Sequel: Swimmers Story ›
My 3 Dedications And Me
First Fly Winners
She walked down to the coach the next day to see Ryan chatting to his teammates "Well done on qualifying!" she said and he smiled at her "So are you feeling better today?" he asked as they all climbed on the bus and she took her usual seat next to him. "Oh I'm ready! I'm feeling brilliant, thanks for last night" "Anytime! So you nervous?" he quizzed as they started on the journey. "Nervous, yes very but they should be more nervous" Dolly stated as people talked and he raised his eyebrows at her.
"I figured last night that you were right, if it was you or my coach in that pool in front of me I'd not let you win at all so why do I let them win? And so what Dana Vollmer holds the world record? She's got everything to lose and I have everything to gain. Plus I only get one shot at this so I have to put everything in to it and my parents are here, what's the point in me bringing them here and lying to them if it's all to see me lose?" she explained as he nodded. "That's how to think! We're our own destiny, we make ourselves who we are. Fuck them lot in the crowd and in the water, that's your medal and nobody can come close to taking it from you" he added and she nodded.
They got to the aquatics centre and climbed off the coach "Won't your parents have seen the news?" "Nope, I provided them with a distraction and I'm lucky my dad can text let alone anything else! Neither can use the Internet all that well so I'm safe!" she smiled "Well in that case I can't wait to see their faces! Do them proud, and I must admit you sound ready for a fight!" he offered. "Thanks and I feel ready, I think I got my nerves out the way in the last 2 races so lets see what this one brings me!" she smiled as they separated and she saw him in the warm up pool.
Michael shot her an evil glare and she walked past him "Don't you fuck this up! Your parents are here, do them proud and remember everything I've ever said and for God's sake relax in your fly stroke, you over thought it yesterday. You own it, it doesn't own you" he said quietly as she stretched near him. "Princess fly! Good luck in your swim, I'll be watching and shouting!" Ryan called running over as she grabbed everything. "Thanks and good luck in the relay! I'll be shouting along and everything" she replied and he smiled.
He leant forward kissing her cheek "What was that?" she snapped "Good luck kiss! Don't I get one?" he pouted and she rolled her eyes pecking his cheek and he grinned. "See you on the otherside!" he called heading back to his teammates. She focused in early this time and something felt very different from the last two times she'd walked out into the call room and it felt a lot different from any time she'd raced since having Michael as a coach, she watched the girls getting ready and picked off the ones she was faster than from her semi finals and then went through everything Michael had told her about every girl in the race.
Nothing was left to chance by him and she liked that, she loved it. He covered every girl in her races with a fine toothed comb, she knew everything there was to know about them and the times they'd posted, the ones that weren't consistent, the ones she had to watch out for in the beginning half and the ones that came back for the second half. The man walked out that had been shouting people into the call room and the last 2 times she'd dreaded the sight of him and hung back, this time she wasn't bothered, she was ready for this!
She grabbed her headphones and earplugs from the side and turned to see Ryan who was just climbing out the pool after his practice take over and he winked blowing her a kiss and she smiled shaking her head at him before walking in to the call room. In the call room she pushed her earplugs in before showing her headphones over the top and did some last minute stretches before watching the girls around her and she kept Dana Vollmer in her sights for longer than the others. She caught Dana's eye who looked at her before looking away and she smiled to herself, as a kid she always heard that the one that looked away first was the weakest, her dad had many weird and wonderful insights.
The 10 minutes in there seemed to drag on as Dolly was dying to get out and into the water and she closed her eyes stretching and she smiled imagining what her parents' faces would look like when they see her. They signaled everyone to get in line and she found her place second from the front, lane 2 was the lane she liked to race from. The girl in lane 1 had finished behind her in her semifinals so she knew she could best her, it was a matter of just keeping her eye on her at the end.
The girl infront walked out and Dolly was signaled to go and she walked out not even hearing or noticing the crowd as she focused on her lane and her routine. She stretched after taking her headphones and coat, pants and shoes off, she stood on the start stretching out and shaking her arms out. She took her position waiting 'Relax, own the stroke don't let it win you. Breathe every stroke!' she heard Michael lecture in her head.
Ryan stood glued to the screen in front of him watching the race, they dived in and he saw Dorothy rise last and get straight down to business and he kept his eye on the time. She looked miles better than she had before but he could tell she was ready from the way she ignored everything going out tonight! He saw the turn and the time before clenching his fists, "Go on girl!" he shouted and the others were cheering the USA swimmers along as well. "Come on Dana!" one of them yelled as they got closer to the wall at the end and swimmers from all over the world were shouting team mates on before a huge cheer went up.
Michael watched terrified as they filed out, he shoved his hands in his pockets to hide the fact they were shaking, he honestly thought he'd not see the race because he'd have to leave to throw up, he was never this nervous when it was him. He saw Dolly walk out and he watched her looking for hesitation or anything to worry him but found nothing. She hit the water and he stood up watching her every move and watched as she moved through the water, "That's it, every stroke. You're gliding, don't rush, don't push, just let it come" he mumbled quietly as he watched her and she turned kicking off and he bit down on his lip. "Show them, don't wait for them, just go! Just...ergh" he said closing his eyes not able to watch it anymore.
