team with me,” she said. “You’re a great swimmer. It would be so much fun!”

  Jenny rolled her eyes but smiled. “Okay, fine,” she said. “I guess as long as we do it together, it’ll be fun.”

  “Yay!” Maya shouted, giving her a big, wet hug. “Swim team, here we come!”

  Chapter Two

  TIME FOR TRYOUTS

  On Tuesday afternoon, Jenny stood with Maya and several other girls by the side of the school’s indoor pool. They were waiting for the swim team tryouts to start. The room echoed with happy chatter, and the smell of chlorine hung in the air.

  Jenny adjusted the straps of her new red swimsuit and wiggled her toes on the wet deck. She breathed in and out and tried to settle her nerves.

  Maya noticed her fidgeting. She linked her arm through Jenny’s. “Don’t worry, you’ve totally got this!” she said.

  “We’ll see,” Jenny replied. She looked around the pool. Everybody was busy talking with their friends. No one seemed to be that competitive, which helped her relax a little.

  Just then, a woman in a black swimsuit and track pants came through the door. She picked up the sign-up sheet, quickly looked it over, and then blew her whistle.

  “Hi, girls,” she said. “I’m Coach Turner. Is everybody’s name on this list?” She held up the sheet, and all the girls nodded. “Great, then let’s get started. When I call your name, please enter the pool. Swim one length of the pool freestyle, and then come back swimming backstroke. First up, Anna Markham.”

  A girl in a green swimsuit walked over to the pool, slid into the water, and began swimming along the lane. Jenny noticed that only a few of the other girls were watching. Almost everyone else began whispering to their friends again.

  In the water, Anna reached the end of the pool and flipped over onto her back. She swam slowly back toward the group.

  “See?” Maya whispered in Jenny’s ear. “It’ll be a piece of cake.”

  Anna climbed out of the pool and removed her goggles. Several girls gave her high fives.

  “Nice job,” the coach said. “Larissa Johnson, you’re up!”

  Jenny watched as girl after girl took her turn in the pool. Then, after the sixth person, the coach finally called out, “Jenny Brown.”

  A little butterfly flipped in her stomach, but Jenny walked over to the pool and got into the water. After adjusting her swim cap and pulling down her goggles, she kicked off. Jenny felt calm as she easily moved through the water. It seemed like the other end of the pool was beneath her feet in a flash. Jenny flipped and then backstroked toward the coach with strong, even strokes.

  “Very nice!” Coach Turner said when Jenny arrived back at the starting wall. The coach smiled and made a note on the sheet. Some of the other girls clapped.

  Jenny pulled herself out of the water with a big grin on her face and hurried back over to Maya. “That was easy!” she exclaimed.

  Maya patted her shoulder. “I told you so,” she replied. “You were awesome!”

  Jenny blushed. “Thanks,” she said. She liked these girls and the coach. Trying out for the swim team was starting to seem like a pretty good idea after all.

  * * *

  Two days later, Jenny joined a cluster of kids around the bulletin board in the gym hallway. Team assignments for all of Jackson Middle School’s fall sports had been posted. She found the swimming list and moved closer. Anna Markham … Maya Granger … Jenny Brown!

  Jenny hopped up and down with excitement. She was on the Knights swim team!

  Chapter Three

  PERFECT PRACTICE

  “Hey, Larissa! Hi, Anna!” Jenny called out to her teammates. They turned around and waved her over. Jenny grinned as she jogged up to the cluster of girls already waiting for practice to begin.

  It was the Knights’ second week of practice, and Jenny was feeling good about joining the team. All of the girls were really nice, and they’d made her feel so welcome — she hadn’t felt nervous once!

  As usual, they would be starting in the gym. They always did some warm-ups and stretching before getting into the water.

  “Okay, ladies,” Coach instructed, “let’s start with squats. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees as deeply as you can, and hold your arms straight out in front of you. Let’s do ten.”

  Jenny and the other girls spread out and started their warm-up exercises. Once they’d gotten nice and loose, they went to the pool and began their swimming drills.

  When her turn was up, Jenny jumped in and swam a 100-yard freestyle course. The team was working on counting their strokes and trying to take fewer, but more powerful, strokes each lap. By her last lap, Jenny was crossing the length of the pool with three fewer strokes than on the first lap.

