Trolled

by Steven Sandor

  Andy pulled himself out of the pool. He sat down on the deck, knees drawn toward his head.

  “This is what I do. This is me. And I am sorry.”

  The video came to an end.

  Andy hesitated. The icon was hovering over the PUBLISH button. He clicked his mouse. It was done.

  ***

  “So, Andy, are you going to check the comments or not?”

  His phone sat on the table. Its screen was dark. Enalyn picked it up and handed it to Andy.

  “I mean it. Turn it on,” she said, waggling the phone in Andy’s face. “I had a peek at some of the comments before I came over. It’s not bad.”

  Andy groaned and took the phone from Enalyn. He pressed the power button in the top corner. After the home screen appeared, he hit the YouTube icon.

  The video was already at 775,000 views.

  Andy scrolled down the comments section.

  Abel12

  You think this makes us feel sorry for you? Idiot.

  ZaxMcDonald

  Well, at least you said you were sorry. That’s a start. But get used to swimming alone.

  A Real Man

  Don’t listen to them, Tiger Shark! You don’t need to apologize! You put these hijab wearers and feminazis in their place! YEAH!

  Shelly Horford

  It’s people like A Real Man that make me want the world to end. And you too “Tiger Shark.” And that girl with the voice in the video . . . WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?

  Shark Bait

  He said he was sorry. I’m so sick of this story. Let’s move on.

  Zach Attack

  You all don’t know this guy. I do. I’m on his swim team. He’s not a bad guy at all. There’s lots of pressure to pull jokes and pranks. I’m sure he was put up to it. Why don’t you all lay off?

  Zealous

  @Zach, how much did “Tiger Shark” pay you to post that CRAP?

  Andy stopped scrolling.

  “Wait, Zach defended me?” he said. “After what we did to him when he joined the team?”

  “Surprised, huh?” said Enalyn. “Zach loves swimming, and knows you’re good at it. You’re going to have to face it, Andy. Ninety-nine per cent of the people who play sports do it because they like it, not because they want to compete or become pros or go to the Olympics.”

  Andy put down the phone. There were hundreds more comments on the video’s homepage, but he didn’t want to look at any more of them.

  “Well, other than Zach defending me, I didn’t see much good in the comments.”

  Enalyn grabbed the phone. “Andy, you’ve got it wrong. I checked something else before I left. Did you know ‘Tiger Shark’ is trending on Twitter?”

  “What?”

  Enalyn opened the Twitter app. She entered a search for Tiger Shark.

  “There’s a series of tweets that are really important, Andy.”

  She handed the phone back to Andy.

  18

  The Price

  @TheREALMiriamSaid

  I saw the new Tiger Shark video. Link here: https://youtube/zznAreema65bI

  @TheREALMiriamSaid

  I accept the apology. Tiger Shark was kicked out of nationals. Lost his job.

  @TheREALMiriamSaid

  He’s been punished. He’s expressed remorse. Check my site for full statement: miriamsaid.blogspot.ca/08/13/Time_To_Forgive

  Andy clicked on the link.

  MiriamSaid.blogspot.ca

  TIME TO FORGIVE

  When my family came to Canada from Egypt, swimming was my one escape. I did not speak English. I spoke maybe a few words of French. But when I was in the water, I didn’t feel like a stranger.

  I love this sport. And you know what? I am not the only one. Chances are you may have seen the new video from Andy Kovacs, the young Ontario swimmer who goes by the Tiger Shark nickname.

  If you haven’t, the link is here: https://youtube/zznAreema65bI

  Many of you remember that earlier this summer, Andy hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. As many of you know, my faith requires me to be as modest as possible — and that can be difficult when swim meets require me to be so, well, public.

  But what many of you have ignored is that he was punished. Swim Canada didn’t give him the chance to go to nationals. And if you’d seen his times at provincials, he had a good shot at winning.

  When he got home, he lost his job. And we’ve just kept talking and talking about him on social media. I tried looking for him, but I’m pretty sure he deleted most of his accounts.

  As a whole, we did a good job at making sure that, at every turn, there was another punishment.