She felt the buzzer go and hit the water staying under water longer than the others did, she broke hitting her stroke perfectly and everything just felt right, she took her breaths every stroke and never forced the stroke. The wall came perfectly and as she pushed off from the wall she glanced sideways to see only 2 girls ahead of her. She kicked hard pushing her stroke, she focused on the wall and just went for it, she met the wall to finish perfectly and her hand slammed in to it.
"I figured last night that you were right, if it was you or my coach in that pool in front of me I'd not let you win at all so why do I let them win? And so what Dana Vollmer holds the world record? She's got everything to lose and I have everything to gain. Plus I only get one shot at this so I have to put everything in to it and my parents are here, what's the point in me bringing them here and lying to them if it's all to see me lose?" she explained as he nodded. "That's how to think! We're our own destiny, we make ourselves who we are. Fuck them lot in the crowd and in the water, that's your medal and nobody can come close to taking it from you" he added and she nodded.
They got to the aquatics centre and climbed off the coach "Won't your parents have seen the news?" "Nope, I provided them with a distraction and I'm lucky my dad can text let alone anything else! Neither can use the Internet all that well so I'm safe!" she smiled "Well in that case I can't wait to see their faces! Do them proud, and I must admit you sound ready for a fight!" he offered. "Thanks and I feel ready, I think I got my nerves out the way in the last 2 races so lets see what this one brings me!" she smiled as they separated and she saw him in the warm up pool.
Michael shot her an evil glare and she walked past him "Don't you fuck this up! Your parents are here, do them proud and remember everything I've ever said and for God's sake relax in your fly stroke, you over thought it yesterday. You own it, it doesn't own you" he said quietly as she stretched near him. "Princess fly! Good luck in your swim, I'll be watching and shouting!" Ryan called running over as she grabbed everything. "Thanks and good luck in the relay! I'll be shouting along and everything" she replied and he smiled.
He leant forward kissing her cheek "What was that?" she snapped "Good luck kiss! Don't I get one?" he pouted and she rolled her eyes pecking his cheek and he grinned. "See you on the otherside!" he called heading back to his teammates. She focused in early this time and something felt very different from the last two times she'd walked out into the call room and it felt a lot different from any time she'd raced since having Michael as a coach, she watched the girls getting ready and picked off the ones she was faster than from her semi finals and then went through everything Michael had told her about every girl in the race.
Nothing was left to chance by him and she liked that, she loved it. He covered every girl in her races with a fine toothed comb, she knew everything there was to know about them and the times they'd posted, the ones that weren't consistent, the ones she had to watch out for in the beginning half and the ones that came back for the second half. The man walked out that had been shouting people into the call room and the last 2 times she'd dreaded the sight of him and hung back, this time she wasn't bothered, she was ready for this!
She grabbed her headphones and earplugs from the side and turned to see Ryan who was just climbing out the pool after his practice take over and he winked blowing her a kiss and she smiled shaking her head at him before walking in to the call room. In the call room she pushed her earplugs in before showing her headphones over the top and did some last minute stretches before watching the girls around her and she kept Dana Vollmer in her sights for longer than the others. She caught Dana's eye who looked at her before looking away and she smiled to herself, as a kid she always heard that the one that looked away first was the weakest, her dad had many weird and wonderful insights.
The 10 minutes in there seemed to drag on as Dolly was dying to get out and into the water and she closed her eyes stretching and she smiled imagining what her parents' faces would look like when they see her. They signaled everyone to get in line and she found her place second from the front, lane 2 was the lane she liked to race from. The girl in lane 1 had finished behind her in her semifinals so she knew she could best her, it was a matter of just keeping her eye on her at the end.
The girl infront walked out and Dolly was signaled to go and she walked out not even hearing or noticing the crowd as she focused on her lane and her routine. She stretched after taking her headphones and coat, pants and shoes off, she stood on the start stretching out and shaking her arms out. She took her position waiting 'Relax, own the stroke don't let it win you. Breathe every stroke!' she heard Michael lecture in her head.
Ryan stood glued to the screen in front of him watching the race, they dived in and he saw Dorothy rise last and get straight down to business and he kept his eye on the time. She looked miles better than she had before but he could tell she was ready from the way she ignored everything going out tonight! He saw the turn and the time before clenching his fists, "Go on girl!" he shouted and the others were cheering the USA swimmers along as well. "Come on Dana!" one of them yelled as they got closer to the wall at the end and swimmers from all over the world were shouting team mates on before a huge cheer went up.
Michael watched terrified as they filed out, he shoved his hands in his pockets to hide the fact they were shaking, he honestly thought he'd not see the race because he'd have to leave to throw up, he was never this nervous when it was him. He saw Dolly walk out and he watched her looking for hesitation or anything to worry him but found nothing. She hit the water and he stood up watching her every move and watched as she moved through the water, "That's it, every stroke. You're gliding, don't rush, don't push, just let it come" he mumbled quietly as he watched her and she turned kicking off and he bit down on his lip. "Show them, don't wait for them, just go! Just...ergh" he said closing his eyes not able to watch it anymore.
She felt the buzzer go and hit the water staying under water longer than the others did, she broke hitting her stroke perfectly and everything just felt right, she took her breaths every stroke and never forced the stroke. The wall came perfectly and as she pushed off from the wall she glanced sideways to see only 2 girls ahead of her. She kicked hard pushing her stroke, she focused on the wall and just went for it, she met the wall to finish perfectly and her hand slammed in to it.