  When Jenny climbed out of the water, Larissa, a swimmer from last year’s team, was waiting on the deck for her turn. “Wow, Jenny, your freestyle is really strong!” she said.

  “Thanks!” Jenny replied with a smile. She went to sit on the bench as another group of girls ran the drill. Maya came over and plopped down next to her.

  “You looked great out there,” she said. “You were the fastest in your group, for sure. How many strokes did you cut?”

  “Three,” Jenny said.

  Maya whistled. “Nice!” she said. “Keep swimming like that, and you’ll help us win meets for sure!”

  * * *

  At the end of practice, Coach gathered the girls on the benches.

  “Our first meet is on Friday,” she told them. “Make sure you arrive early so that you have time to get settled in before warm-ups. I’ll be waiting for you poolside. You’re all doing a beautiful job here, and I’m sure you’ll do great at the meet.”

  The girls cheered and ran to the locker room to change. Jenny was starting to feel excited about the swim meet. Practice was so much fun, and she loved being on the team. Maybe the competition would be fun too! She felt ready to give it a try.

  Chapter Four

  FREEZING UP

  On Friday afternoon, Jenny walked into the swimming arena and suddenly stopped in surprise. There weren’t just swimmers and coaches here. Parents, siblings, and friends filled the bleachers.

  Jenny gulped nervously. I was so not expecting a crowd! she thought.

  “Jenny!” Maya called.

  Jenny looked around and spotted her friend at the end of the hallway. She sighed in relief and went to join her teammate.

  Maya grabbed Jenny’s hand and started pulling her toward the locker rooms. “Isn’t this exciting?” she asked. “Our first meet! Are you ready?”

  Jenny shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “I had no idea there would be so many people watching. I didn’t even ask my parents to come because I thought they’d make me nervous!”

  Maya swung through the locker room door. “I’m sure you’ll be fine,” she said. “You’ve been doing great in practice.”

  Jenny nodded and forced a smile, then went to a bench. She already had her swimsuit on underneath her street clothes, so she quickly pulled them off and stuffed everything into a locker. She took a deep breath, then linked arms with Maya. Together they made their way out to the pool.

  * * *

  The 200-yard medley relay was the first event of the meet. Four swimmers would each swim to the other side of the 25-yard pool and back. Each girl had to swim a different stroke in a specific order — backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle. Jenny would be swimming the last leg.

  Maya was up first, swimming the backstroke. She took her place on the starting block, alongside a girl from the opposing team. The swimmers waited for the starting buzzer to sound.

  BZZZZZ!

  The buzzer made Jenny jump as Maya dove off the block. “Get it together, Jenny,” she whispered to herself.

  Larissa was ready to go next. As soon as Maya’s hand touched the pool wall, she flew into the water and began swimming with a picture-perfect breaststroke.

  A few seconds later, Jenny heard the splash of the other team’s swimmer diving into the pool. The Knights were ahead!

  Jenny’s eyes drifted up to the stands. The number of people seemed to have grown when she wasn’t looking. It felt like a hundred eyes were on the two swimmers. Jenny hardly noticed Sarah, one of her other teammates, jumping in for the butterfly portion of the relay.

  “Jenny, get ready,” Coach whispered loudly.

  Jenny felt her skin crawl with nerves. Butterflies went crazy in her stomach. She stepped onto the starting block and got into position. Her hands were shaking.

  Right after Sarah touched the wall, Jenny dove in and began to swim freestyle across the pool. Freestyle was her favorite stroke, and she always swam it quickly in practice, but now her arms and legs felt like lead. All she could think about were the people watching her every move. The other side of the pool felt like it was miles away.

  When she was a few strokes from the finish line, Jenny suddenly heard cheering from the other team. She’d been so slow and distracted that their opponents had caught up and won!

  Jenny climbed out of the pool, her face red with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, guys,” she said. “I don’t know what happened.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Jenny. It’s only your first meet!” Larissa reassured her. Maya and Sarah nodded and hugged Jenny.

  Coach wrapped a towel over Jenny’s shoulders and gave her a pat on the back. “You’ll settle in,” she said. “Just take a deep breath and focus on your next event, okay? You can do this.”