  At first, I have to admit, I thought, “Good, he deserves it.” But then I spoke to my mother and father, and they said that they left a country where you could be jailed for saying the wrong thing about the government. Egypt was a place where the punishments were more severe than the crimes. And they said, “How much is enough?”

  I thought about it. How much is enough?

  My father told me to always remember that justice and revenge are two separate things. But often we make the mistake of thinking justice and revenge are the same thing — that it’s justice if we keep piling on. There is a passage in the Quran: “If you judge, then judge between them with justice (or fairness). Indeed, Allah loves the ones who are just.”

  Andy Kovacs has lost his shot to win at nationals. His name is all over the Internet. It’s time to say, enough. I saw his apology video, and I thought it was brave. We have judged him, but I fear we may have not been just.

  Enough.

  COMMENTS

  Ellie from Edmonton

  Miriam, I’ve dealt with idiots like this throughout my life. I find it hard to forgive them.

  Jesse Janes

  If that’s what you say, Miriam, I respect it.

  Quinn17

  I have to say that I made about 5–6 posts on Tiger Shark’s FB account before he closed it. I think I said some bad things.

  Lane Swimmer

  I can forgive, I won’t forget.

  Gator_13

  Is there a way that Tiger Shark can go on probation? Let him swim, but if he screws up again, he’s gone for good?

  Andy thought, I wouldn’t screw up again. No more pranks.

  “Andy?” Enalyn said. “One more thing. I have a message for you. Coach Ocampo wants you to see him. He’ll be at the pool this evening.”

  ***

  Andy knocked at Coach Ocampo’s door.

  “Come in.”

  Andy opened the door and walked into the small office.

  “You wanted to see me, Coach?”

  “Yes. I’m going to make this short. I saw what you and Enalyn did with the video. It’s a start. But don’t think I called you here to reinstate you today just because Miriam Said publicly forgave you. That would be wrong.”

  Andy felt his heart sink. He had hoped that the meeting would go better than this.

  “But, and this is a big but, I got phone calls from two people today. Travis Holloway and Miriam Said. I asked them what they thought I should do with you. Let it be said that Miss Said thought I should let you swim with COBRA again as soon as possible. If you ever see her at a meet or an event, I suggest you make sure to thank her. Just don’t touch her! But Mr. Holloway and I were more of the opinion that we can’t simply reinstate you because of a video and the Miriam Said blog post.”

  “So, what then, Coach?” asked Andy. “I’ll do whatever. I’ll work with the junior swimmers. I’ll reel in the lane ropes after practice . . .”

  “Oh I am sure we will have you do those things, when you get back,” said the coach. “I’ve decided that, rather than ban you, you will serve a six-month suspension. The weeks you’ve already served will go toward those six months. That means you can rejoin the team in J
anuary of next year.”

  “Okay,” Andy said.

  “I’ve also spoken to your parents, Andy,” said the coach. “During the six-month suspension, you have one job. School. Next semester, you are to get at least a mark of 75 in your math class. Preferably higher. You must have a total average in all school courses of at least 70, preferably higher. If these conditions aren’t met, the suspension stays in place.”

  Andy nodded.

  “Now, Andy, when this is all said and done, you’ll have just a few months to get in shape and post great times so you can go to next year’s long-course championship. If you do post a qualifying time, Mr. Holloway said he will try to convince Swim Canada to let you swim on a probationary basis. Basically, if you make it to nationals and even button up a shirt wrong, they can send you home.”

  “Thanks,” Andy bleated.

  “Andy, this will be tough. The public will be tougher. There will always be people out there who think you should have been banned for life.”

  “Coach, well, I’ve started a new Facebook account. I still get hate mail. But it gets less and less every day. Today it was less than fifty. Which is pretty good.”

  “Andy, I want to remind you, just because you’re suspended from COBRA doesn’t mean you can’t work out on your own. But schoolwork first. Now go. I’ll see you in January.”

  Andy walked out the doors of the Earnscliffe Recreation Centre. The moon hung bright in the sky.

