Whale Talk

In Chapter Seven, recruit Andy Mott finally appears. Andy is quiet and has an air of danger around him. He also has the physique of a person who lifts weights. When he comes into practice that day, he takes off his leg: Andy has an above-the-knee prosthesis, a “space age metallic thing” thatdisturbs Chris (116). T.J. is also a little disturbed, especially since the exercise for that day involves leg kicks.

Andy completes the workout and then asks his new teammates what their problem is, if they’ve never seen a swimmer like him. By the end of the workout, T.J. has gotten over his surprise. He is gleeful about the prospect of adding Andy, described by T.J. as “a one-leggedpsychopath” (117),to the other odd members of the team, and envisions them all walking down the halls in their letter jackets.

The team has established a routine by the time Simet comes on board as their official coach at the end of November. Simet’s presence takes their preparation up a level, because of his deep knowledge about swimming technique. Observing the team after the arrival of Simet, T.J. realizes that Chris has an excellent stroke, a good thing since he is not able to learn what Simet is teaching, and Tay Roy’s talent makes him the best swimmer after T.