  But Jenny couldn’t focus on the 200-yard freestyle relay either. Her swimming was still slow and sluggish. She couldn’t think about anything except all the people watching her and how embarrassed she felt.

  I’m letting my friends down, Jenny thought as she got out of the pool after another bad performance. Her teammates tried to encourage her, but Jenny’s heart was sinking fast. I never should have joined the swim team.

  Chapter Five

  OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE

  The Monday after the meet, Jenny went to talk to Coach Turner before practice. She’d spent all weekend reliving her terrible performance and had come up with only one solution — she had to quit the team.

  “I just can’t do it,” Jenny told Coach. “I wasn’t sure about trying out in the first place, and after what happened at the meet … It was a mistake joining the team. I’ll only bring everyone down.”

  Coach Turner put her arm around Jenny, who had started crying. “Jenny,” she said, “you are an amazing swimmer. You’re one of our strongest during practice. I know you feel badly about the meet, but you do belong on this team. You just had a little stage fright, that’s all. We can work on that.”

  “Really?” Jenny sniffed. “I don’t know, Coach. It was so awful.”

  “You just need to get used to the idea of being in the spotlight,” Coach said. “Try doing something out of your comfort zone, and work on not paying attention to the people around you. Like … maybe you could volunteer to do the morning announcements! That’d be a good start — nobody can even see you. Then we can see how this Friday’s meet goes.”

  Jenny thought it over. “I guess I could do that,” she said, wiping her eyes. “I don’t know if it will help, but I’ll give it a try.”

  * * *

  On Wednesday morning, Jenny’s mom pulled up to school earlier than normal. She leaned over and gave Jenny a hug. “I’m really proud of you for giving the swim team another chance, honey,” she said. “Good luck today!”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Jenny replied, hugging her back tightly before climbing out of the car.

  Jenny waved as her mom pulled away, then walked into school. But instead of going to homeroom, she went to the front office. The principal gave her a piece of paper with the morning announcements and showed her how the intercom worked.

  This isn’t too bad, Jenny thought. I can do this.

  When the time came, Jenny pushed the button. It was strange at first, thinking about everyone in the school hearing her speak. But the feeling passed quickly, and soon she was reading the school news in a strong, clear voice. After she was done, she headed to class feeling proud.

  At lunch, Jenny sat down next to Maya and told her friend how the morning announcements had gone. “I hardly felt nervous at all!” she admitted.

  “That’s awesome,” Maya said. “Now you should try something bigger. Like … karaoke!”

  “What?” Jenny said, trying not to laugh. “No way!”

  “Yes way!” Maya said. “They have it every Thursday at a pizza place near my house. We are so going. But don’t worry, I’ll do it with you! Ask your mom.”

  “Okay …” Jenny said. “Whatever it takes, I guess!”

  * * *

  Thursday evening, Jenny ate dinner with Maya’s family. When they were finished, the two girls walked with Maya’s mom to the nearby restaurant for karaoke.

  Jenny looked around the small pizza place. A few people were there eating and drinking. In the corner, an older girl was setting up the karaoke machine. There was already a man flipping through the book of songs. When the book was free, Jenny and Maya looked through it for a song to sing together.

  The man was up first, singing a loud and slightly off-key version of “Sweet Home Alabama.” When he was done, the scattered crowd clapped and then went back to their pizzas.

  Maya nudged Jenny with her elbow, making Jenny jump. She swallowed, took a deep breath, and went up to the girl running the machine. “‘Shake It Off,’ please,” she said.

  “Awesome,” the girl replied, pulling the song up on the screen. She handed microphones to Jenny and Maya as the music started.

  “I stay up too late …” the two friends sang together, giggling. They both were a little nervous at first, but by the end of the song they were singing loudly and even dancing around a little.

  When the girls finished, the crowd clapped enthusiastically. Jenny took a little bow. Maya bounded back to the book to look for another song.

  “That was great! Let’s do another one!” Maya said.

  Jenny smiled and nodded. “Okay,” she agreed. It had been fun, and she’d hardly felt nervous. Maybe this plan was actually working! She would find out for sure at tomorrow’s meet.

 

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