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50p

Grade Eight Swim Test

9 October 2018
Caleigh HM ‘23
On Friday, September 14th, the Grade 8s of Brentwood College School took a plunge into the Pacific Ocean for their swim safety test.  With lots of shrieking and laughter, groups of four tumbled one by one into the ocean to tread water for two very long, very cold minutes, then swim to the other dock and back.  The test started with a warm up; sprints and stretches were led by Mr Thompson our PE teacher, then we proceeded to remove our layers and head down to the dock in our bathing suits, ready for action. As we split into their groups, curious senior students and staff members gathered at the windows of the Ross Building to watch and cheer us on as the test began.  Waves of nervous energy flowed through us as the first group tucked their chins, shut their eyes and tumbled into the frigid September ocean water. At first, the biting cold of the water was overwhelming, causing us to frantically gasp for air, but soon (after about a minute) the screams of discomfort turned into shrieks of laughter. As the shock wore off, the ache of the 11 degree celcius water came in full force, causing more shouts of displeasure to arise from the swimmers. After the ache came numbness, and then - strangely enough - a feeling of warmth (probably our nerves freaking out) that slowly crept across the swimmers’ bodies. By the time we hauled our dripping bodies out of the water, we were warm enough to stand on the dock without our towels (except for the few students who were not, so they wrapped themselves up in the unused towels generously donated by the warm kids). As the class walked back to prepare for lunch, we laughed about the experience, and mocked each others’ ‘AHHHH faces’.  Overall, the swim test was a great experience, and a fun opportunity to branch out and step out of our comfort zone.  Caleigh HM ‘23

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