Free Dive Right In by Matt Christopher Page A

rated it a 7. The second diver had a problem with her approach
     and messed up her entry badly. Both coaches awarded only 4.5. The third diver, whom Tracy barely knew to say hello to,
aced
it. It was a beautiful pike, a well-timed come-out, and a straight up-and-down entry. She received scores of 9.2 from Margo
     and 9.4 from Sophia.
    Traci went out on the board and paused, closing her eyes as she always did to visualize her actions. Her approach and hurdle
     were smooth, and she got good lean into the dive. But she didn’t quite finish her come-out, and her entry was rushed. She
     got thesame score from both coaches: 6.5. The last diver also got a 6.5.
    On the next two dives, Traci did somewhat better. Her third, a one-and-a-half inward somersault in a tuck position, earned
     her a 7 from Margo and a 7.2 from Sophia—the second-highest score among the five divers.
    On the fourth dive, a forward two-and-a-half somersault in a tuck, Traci lost concentration. She mistimed her entry and landed
     on her back with a loud
splat.
It got her a 3.5—the lowest score any of the girls had gotten.
    Traci felt angry at herself, and the anger helped her to focus hard on the last of the dives: a one-and-a-half reverse somersault
     with a twist in a pike position. Her approach was fine, and she got good elevation off the board. Traci knew that her pike
     was good—her forehead touched her legs, and she thought her entry was outstanding.
    She scored two 8.5s—her best marks. Traci felt that she had done well enough. At least she knew she had not embarrassed herself.
    Margo nodded to Traci at the end of the session, meaning that she was satisfied. “You’ll get the cassettetomorrow,” she said. “Study it carefully. In ten days, there is going to be an exhibition, with real judges. You’ll be one
     of the divers. I think you’re ready.” Traci hoped that Margo was right.

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    T he next few sessions were busy ones for Traci. She learned a couple of new dives and worked hard to polish the ones she already
     knew. She learned that for the exhibition she would choose her own dives. There would be five in all, and she would have to
     decide for herself how difficult her choices would be.
    Valerie called her one evening to ask if Traci wanted to split a pizza for dinner. After asking her mother, Traci agreed to
     meet Valerie a little later.
    While they waited for their order, Traci studied Valerie for clues to how her friend was feeling. Finally, she said, “You
     look better than the last time I saw you.”
    Valerie put down her drink and smiled. “I
am
better. I mean, gymnastics is better. I’m still not numerouno or anything, but I’m really working again, and the coach is happy.”
    Traci smiled. “So you’re not planning to quit just yet, huh?”
    “No way,” Valerie said as the waiter put their pepperoni and mushroom pizza on the table. “And you were a big help.”
    Traci shrugged and reached for a slice. “It was no big deal.”
    Valerie replied. “It
was
a big deal, as far as I’m concerned. I’d never lost confidence before, not even for a second. I thought that was
it,
I was toast. You made me see that I was totally wrong. Thank you.”
    “You’re welcome.” Traci wiped some cheese off her hand with a napkin. “You can call us even. You did the same thing for me.”
    “We’re the same kind of person as far as sports goes,” said Valerie. “We both want to take it to the limit, go the distance.
     We each know how the other one’s mind works. That’s why we helped each other through these situations. It takes someone who
     knows what’s happening.”
    Traci thought as she chewed on a bite of pizza. “Iguess that’s right. I’ve learned something about myself since I started working with Margo. I found out that I really do want
     to see what I’ve got. I’m willing to push myself, and I work harder when someone else pushes me. I was worried that I’d be
     afraid to dive off a three-meter board, but