CHAPTER 4
As Riley climbed out of the pool, Mr. Casey walked up. “Don’t worry, Riley,” Mr. Casey said, smiling. “Something tells me you’d be better as a distance swimmer.”
“What do you mean?” Riley asked.
Mr. Casey replied, “I think you could be a good long-distance swimmer. You’d just need to learn to pace yourself.”
“Oh,” Riley said. “Well, I’ll see what happens in the long race, I guess.”
Riley watched as Blake raced in the 50-yard race. Blake won first place.
Riley sighed. Blake was really courageous. He always believed he could do whatever he wanted. Sometimes that got him in trouble. But other times, it helped him win.
I wish I was more like that, Riley thought.
Finally, it was Riley’s chance to try a distance race. “Let’s get started,” Mr. Casey said. “We’ll begin with the same group who started the short race. Each race will be 200 yards. That’s eight times across the pool.”
Riley got ready on the starting blocks. Mr. Casey walked over and said, “Remember, pace yourself. Go easy at first. Save your energy so you can get through the whole race.”
When the race began, Riley jumped off to a fast start. He took the early lead in the race. Then he remembered Mr. Casey’s words. Near the end of the first length, he slowed down a little bit, trying to save his energy.
He was wearing goggles, so as he swam, he could see where the other swimmers were. By the end of the third length, Riley was in last place.
This doesn’t make any sense, he thought. I’m way behind!
He just kept going, though. At the end of the fourth length, Riley suddenly felt something change. He had developed a long, smooth stroke. His legs kicked easily. He was in a good rhythm with his strokes and his breathing. He felt relaxed.
Soon, he was catching up to the other swimmers. Even better, it didn’t feel like he was really trying.
In the second to last length, Riley decided to speed up a little. His stroke stayed smooth. By the middle of the last length, Riley had passed everyone. He had won!
Riley climbed out of the pool. Mr. Casey walked over and slapped him on the back. “See?” Mr. Casey said, smiling. “I told you you’d be a good long-distance swimmer.”
“You were right, Mr. Casey,” Riley said. “That was awesome.”
Blake walked over. “Nice job,” he said to Riley. “I was a little worried there for a while. You were way behind! But you definitely pulled ahead at the end.”
“I have a question for you guys,” Mr. Casey said. “Have you ever thought about going out for the swim team? Blake, you’d be great at sprint races. And Riley, you’d be perfect for longer races.”
Riley raised his eyebrows. It did sound pretty cool. But before he could say anything, Blake laughed.
“Thanks, but we’re not interested,” Blake said. “Riley and I aren’t really into school sports and that kind of stuff. Right, Riley?”
“Um, I guess,” Riley said.
Mr. Casey looked disappointed, but he just shrugged. “All right,” he said. “Maybe next year, then.” He walked away.