Swim Team Graphic Novels & Stories

Not nearly enough for a comprehensive piece. So on a rainy Tuesday morning, Riley found herself back at Crestwood University, standing outside the aquatic center with her camera and a sense of impending doom. Practice was already underway. She could hear splashing and the echo of a coach's whistle as she pushed through the doors. The team was doing drills. Riley recognized most of them from last week. Marcus, the one who apparently had a shirt problem. The girl with the pink cap, whose name she'd learned was Jenny. A tall lanky swimmer named David who specialized in backstroke.

I headed to my room and rummaged through my drawers to find one of my swimsuits for work. After checking my closet, I settled on my favorite TYR suit, a relatively new one in a rich dark purple hue. It featured an almost entirely open back, perfect for the water and for competitions and other swim-related activities.

Rozi quickly pointed out. "We'll swim there," Adrian explained. "What? Swim there?" Rozi asked. Adrian nodded. "We'll remain underwater so that the monsters can't detect us. The question now is whether you and Nadine can swim?" Nadine answered, "It’s my turn to shine. I won't be a burden this time. I was on my high school's diving team and was a gold medalist in the free dive category." "Which means you can swim." Adrian was pleasantly surprised, not expecting Nadine to be so capable.

From the other side, I heard the hiss of water being turned on and then Kai’s voice again, echoing through the walls. “Last chance, little omega. Water’s warm.” “I pray you drown in there.” I called back as I heard his laughter again before I walked towards the white board. There was dreaming and lines in black marker that looked like the team formation, and position. It was drawn so neatly like Kai had redrawn it several times until it was perfect. Then I saw a chart beside it with the football session for the year, showing the teams they were up against on each level before the finals.

Chapter 24: The Swim Competition Kiara Prunh! Prunh! Prunh! Another horn blared off and the swimmers dived in the water, their parents cheering for them while the coaches marked down the time, making sure which team was winning; Summer High or Winter High. “So, what will I get if I win the competition?” I looked beside me at Paul, who was just wearing his swimming trunks, his wet, muscled chest on display, and I could see some freshman ogling him.

We have an outdoor swimming pool, and the concrete bleachers built into the backs of the two opposing buildings housing the changing rooms are filled with students conspicuously subdivided into blue, yellow, red, and green masses. I scoot and allow Nicki to sit beside me. She’s in Blue house too, and has a blue cloth tied to her wrist. Her school standard issue blue house T-shirt has two large palm prints at the front, one white paint the other black paint, but no teacher ever bothers with it. I’ll admit the black one belongs to me. “Do you know, Jude’s sister is in our house, and she recently joined the school swim team and I hear she’s great!” she gushes at me.

Two girls in the front hold a sign that says, “Royal Elite Dolphins, ’96” I didn’t know Royal Elite had a female swim team. That’s pretty cool. I wonder why it was dismantled. Swimming isn’t even mandatory at this school. I study the photo one more time, then turn around to continue on out of the room. As I pass the pool on my way out, someone kicks my back with such force that I’m thrown forward. My head hits the edge of the pool and I tumble into the cold water.

Laughter danced in the air, blending with the melodic splash of water as they playfully frolicked, their joy reverberating under the warm sun. Rachna and Rubi felt increasingly comfortable with each other. They swam their laps; Rachna's strokes were graceful, and Rubi matched her pace. Their daring swimsuits became even more revealing as they moved through the water, showcasing their breasts beautifully and leaving little to the imagination as they swam.

"If you're looking for a competition, you've come to the wrong place. I'm looking for swimmers who can push themselves and swim the way they are capable of, but also swimmers who can work with their teammates." She holds up one finger. "First rule of swim team: you never leave a teammate behind." She holds up a second finger. "Second rule of swim team: you never stop trying." Coach McGee holds up a third finger. "And third rule: you never give up." Alec positions himself on the other side of the pool, his phone and a clipboard at the ready. That familiar magnetic force is back, urging me to pay attention to him. I have to work to focus on the coach's words.

He looked nothing like the tiger who always tore into his kids back home. “You forgot to take your prescription.” She waved a wrapped parcel before her. “You mentioned your migraine got worse, you should rest up. You've spent weeks with your team, pushing them to the championship. Their bodies might be young enough to endure, you're not.” “Take this opportunity when the team is busy with promotional videos and endorsement deals to rest up.” Slade smiled broadly. Although he said nothing, his head was brimming with pride. Almost every member of his swim team had received endorsement offers from major brands.