LC6 03-05 p08 Swimming FC 1/13/05 12:10 PM Page 2

NONFICTION>> Reading Comprehension

8 MARCH 2005 Literary Cavalcade LC6 03-05 p09 Swimming FC 1/13/05 12:10 PM Page 3

Swimming toAntarctica Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer by Lynne Cox

She’s known as the OT WANTING TO WASTE TIME OR TO GET best long-distance cold and have my muscles grow stiff, I swimmer in the world. began swimming fast again. The juice From the subzero waters boosted my blood sugar and I felt a lot of to shark- stronger. My father had recommended infested seas, she has taken that I stop to feed every hour to maintain on the most treacherous waters of the globe. my blood-sugar levels, but I hadn’t wanted to stop at all. I just wanted to keep going. The Story So Far… Now, looking back on it, I knew he was At ages 15 and 16, she right; it would have helped significantly. But I was still on pace, swimming better than I had imagined. broke the men’s and NAbout an hour later, Brickell came out of the pilot’s house women’s world records for and waved at me to lift my head up and listen. He asked, “Do you swimming the English think you can sprint for a mile?” Channel—a 33-mile I had been swimming hard already, and the thought of sprint- crossing in 9 hours, ing—well, it would be harder. But yes, I told him, I could do it. 36 minutes.This is her “Good, because there’s an oil tanker coming down the Channel account of her first at nine knots. He cannot stop for you. You’re either going to have to record-breaking swim. wait here and tread water for thirty minutes or cross the tanker lane before he gets there,” Brickell explained. He didn’t mention that once we had committed we could not hesitate or we could be crushed by the oil tanker. Somehow I already knew how serious this was. “Okay, I’ll sprint,” I said quickly, putting my head down and taking off, moving as fast as I could for about twenty minutes, until I saw Brickell wave to me again and point. The tanker passed us like a whale cruising past a minnow, with the bow waves surging toward us, lifting us high into the air, maybe fifteen feet, and we surfed the waves toward France. Lynne Cox began serious swim training at the age By seven a.m. my arms were burning. They felt like I had of 9. Now, she swims not been lifting twenty-five-pound dumbbells for hours. My neck was to break records but to

achieve personal goals. continued ➟ ILLUSTRATED SCHWEIKARDT/SPORTS OUTLINE; INSET PHOTO:©ERIC DENNIS BROTHERS/CORBIS ©JULIE

Literary Cavalcade MARCH 2005 9 LC6 03-05 p10 Swimming FC 1/18/05 11:17 AM Page 4

LITERATURE SELECTION >> SWIMMING TO ANTARCTICA by Lynne Cox

➟ continued from page 9 sore, as I had been raising my head up to see Clockwise from left: Pausing for a the French coast, now a dark outline on the “feeding” during an horizon. And my lower back ached and I was English Channel crossing, 1970; getting tired. Stopping to stretch my back by having just become the first person to grabbing my ankles, I asked for an oatmeal swim the Cape of cookie. I was so hungry. For hours I had been Good Hope in , 1977; dreaming about eating a real American ham- beginning a series of swims that would burger and a chocolate milkshake. My moth- take her around er tossed me a cookie. My coordination was the world in 80 days, 1985. off, and I completely missed it. She threw a second. I picked the slightly mushy snack out FROM SWIMMING TO ANTARCTICA of the sea and ate it quickly. BY LYNNE COX. “Can you see Cap Gris-Nez yet, Mickey? Mickey said. COPYRIGHT © 2004 BY LYNNE I asked. “Lynne, this is going to be the most dif- COX. REPRINTED “See that point? The one with the little ficult part of the swim. There’s a current BY PERMISSION OF ALFRED A. light’ouse?” around that point. You’re going to have to KNOPF, A DIVI- SION OF RANDOM “Yes, I see it!” hold your pace if you’re going to break the HOUSE, INC. “That’s Cap Gris-Nez, Gray-Nose,” record,” Brickell said. Classic Connections READ ABOUT THREE MORE WOMEN WHO MADE A SPLASH

THE BOOK THE STORY THE STYLE

FRIDA: A Mexican artist Frida Kahlo Herrera is an art historian, BIOGRAPHY OF (1907-1954) was a strong, but don’t let her scholarly FRIDA KAHLO passionate woman whose life credentials scare you! Her (1983) was marked by terrible tragedy thoroughly researched by Hayden Herrera but also by powerful love. Her biography is a compelling art reflects both her tumultuous read worthy of its life and her tremendous spirit. compelling subject.

BARBARA JORDAN: Barbara Jordan (1936-1996) Rogers examines both the AMERICAN HERO was the first African-American public and the private sides of (2000) elected to the Texas Senate Jordan’s life. She portrays by Mary Beth Rogers since Reconstruction, and the Jordan as a strong woman who first black woman elected to the battled racism and sexism— U.S. Congress from the South. and multiple sclerosis—with dignity and courage.

