Chapter Text
To say swimming is an easy sport just because you swim laps back and forth is a foolish thing to say.
To say that you can easily do a 100 Free, whether it be in short course or long course in less than a minute, let alone under fifty five seconds and then do a 200 fly because your coach thinks you can pull some good times at mid distance fly is what fools would say.
Or maybe those who can swim it no problem. Those are the freaks in the sport that colleges love to see as potential scorers.
The Paradis Swim Club, a nationally recognized swim club that has been known for its production of great swimmers ever since famed Olympic swammer, Erwin Smith, was finally coming off their two week break after finishing their short course season. After yet another successful short course season, the Paradis Swim Club was ready to dive back into the water. Although, two weeks out of the water seems like two years to swimmers. The locker rooms of the Trost Aquatics Center were starting to have its swimmers walk in, its ambience coming to life as the swimmers talked and got ready for their first long course practice.
“Knowing Coach Erwin, he’s gonna do something crazy for our first long course practice.” Sasha said as she put her swim bag down onto the locker room benches, grabbing her suit and headed to the changing stalls. “And I for one am not looking forward to it.” Sasha popped her head out of the curtain.
“Oh please Sasha. We’ve been out of the pool for two weeks. Coach Erwin isn’t going to let us go easy.” Ymir said as she put her bag down as well, taking off her clothes to reveal the bathing suit she had underneath.
“I just hope this practice goes by quickly. Get in, swim and go.” Sasha stepped out of the changing stall and put her clothes away.
As both Sasha and Ymir got themselves ready for their first practice back, the locker room door opened again.
“Hey guys.” Mikasa walked in, waving at the two as she put her bag down and got ready. Historia was right behind her, waving at both Ymir and Sasha.
It’s known in the swim club and all throughout the state of New Eldia that Mikasa Ackerman is the number one ranked swimmer of her class, making her the top recruit among the many girls in her graduating class. Although college coaches aren’t supposed to talk or contact tenth graders, sophomores until June fifteenth, which is still about two and a half months away, Mikasa already gained some attention. Now, it’s not to say the other girls on Paradis Swim Club senior elite group (nicknamed the scouts by all of Paradis Valley) aren’t top recruits as well, but Mikasa just had to be right above the rest.
As the number one recruit in New Eldia (and in the whole country) got herself ready for practice, the number two recruit, Annie Leonhardt entered the locker room, setting her stuff down, a bit away from the others.
“Hi Annie.” Sasha gave a little wave as she greeted Annie. Annie looked up from what she was doing, waving at Sasha and all of the rest before going back to getting ready for practice.
Like with any other swim club/team, Paradis Swim Club was close and tight knit, swimmers creating close and strong bonds with each other as they also poked fun and teased each other. But that doesn’t mean rivalries and a bit of drama don’t flourish once a while. It so happens the rivalry in Paradis is between the number one and two recruits.
The calm environment the girls created in their locker room was a stark contrast to the common wild environment the boys created in theirs.
“OKAY who threw their practice jammers at me.” Jean quickly turned around to see Connie and Eren holding in their laughs.
“I wouldn’t dare have my jammers be near you.” Eren sneered, snickering as pulled his water bottle out of his bag and grabbed his goggles and cap.
“Connie. I know you would do something like this.” Jean grabbed the jammers and threw it at Connie’s head.
“Don’t be pointing fingers at me.” He snickered like Eren. “Point out Reiner.”
Reiner perked up, looking all confused as Connie spoke of his name. “Jean, you know me. I wear only briefs at practice.” Reiner said as he tried to remove himself from whatever was going on.
Like Mikasa, Reiner was the number one ranked recruit in New Eldia but was the number two ranked recruit out of the whole country. However, Reiner along with two other guys on the senior elite group, Bertolt and Marco, were in the graduating class one year above the rest.
“I wished Trost Aquatics Club practiced with us. We can make this locker room be like junior winter nats.” Connie beamed as he threw his swim bag into his usual locker, grabbing his cap, goggles, towel and water bottle.
“Bye. If we made this locker room be like winter nats we’d be too exhausted to swim.” Armin said as he grabbed everything, ready to start.
“Shit Armin, wait.” Eren said as he scrambled to get his pants off, almost tripping himself.
Swimmers from the senior elite, senior and senior prep groups started to pour out of the locker rooms and onto the pool deck. Already by the wooden crates where the swimmers’ equipment bag was stored, the familiar faces of Erwin, Hange and Moblit can be seen. However, accompanying the familiar faces was a face the majority of the swimmers didn’t exactly recognize, except for Eren, Mikasa and Armin.
“Hey, isn’t that Coach Levi?” Armin pointed out, grabbing both Eren and Mikasa’s attention.
“Holy shit yeah. What the fuck is he doing here? I thought he only coached varsity back in Shiganshina?” Eren replied, Mikasa also had a stunned look on her face.
