“Just swim your own race, Dan,” Mr. Holloway advised as the boy went to the starting line.
The swimmers crouched above their lanes awaiting the signal. Sensing that the race would be a close one, the audience rose to its feet.
Mr. Hatfield’s revolver cracked and the swimmers were off.
Almost together Ross and Dan struck the water in flat, fast racing dives. From the start, the Den 1 swimmer took the lead.
Dan heard the groans of dismay from his teammates and instinctively increased the tempo of his thrashing legs. Then he told himself he could not hold the pace. Deliberately, he dropped back to his former rhythm.
The race would be a gruelling one at the end. He must save a little reserve for that final spurt!
At the turn, Ross was nearly two body lengths ahead of Dan, his closest competitor. Midge and a youth who swam for Den 1 were almost neck-and-neck another three feet behind.
After the second length, Ross slowed down a bit. Dan’s arms and legs now were moving with the easy precision of well-oiled machinery. Going into the final turn, the boy suddenly realized that for the first time in the race, he was a foot ahead!
The knowledge shocked him into losing the smooth rhythm of his stroke. Ross, desperate to regain the lead, spurted ahead once more.
“Come on, Dan!” his teammates pleaded. “Come on!”