Mike licked the last of the mint chocolate chip ice cream. It was almost time to leave. He jumped into the car with his parents and headed off to the Olympic-sized pool for the big swim meet.
When his race came up, Mike was confident. He was strong and swift. Mike climbed out the pool, smiling. He had just won first place, making him the fastest boy in his age group.
"Congratulations, son, " his father said. His mom gave him a hug, even though he was soaking wet.
A week later, it was time for another swim meet. Like before, Mike decided to enjoy his favorite ice cream flavor. Mike remembered that the last time he had won a race, he also ate mint chocolate chip ice cream first. Maybe he'd win again.
He took first place again in his race. Mike was feeling pretty good. As it turned out, Mike decided to have mint chocolate chip ice cream before every one of the next few swim meets. He began to think of it as his lucky charm. After several mouths of placing in the top positions of every race he swam, Mike was feeling unbeatable. And he wouldn't admit it, but all that ice cream was adding a few pounds to his athletic swimmer's build.
It didn't take long after that for Mike to start coming in second place—and then third—and then last place in his races. The lucky mint chocolate chip ice cream had lost its magic.
On the day of his next swim meet, his mother sat down at the table with him. “Mike, we all love ice cream, but it's not healthy for your body to eat so much of it. Maybe it's time to quit the sweet treats for a while, especially before you go swimming.”
Mike unwillingly agreed. He went to the swim meet, and didn't perform well. His father offered to go running with him a few days a week to help him feel better and strengthen his muscles. The extra weight soon disappeared, and Mike found himself breathing easier at swim practices.
Paragraph 1:
It was the last meet of the season, and Mike wasn't sure what to expect.
Paragraph 2
Finally came the end of the race.
