Whale Talk

Chapter Fourteen picks up after the race as the team heads home. The Winnebago is quiet because, T.J. suspects, everyone on the bus feels Jackie’s fear of being alone again. When T.J. asks Simet what will happen with regards to the letter jackets, Simet promises to fight for them, even if it takes going to court. As the trip progresses, the swimmers brainstorm possible sports they could play now that their season is over. T.J. believes they should play three-on-three basketball at the Hoopfest in the summer or that they could even try rugby if that doesn’t work out.

At the next Athletic Council meeting, Simet challenges the vote taken while the swim team was away by citing the original charter for the Athletic Council. Created in 1955, the charter gives the coach of each team sole discretion over letter requirements. Simet argues that there is nothing else to discuss and that he has consulted with a lawyer who backs him up. Benson says he will talk to the principal, school board, and school lawyer first, then he confronts T.J. T.J. severely underperformed in his last race by finishing last, placing the team behind in the points competition and breaking his season-long streak of beating his personal best time.