“Ask later?” Mikasa asked, to which then both Eren and Armin nodded.
Erwin had a huge smile on his face as he saw his swimmers pouring out of the locker rooms, eager to start the first practice of the long course season. Hange waved at the arriving swimmers while both Levi and Moblit were looking at the set sheet for today’s practice.
“Hope you guys are ready for your first practice back. Get you ready and right back into shape for this season.” Erwin hopped up from where he was sitting, grabbing the set sheet. “Warm up is going to be nice and loose. Get you back into the means of things but that doesn’t mean today’s practice is going to be an easy one.”
“We doing heart rate sets?” Connie looked at his coach with not so great anticipation.
“No. Next week though” Erwin replied. “But we are going to be doing some descending and aerobic sets.”
A couple of faces instantly shifted when they heard those words.
“Well, don’t be standing there with those faces. Five minutes until practice starts, get your mesh bags.” Hange said with a bit of enthusiasm as they also hopped up from where they were sitting. Five minutes and a couple of wooden crates shutting later, the swimmers of Paradis dove right into the pool.
Some of the fears of a couple of swimmers came true once warm up ended, everyone knew subconsciously that the sets on the coaches’ paper were bracketed. After a grueling two hour welcome back to long course practice, the magical words of, “Alright, 200 free easy, cool down,” lit up the faces in the pool. As soon as the swimmers were done, they hopped right out of the pool, put their mesh bags away, said thank you to their coaches and headed back to the lockers. All except three didn’t make it back however.
Eren, Mikasa and Armin, still wanting to know why Levi was with them today, they all decided to go up to him at once as he was about to gather his own stuff to leave.
“I am guessing the reason why you three are gathering behind me is because you all have the same question.” Levi turned around to see his varsity swimmers. The Shiganshina trio nodded.
“Yes.” Mikasa said. “Why are you here?”
“Straightforward. I like it.” Levi said amusingly as he drank his water. “The reason why is because Erwin gave me the position of assistant coach for this long course season, I don’t have a lot planned for the summer and making extra cash on the side isn’t so bad.” Levi answered.
“That’s it?’ Eren asked.
“Yeah, and the fact I just wanted to see you three chlorine smelling brats do this season. Give me an idea for the upcoming varsity season.” Levi was straightforward with his answer.
“Well. See you later.” Armin waved at Levi as the three headed towards the locker room.
The locker rooms post-practice had a different vibe from pre-practice. Swimmers grabbing the available showers they can find to rinse off or take a quick shower. The noise level was much higher as swimmers chatted over the running waters both in and out of the shower stalls.
“God I’m going to be sore, I just know it.” Sasha said as she felt the running shower water down her back shoulders.
“What was he thinking about making those sets?” Historia chimed in from a few shower stalls down.
“I gotta do some stretching when I get home.” Mikasa added as she got dressed.
“Once I’m home, I’m eating what my mom made and going right to sleep. Thank god I didn’t have that much homework.” Sasha said as she got her towel and pulled the shower curtains back.
“What was Coach Erwin thinking?” Connie sighed in defeat as he opened his locker, plopping his swim bag right onto the bench back over to the men’s locker room.
“I don’t know but I am going to be stretching every single limb in my body.” Jean said as he headed to the showers to rinse off.
“I can’t wait to go home.” Bertolt quietly said as he went straight into the changing stalls to get dry and dressed.
“Coach Erwin was not kidding.” Marco added as quickly changed.
As everyone got ready before Armin did, Armin was the first person to be almost done. Quickly rinsing and getting dressed, he came out of the corner changing stall, setting his bag down to put his sweater on.
“Jesus, can you wait please?” Eren said as he was still drying off.
“I’ll be waiting. Besides you’re dropping Mikasa and I off so I have to wait no matter what.” Armin said.
“Awww look at you three.” Jean said in a teasing tone, to which Eren rolled his eyes.
“Oh shut it, you had to have Sasha’s mom pick you up a couple of times.” Eren said as he changed.
Trying not to engage in their petty behavior, Armin just simply laughed as he waited for Eren. “So, how is the whole college recruiting thing going?” Armin asked Reiner.
“Uhhhh it’s going well. In a week or so Bertolt and I are gonna go visit the University of Marley – Liberio for a recruiting trip.” Reiner answered.
“You guys are visiting the Warriors?” Connie budded himself into the conversation.
“Yeah! They have an amazing swim program and overall a very strong power conference school.” Reiner added.
“What conference are they again?” Armin asked again.
“If I can remember, I think they are a Big Ten school. They are like the most eastern school in the conference.” Reiner answered again.
“Ah man good luck to you both.” Jean said as he exited the stall dry and fully clothed.
“Thanks.”
As swimmers left the locker rooms and the aquatics center to head home, the first day of long course season practice was finally over.