Blind Swimmer

Chapter 15: Panic

Coach Hedge POV

"Okay, swimmers, rally up," I exclaimed loudly. 

I was standing on the stands in order to oversee the entire team. All the swimmers clustered into a group in front of me. Swimming practice was over today. 

The team was looking better than at the beginning of the season. 

"As you all probably know, Percy Jackson is rejoining the swim team," I said.

Cheering erupted around the team. Almost the entire school and town knew of the blind individual who was swimming again. 

I noticed some members of the team not looking as excited. 

"Coach, I get that this is good for Percy, but are you serious about him competing?" Ethan asked. 

"Yeah, Coach, how is that even possible?" another teammate asked. 

"Percy is an awesome swimmer, and he should be able to compete," Frank said as a response. 

"It's not about skill; it's about practicality," Luke said boldly. 

"Listen up, team. Percy Jackson is a phenomenal athlete, and he deserves equal opportunity to showcase his abilities," I said boldly before pausing. 

"I expect every team member to be a good sportsman," I said firmly. 

"But, Coach, what about his disability?" Luke asked again. 

I sighed as I stared at my team. I knew that certain members (while supportive of Percy) wouldn't want Percy to be back on the team. Many teenage jocks wanted to be the best rather than wanting their team to be the best. 

Percy was a great athlete because he didn't care about fame or ranking. He did what he was good at and what he loved. 

"I suppose that I understand all of your concerns. However, Percy and I are working hard to get around his vision impairment. I can assure you all that Percy will be very competitive after working out the kinks," I said firmly. 

The team cheered as they started to pack up. 

Most of the teammates were happy to have their star swimmer back, which I appreciated greatly. 

There were some players that I'd have to keep an eye on. 

***

"Coach, when can I start the flip turns?" Percy asked. 

Despite swimming strongly for almost an hour, his breathing was fairly stable. Percy was leaning against the edge of the pool in the deep end. 

There were a few other swimmers in the stands watching. 

Right now, I was simply making Percy stop at the ends of the lanes when he heard my whistle. However, I had already figured out a preliminary mechanism to initiate the flip turn with Percy, but I had to make sure that he was ready. 

"Are you ready, Percy?" I asked. 

"Yes, absolutely," Percy exclaimed as he slowly made his way to the end of the pool lane. 

I walked over to talk to him seriously. 

In Paralympics, Coaches and teammates use a tapper pole to tap the swimmer on the back when it was time to flip turn. As soon as they felt the tap, they'd flip and push off of the wall. 

I explained all this to Percy who nodded in understanding.

He was probably doing research about this on his own.