Swim Team

“Remember, an education is one thing no one can take away from you.”

Ralph sees education as a way forward, which is why he moves his family to Florida so that he can complete a training program. He emphasizes, likewise, that Bree’s studies should come before friendships. By the end of the novel, however, he sees how important friends are to Bree and reminds her that friendship is pivotal, too.

“In fact, your true talent isn’t math. It’s that you—You never give up. Not on a hard math problem or a difficult puzzle.”

Bree does not recognize her strengths as extending beyond solving puzzles. However, she comes to recognize that the skills she uses when doing math apply more broadly to her life, which is evident when she pursues swimming and helps to reunite Etta with her swim sisters.

“But…Black people aren’t good at swimming.”

Bree voices a common stereotype, and Etta’s history lesson about segregation and its impact on access to public pools helps her to break down this assumption. In doing so, she breaks down the stereotype for the reader as well.

“From ancient African to modern Africa…from Chicago to Peru…in seas, rivers, lakes, and pools…Black people have always swum and always will. The art of swimming is handed down, generation after generation.”

Etta explains how Black people have always known how to swim, showing how everyone is connected by this history, no matter where they are in the world. She also wants Bree to understand that there is a reason the stereotype that Black people aren’t good at swimming exists, so she begins by refuting it.

“In America, laws were passed that limited Black people’s access to beaches, lakes, and swimming pools. Lack of access meant fewer Black people swimming. So fewer Black people passed it down.”

Once Etta has told Bree how swimming has been a part of the lives of Black individuals around the world, she explains why the stereotype exists, pointing to larger forces at play. This is a key part of the theme of The Lasting Effects of Segregation and Discrimination that pervades this graphic novel.

“So the knowledge was scattered. Like a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. But, regardless, we kept fighting and eventually, the laws were changed.”

Etta explains that Black folks have always been resilient and worked to change systems of power that oppressed them and cut them off from accessing community goods and facilities. She explains how desegregation happened.

“Today we’ll begin putting your piece into the puzzle.”

Bree is a part of a larger tradition, and knowing this helps her feel slightly more willing to learn how to swim. She also becomes a part of a larger tradition by working with Etta, who attended the same middle school she does. They are connected, both through swimming and through the school.

“Remember, everyone learns step-by-step. Learning a little more each time.” 

Etta wants Bree to feel confident in learning how to swim. She knows that it stresses her out, so she shows particular care in reminding Bree that it takes time to learn. Like a math problem, the new skill can be broken into manageable steps. Eventually, Bree will recognize that she can face her problems in much the same manner.

“We’re gonna be swim sisters, you’ll see!”

Clara is the first one to use the term “swim sisters,” and it is echoed throughout the novel as a way of describing the close relationships between swimming teammates. Etta uses it to refer to her team, and Bree repeats it again when she and her friends reconcile before the state championships.

“Each day, she’d teach a new skill to add to what I’d already learned. Like we do in math class or like when I’m working on my puzzle.”

Bree is a good student, and she has all the tools that she needs to succeed. Breaking Down Problems Into Manageable Steps is a major theme of this novel, and Bree slowly learns that this applies not just to math but also to swimming, making her feel like she can become a stronger swimmer by taking it one step at a time.

“The surface is only right above my head! Just keep moving your arms and legs like Ms. Etta showed you. It’s working I’m starting…To rise.”

When Bree sinks into the pool after trying to tread water, it is a critical moment in her character development. She is able to stay calm and listen to what she has learned from Etta, demonstrating that she’s turned a new page when it comes to swimming.

“But what scares me more than swimming is disappointing Dad.”

Bree is very close with her father, and he expects her to perform well in school. However, he is also supportive of what makes her happy. At first, Bree thinks that swimming has pushed a wedge between them, but she eventually learns about her father’s own negative experiences with pools and can empathize with him.

“It’s a real team effort. The best relay teams are in sync, in the pool and out.”

In swimming, there must be synergy between teammates to win a relay, and it is important that Bree’s team does not win until their final tournament. In doing so, the victory symbolizes the strength of their friendship and their ability to overcome difficult circumstances.

“But we can’t let them take away pool access, like when I was a girl…I won’t let that happen again.”

Etta is afraid that history will repeat itself, as the school board threatens to replace the pool with a smoothie restaurant. This would mean that many in the community would lose access to it as a resource, so she wants to see the team be victorious, especially having witnessed firsthand how restricting public access to pools can affect a community and is often done along racial lines.

“We’ll start with the basics and add to it little by little.”

Etta helps Bree and the rest of the swim team to grow their skills when she joins the team as a coach. As she did with Bree, she teaches the other girls to build on what they know piece by piece, adding to the theme of Breaking Problems Down Into Manageable Steps.

“Start supporting each other or you’ve got zero chance of winning.”

Bree and the rest of her swim team realize over the course of the novel that their friendship is more important than the competition, so much so that it becomes secondary in the arc of the story itself. They are not at their best when they are squabbling.

“Well, like any math problem…Let’s break down their winning formula into steps.”

Breaking problems down into manageable steps is a key theme within this novel, and it is one that Bree starts to apply beyond math. She realizes that she is learning to swim step-by-step and then later attempts to use this method when it comes to evaluating the other teams to outperform them at swimming competitions.

“Don’t blow it by pulling these stunts with this…‘crowd.’ We’re taking a chance on you.”

The Holyoke Prep swim coach’s words to Clara betray the fact that she thinks that Clara was lucky to get into the school and that she thinks less of Black students, suggesting that they are likely to cause trouble. Her statement reinforces that discrimination and racism are ongoing barriers.

“Always remember winning is important, but friends and community are even more important.”

After the team fights on the bus back from Holyoke Academy, Etta recognizes that Bree and her team are splintering. She tries to emphasize that friendships are more important than competition, but Bree struggles to see this, feeling like her team is already broken.

“Because they’re not just teammates—they’re your friends, and everyone needs friends.”

Ralph’s statement is a departure from his suggestion at the beginning of the novel that Bree should focus first on school before trying to make friends. He recognizes how valuable friends have been in her journey at Enith Brigitha, and his statement also speaks to how friendship is more important than teamwork.

“A puzzle needs every piece for it to work. We need everyone to chip in.”

For much of the novel, Bree thinks about puzzles as a way of solving things. She comes to understand them as more than solitary experiences but also something one can do with a team. Her swim team has to work together to win each competition, particularly in the relay.

“A team is like a family. Sometimes family shows you how to do a flip turn. Or tells funny jokes and is a little annoying.”

Bree comes to love and appreciate all aspects of her team. She appreciates Phillipa’s jokes, is coming to accept Clara leaving, and is grateful for Keisha’s experience. They all learn from one another.

“My dad says one butterfly can change the weather. I say four butterflies can change the world.”

The mention of butterflies frames the novel. Ralph first brings up this idea when he and Bree drive to Florida. Bree returns to it, feeling empowered and wanting her team to feel the same way.