‘Great work, Bec,’ said Hung after a while.

Bec opened her eyes and looked around. She had been so focused, it was like she’d been deep inside her own mind. It was as if she had been in another world.

‘Now you can do it for real,’ said Hung, standing up. ‘Off you go.’

Bec stood up slowly. She could still feel the imaginary strokes in her head as she warmed up.

Then she headed over to an empty lane and climbed up on the block. She crouched to dive.

Whoosh!

In a sudden, welcoming rush, Bec was back in the pool. She could feel the water guide her up to the surface. It was great to be in the water at last!

But in a weird way, Bec felt like she had been swimming for ages.

Over the next three weeks, Bec started each class on the bench. It wasn’t too bad. She came to enjoy the calm feeling it gave her.

Hung made sure she had lots of other things to think about, too. Like racing against the clock, getting her best time ever.

Two weeks before the state championships, Hung sat with Bec at the beginning of class. The other squad kids had already plopped into the water for training.

‘Imagine you’re in a race,’ Hung said.

When Hung said that, Bec’s heart started to thud, even though she was sitting safely on the bench. She opened her eyes and shook her head.

‘Remember your breathing,’ said Hung. ‘In through your nose, out through your mouth.’

After a few deep breaths, the thudding slowed just slightly.

‘Now, imagine you’re racing at the state championships, and you feel good,’ said Hung. ‘You’re excited, Bec! You’re going to enjoy the swim.’

Bec imagined the feel of the block beneath her bare feet. The sound of the gun clicking.

I’m excited, Bec told herself firmly. I’m going to have fun. And as she swam her first ever imaginary race, she did!

‘Good,’ said Hung, when Bec had opened her eyes. ‘Now tell me. Do you want to do that for real?’

‘You mean …’ Bec leant forward on the bench. ‘You mean, do I want to swim at the state championships?’ She felt a flip of excitement in her stomach.

‘We need another swimmer for the 100m freestyle relay. That’s your strongest event.’ Hung smiled and stood up. ‘You just did it in your head, didn’t you?’

He looked across at the lap kids and then up at the clock.

Bec gulped and took a long, calming breath. Then she nodded at Hung.

I can do this, she told herself. I’ve already done it in my head. Now I just have to do it for real.