RACE ACROSS In 1985, Libby Riddles became Writing in the first person, (1988) the first woman to win the Riddles describes her by Libby Riddles Iditarod, Alaska’s grueling adventures during the and Tim Jones sled-dog marathon. physically and emotionally demanding race. Jones contributes brief background articles about the Iditarod.

10 MARCH 2005 Literary Cavalcade LC6 03-05 p11 Swimming FC 1/13/05 12:11 PM Page 5

London

Thames Dover ENGLAND My sides were starting to ache from MEET THE breathing, and I didn’t feel good. I swam AUTHOR: faster, but after another half hour or so Cap LYNNE COX Cap Gris-Nez Gris-Nez didn’t appear to be any closer. And BORN the stench of the lanolin combined with the 1957 in nnel Cha smell of diesel and dead fish from the boat Massachusetts. sh gli was making me queasy. The wind was blow- En FRANCE ing the fumes into my face. “Mr. Brickell, N could I move to the other side of the boat? WE 025 The fumes are bugging me.” S SCALE OF MILES “Certainly. Lynne, you’re caught in the tidal change now. You’re going to have to FOR THE swim faster. I know you’re getting tired, but if RECORD you don’t get through this, you’re not going to Most people get the record,” he said. would die within “You can do it. Come on, honey,” my minutes in water mother said, and Mickey cheered as well. less than 50 This time I started swimming like I was degrees, but Cox at the end of a workout, doing the last mile, has spent hours giving it everything I had. It was painful, but swimming in I pushed on. For more than an hour I didn’t water as cold as look up at shore. When I did, we had drifted 32 degrees. farther north, and Cap Gris-Nez had slid OTHER more to the south. This was hell, liquid hell. CHALLENGES I began reaching for more energy I’d Cox has had to never known I had. It was from all those cold face sharks, mornings when I didn’t want to get in and icebergs, raw work out, but did anyway. It was from all sewage, and those years of training when I was tired but animal carcasses “But I thought I was hours ahead of pushed myself through the workout. It was in her various record time,” I said, somewhat confused. from all those people who believed in me. I swims. “You are, but the current’s already push- pictured the faces of my family, my friends, QUOTE ing you north, slightly off course. You’ve my neighbors, my teammates, everyone who “This is really a already lost half an hour,” he said. said, You can do this, and I sprinted. My book about “Okay,” I said with determination, “this breath burned in my throat. My arms were on dreams as much is where all those sprints at the end of work- fire, moving faster than they ever had. I lifted as it is about out are going to pay off.” my head. We were making progress. We were swims. It’s about My mom and Mickey cheered, “You can directly in front of Cap Gris-Nez. following your do it.” “Come on, love. Let’s go.” “You’re a mile from shore,” Brickell heart as much as Brickell turned the Helen Anne Marie called to me. “This is where it gets tough. it is about slightly into the current to compensate for This is where a lot of swimmers give up.” His working hard, the northward drift and I began sprinting, voice sounded tired, and he should have and it’s about trying to break across the current. For nearly sounded happy. just doing things an hour I swam harder than I could remem- “What’s wrong?” I asked. when you don’t ber, and I was tiring. “The tide’s increasing. It’s pushing you think you can Stopping to stretch my back, I asked for south now. You’re going to have to sprint or and figuring out a drink of water and heard Brickell: “Lynne, you’re going to miss it entirely . . .” he said. another way to you’ve got to go faster—you’re not through Now I understood his fatigue and wished do them.” ➟ LEFT PAGE: ©HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES; RIGHT PAGE, LEFT TO RIGHT: LEFT TO RIGHT PAGE, IMAGES; ARCHIVE/GETTY ©HULTON LEFT PAGE: PRESS KASZEMAN/ZUMA ©NANCY PHOTOS; GLOBE SUPPLIED BY ©BETTMANN/CORBIS; the current yet.” continued

Literary Cavalcade MARCH 2005 11 LC6 03-05 p12 Swimming FC 1/13/05 12:11 PM Page 6

LITERATURE SELECTION >> SWIMMING TO ANTARCTICA by Lynne Cox

➟ continued from page 11 I didn’t. Sprint, he said. Sprint. Oh, man. to do was reach the summit. But the summit Okay. Okay. You’ve got to do it now. You’ve real- was where the air grew thinner, where every- ly got to do it. You’re only a mile from shore. It’s thing became challenging. only a mile. You can do it. Come on. ON’T LOOK UP FOR FIVE HUNDRED Again I put my head down and sprint- strokes. Go as fast as you can go. ed, and when I looked up I thought we’d be Push it. Pull your arms with a half mile from shore; but the cape was far everything you have. Kick. Yes. to the north. “How much farther, Mr. DKick those legs. Pull deeper. Faster. Brickell?” Come on. Pull. “Five miles. You’ve In the background my mother and missed the point....” Mickey were shouting, “Come on!” “Go, My brain couldn’t regis- love!” They weren’t letting up. I heard Brickell ter it for a minute. Five shouting. For the first time, he was cheering miles? How could I have lost too. And then I saw the excitement in his face. it that fast? We were almost there. But I couldn’t “Do you think you can look yet. I had three hundred more strokes pick up your pace? If you before I could look up. Brickell was turning can, we’re going to cut a very the boat; I had to look up. Was there another sharp angle. You’re going to problem? No, there wasn’t. We were almost On the waterfront in feel it pushing right against there. The rocks were bigger than before. Portland, Maine, in January, 2004. your face,” Brickell said, Mickey and Reg Junior jumped into the drawing in a tense breath. launch and followed me. I swam faster, lifting Go as fast as you can go. Push it. Pull your arms with everythingFaster. you have. Come Kick. Yes. Kick on. those Pull. legs. Pull deeper.

