Conference
A story of swim suits, caps, and hard work.
By Kate Holstein| Storyteller
8:05a.m.
The sound of lockers slamming shut echoes across the women’s locker room. Straps of practice suits snap onto shoulders. The smell of chlorine has made its way from the pool to every inch of the locker room. Jenna and Jacie, sisters, walk in with their coordinating swim bags. Jenna smiling. Jacie’s mouth opens in a yawn the girls on the other side of the locker room can see. Swim bags hang open with tampons, goggles, tape, and silicone caps. Lexie bends to do the Michael Phelps back slap before she grabs her cap and goggles to move to the pool deck.
8:30a.m.
Girls in practice suits swarm the pool deck. Lydia dives off the side of lane 3 to lead the team in warm-ups. The pool begins to get choppy. There’s a freshman in lane 4 who swallows a wave from Lydia’s dive. Next is Meredith and Jenna, and after a couple more seconds, Jacie. Jenna is at Meredith’s feet, but only for the first 20 yards. Meredith’s slender build can pull water quicker than Jenna, even if Jenna is working harder. Olivia is fiddling with her goggles. They are tightened to where she likes but keeps messing with them. She’s hoping by the time she fixes them Lydia will already be doing her second lap and she can hop in line after Jacie. Mrs. Evans, the assistant coach, yells that she needs to hop in. Mrs. Evans is the shortest coach on the deck, but her yelling makes up for it.
8:50a.m.
Olivia stands on the block as she tracks Lydia with her hands. They’re practicing for the real deal. Lydia’s swimming butterfly, and she’s speeding up to avoid having to take a half stroke at the wall. Olivia’s legs are shaking. The blocks are covered in a layer of sandpaper, but she says she thinks she might slip. Lydia comes in on an even stroke and Olivia swings her arms around before diving in. Coach is watching. He tells them it needs to be faster. Lane 3’s touchpad sinks to the bottom, but Cassie, who stayed in the locker room for warm-ups, jumps in to grab it for the timer. Meredith and Jenna tread carefully across the deck to get ready for the opening relay.
8:58a.m.
Girls scramble to get into their tech suits on in time for the first buzzer. Jacie can’t find her silicone cap, but Jenna has two extra. Good thing, too, because Tessa can’t find her cap either, and her tech suit seems to be missing as well. A foot cracks open the locker room door and a voice shouts “The 200 medley is behind the blocks!” Girls race onto deck while clearing the fog from their goggles.
8:59a.m.
Mr. Reinhardt’s stopwatch isn’t working. The touchpad in Lane 3 fell off the wall again, but Cassie is on her way over to get it. Mr. Young, the official, is testing the speaker system. He’s wearing all white. He even drove his white Ford Focus to the meet. Mr. Murundi whistles from the bleachers. Maddie, his daughter, turns and gives him a thumbs up without smiling. Lane 3 is the Rockford Christian A team: Meredith, Jenna, Lydia and Olivia. Beside them in lane 4 is the Belvidere A team: Jenna, Lauren, Lexie and Grace. They all shake out their arms and legs behind the block. Timers double check their pencils are sharpened. Jenna and Jacie’s mom unlocks her iPad for filming. She’s going to send the video to her sister in Connecticut.
9:01a.m.
Mr. Young’s voice echoes through the complex.
“Ladies, step in.”
Meredith pulls her cap over her ears and steps over the water. She comes up to grab the bars.
“Take your mark.”
Meredith and 5 other girls pull up on the bars far enough for their hips to hover above the water. Mr. Young’s eyes shoot across the lanes to inspect form.
Beeeeeep!
Meredith’s back arches over the water before her hands break through.
9:03a.m.
Jenna already followed Meredith and touched the pad, sending Lydia into a dive over her. Now Lydia passes the inside flags, speeding up to make sure she ends on an even stroke. Lexie is half a stroke behind her in Lane 4. Belvidere has won the medley relay at the past 6 conference meets. Lexie spots splashing from the corner of her eye. She picks up her pace. Olivia starts tracking Lydia and follows her to the wall. Her arms go straight to a point above her head as she pushes off the block. She and Grace disappear behind splashing. Grace’s little sister went to nationals as a freshman, but she’s sick today. Grace came instead. They reach the far side of the pool, where Olivia’s legs flip first and propel her off the wall. She and Grace disappear under the water as the audience takes a breath. Olivia’s cap breaks through the water as she sprints toward the touchpad. The audience’s cheers make the flags shake. Mr. Murundi’s whistle makes Coach plug one ear. His other hand is shooing Olivia down the lane. Olivia pulls away from Grace by another stroke. The timers stand up and lean over the edge. Both touchpads stop. Olivia’s head breaks the water again. Meredith, Jenna and Lydia look at the clock and raise their hands and voices in unison.
