Read Online Dive Right In by Matt Christopher - Free Book Online Page B

when she said, “You’ll
     find out one day. Margo doesn’t like us to talk about these things.”
    After Traci had been with the advanced group for a week, Margo told her, “Today you’ll start on a three-meter board.”
    Traci had been thinking about this and dreading it.
Three meters!
That was almost ten feet! She was afraid that she might get up there and freeze in panic. She would humiliate herself in
     front of these girls and never be able to look them in the face again. She thought about talking to Sophia about her fear.
     But she didn’t see much of the other coach now.
    She noticed that Carly was standing by herself and went over to her. “I’m supposed to use a three-meter board today.”
    “Great!” Carly said. “You’ll be fine.”
    Traci leaned forward to whisper so nobody else would overhear her. “You don’t get it. I’m scared about that height. What if
     I can’t do it?”
    Carly said, “Whatever you did on the one-meter board, you just do the same thing. Visualize the dive. Focus. Concentrate.
     Don’t let yourself think about
anything
except the dive, the things you have to do.”
    When Traci didn’t seem convinced, Carly sighed. “There’s no magic trick, no secret. Either you can do it… or you can’t.
     Just go up and do the
same
approach, the
same
hurdle…. Okay? You’re a good athlete and a good diver, and I’m sure you’ll do great. But saying that is the only help
     I can give you.”
    Traci saw that Carly was right. She remembered the first time she’d been on a diving board and what Sophia had said. Carly
     was basically telling her the same thing. She managed to smile at Carly.
    “I’ll be all right. Thanks.”
    Margo told Traci that her first dive from three meters should be a forward one-and-a-half somersault in the tuck position.
     “Remember,” Margo added, “you don’t have to worry about getting a strong jump forheight, because you have enough height to begin with. Any questions?”
    Traci shook her head and climbed slowly to the higher board. As she reached the top, she looked down. The water seemed to
     be a long way away. Margo and Carly were watching her, and they were too far away to be of any help. She was on her own.
    Traci did what she always did on the lower board. She closed her eyes and visualized the dive, took a deep breath, and started
     her approach.
    She was surprised to find that habit took over. She did her hurdle and jumped, leaning forward to start her somersault. She
     went into her tuck, bringing her legs up to her chest and grabbing her shins, and straightened out as she plummeted toward
     the water.
    It seemed to take forever to get there, and by the time she did, Traci had gone past the vertical line she had wanted for
     her entry. Her legs flopped forward too far and the backs of her legs splashed way too much. But she had
done the dive.
She was in the water!
    Traci surfaced and swam to the edge of the pool. As she climbed out, Carly gave her a thumbs-up signal. Traci knew that it
     wasn’t for the dive itself,which had been pretty bad. It was for having done it at all.
    “Once again,” Margo said, “and remember to adjust for the greater height of the board. You should take more time in your come-out
     and be sure to keep your body tense as you prepare for your entry. Make certain your arms are fully extended.”
    Traci nodded as she dried herself with the chamois. Then she started up the ladder again. Margo’s criticisms were completely
     right, of course. And Traci knew that, this time, she would do better. More important, she knew that she could master her
     fear.
    For the next few sessions, Traci worked from the three-meter board. She tried to remember that she had more time for somersaults.
     She worked on all the dives she had learned on the one-meter board: backward, reverse, and inward dives, as well as forward
     ones; dives in the tuck, pike, and straight positions. Margo’s steady stream of comments and corrections