“How come we’re not heading directly my head to pick a landing spot. Waves were for the point?” I asked. breaking on the rocks. I could see the surge “You’d have to land on the rocks, and and the white water. High above from the you could get a bit cut up,” Brickell said. cliffs overhead, I heard voices. They were “They’re closer than the beach, aren’t they?” shouting in French. I was excited; I had never “By half a mile,” he said. been to France before. My mom didn’t like the idea; I could see For over a year I had rehearsed this in my it in her face. She was almost in tears. mind, but nothing could compare with the “Mickey, can I still break the record?” experience of actually being there and finish- “Yes, love, you can.” ing the swim across the English Channel. “Okay, then, let’s go for the rocks. I want Searching for a space between the waves, I to finish this swim now,” I said. sprinted, hoping that a surge wouldn’t catch me Everyone broke into smiles, even my and smash me into the rocks. I started moving mother—she couldn’t help herself. Taking a in, and suddenly felt myself being lifted; I was deep breath, I began sprinting again, counting moving too fast, right into a big sharp rock cov- my strokes, telling myself that I wouldn’t look ered with mussels and barnacles. My knees up again until I’d swum one thousand strokes. struck the barnacles; then the wave tore me back Slowly I gained a foot, then a few hundred out toward sea. Another wave, larger than the yards. Now I realized why the English last, was breaking. Swim forward or back? Oh, Channel was the Mount Everest of swimming: no. I had no control. I could see it. I was going we had climbed the mountain and all we had to get bashed. My other knee was sliced by the

12 MARCH 2005 Literary Cavalcade LC6 03-05 p13 Swimming FC 1/13/05 12:11 PM Page 7

mussels. There was blood squirting out, but I another rock. It hurt a lot. I grabbed for the couldn’t feel it much. My legs were numb from rock and missed, then leaned forward and the cold. Another wave was surging toward me. grabbed a handhold. I pulled myself up. The Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. No: rock was sharp; it cut my feet, and the bar- find a spot. You can’t turn back. The watch is still nacles shredded my skin. But I wasn’t think- ticking. You’ve got to clear the water for the swim ing about it, just trying to find another 20-Minute to be completed. Come on, use the wave, let it lift handhold and pull myself out. Got it. I Essay you up, don’t fight it, let it carry you into the rocks, pushed up with my feet, clung with my fin- >>TAKE 20 don’t back down. If you hit the rock, grab ahold of gers, reached another handhold, and hauled MINUTES it and climb out of the water now. myself onto a rock, clear of the water. TO PLAN AND The wave lifted me and I smashed into The crew cheered wildly. We had made it! ■ WRITE AN ESSAY BASED ON THE SKILL DRILL FOLLOWING: CIRCLE THE BEST ANSWER FOR EACH OF THE What do you FOLLOWING: think drives people to take on 1. This excerpt describes 4. Cox portrays the swim as intense physical (A) the highlights of Cox’s (A) relaxing. swimming career. (B) terrifying. challenges? (B) Cox’s swim to Antarctica. (C) boring. (C) Cox’s swim across the (D) exhausting. English Channel. (D) the history of swimming the 5. Cox writes that swimming the English Channel. Channel is “the Mount Everest of swimming” because 2. Why did Cox land on the rocks (A) in both, the end is the instead of Cap Gris-Nez? hardest part. (A) The rocks were closer than (B) they are both dangerous. the beach. (C) special equipment is (B) The current pushed her off required for both. her original course. (D) the English Channel is the (C) Brickell made a mistake in hardest body of water to steering the guide boat. swim, and Mount Everest (D) An oil tanker forced her to is the hardest mountain change course. to climb. LC Book Club Questions 3. What is the name of Cox’s 6. What is a barnacle? guide boat ? (A) a type of seaweed 1Do you have (A) the Helen Anne Marie (B) a sea bird a dream of (B) the Minnow (C) a jellyfish undertaking a (C) the Gris-Nez (D) a hard-shelled crustacean physical (D) the Brickell challenge? If so what would it be? If not, why? What skills can you cultivate >>Your Turn! To many, through a regular physical 2 Lynne Cox is practice—like swimming, running, yoga, or working out at the gym—that you can apply to the rest of your life? Explain. a true hero. Who are your heroes? Why? ©AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS/JOEL PAGE; STOPWATCH: PHOTODISC VIA SODA PHOTODISC STOPWATCH: PAGE; PHOTOS/JOEL WORLD ©AP/WIDE

Literary Cavalcade MARCH 2005 13