Ben Smith swims the breaststroke.

Three high school swim teams hold practices at Rockbridge Country Club. On Tuesday, September 13, A.C. Flora, Hammond, and Richland Northeast High Schools met at their practice spot to see who really ruled the pool. Girls and boys stretched, drank plenty of Gatorade and cheered each other on all evening. Opposing team members laughed together about the lack of lighting in the bathrooms.

The longest races on Tuesday were 200 meters, which is eight lengths of the Rockbridge Pool. Margaret Flatt won the 200–meter free style race, and Claire Busby won the 200–meter individual medley race. More commonly called the IM, this event incorporates four different strokes. Participants swim two laps each of the butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.

Boys dive in the water to begin their race. At the end of the evening, no one had any idea which school had won. The outcome of a swim meet is based on a point system. Swimmers individually earn points for their team in the races they compete. Because all three schools had their share of dominating races, the final score could not have been predicted by anyone without pen and paper.

AC Flora won the meet on both the girls’ and boys’ sides. One crucial point made all of the difference for the gentlemen. Perhaps the most valuable swimmer for A. C. Flora, 14–year–old Ben Blackwell won first place in every race in which he swam.

At the end of the meet, all participants went home with their hair full of chlorine and their heads full of endorphins.

Rebecca Ridgill

is a senior at

A. C. Flora High School.

She is on the swim team.