  He pulled out his phone from his pocket. He logged in to Twitter so he could reactivate his account. He’d done it just in time: one more day and the account would have been gone forever.

  There were thousands of notifications. Andy ignored them all. He had one tweet to make.

  @TheREALMiriamSaid Thank you. I won’t let you down. Show the world that you’re the best.

  Andy kept his Twitter app open. It buzzed and buzzed and buzzed as the retweets came.

  Epilogue

  Andy took the bag filled with comics off the counter.

  “Um, Andy, you’re forgetting something, right?” said Mr. Patel. “Your change.”

  Mr. Patel handed Andy a couple of loonies and a receipt. “Thanks for shopping at Comic Relief,” he said.

  “Thanks for letting me back in,” said Andy. The first issue of the new Galaxy Queen vs. Earth’s Heroes crossover series was out.

  “Andy, you know, maybe in a bit, you might want to apply to work here again,” said Mr. Patel.

  “Not right now, thanks,” said Andy. “Maybe in a few months. But for now, I really need to focus on my schoolwork.”

  Andy walked out of the store, went down the escalator and out of the Bramalea City Centre. A cold wind howled through the parkade. There was slush on the ground that got into his socks and boots.

  He dashed through the parking lot to the bus terminal. He saw that the 16 Southgate was waiting. He got through the bus doors just before it was ready to pull out. He flashed his pass and sat down, his bag slung over his shoulder.

  When the bus got to Eastbourne Drive, Andy pulled the cord. It stopped just a few metres from the Earnscliffe Recreation Centre.

  Andy took a deep breath of cold air and then walked from the bus stop to the rec centre. He went right into the dressing room.

  Zach was the first to speak. “Welcome back, Andy.”

  “Thanks,” Andy said softly as he sat down.

  “Andy, I want to tell you something.”

  “What’s that, Zach?”

  “I’ve gotten a lot quicker since you last saw me swim. And you’re probably a bit out of practice.”

  “Oh?”

  “What I’m saying is that I might need to time you with a calendar.”

  There were a few giggles in the room.

  “He’s right, you know,” said the Eel. “Zach’s times have been coming down. He might post a qualifying time for provincials.”

  Andy nodded. “Well, if a couple more of you slowpokes pick up the pace, we might just be able to put together a relay team for the next big meet.”

  Andy finished changing and walked out onto the deck. Coach Ocampo was staring out at the pool.

  “So, Andy, you ready for this?” said the coach.

  “Oh yeah.”

  “Before you get in the pool, I’ll introduce you to one of our new swimmers,” said the coach. “I see she just walked onto the deck.”

  Andy turned around. It was Enalyn, wearing a COBRA swim cap.

  “Enalyn?” Andy barked. “You never told me you were coming back!”

  “Look, the way I see it, someone has to make sure your pool entries aren’t total crap,” she said. “But seriously, I missed it. I’m just gonna enjoy myself, try to get better. And of course, I know a certain someone isn’t going to be judging me anymore.”

  Andy shrugged.

  “Oh, and I got a few e-mails from Miriam Said, too,” said Enalyn. “She ended up being great to chat with. Funny how someone gave her my e-mail address . . .”

  Andy smiled. “Well, after the public apology, I e-mailed her a personal one. And she replied. So I told her about you.”

  “Okay, okay.” Coach Ocampo blew on his whistle. “Enough chit-chat. Let’s see what you can do, Andy.”

  Andy windmilled his arms. He did some knee bends. He plunged into the water and did a nice, easy lap. He’d been swimming alone at night so often, he’d forgotten what it was like to have the team there. To have his coach watching to help him improve.

  One. Two. Three. Breathe.

  Glossary

  Swimming is a sport that has its own special language.

  BACKSTROKE: A stroke that has the swimmer flat on his or her back, arms reaching back and legs stretched out.

  BREASTSTROKE: A stroke where the swimmer’s arms begin together, then separate and scoop the water off to the sides. The legs come together and kick apart, like a frog’s legs in the water.

  BUTTERFLY: A stroke where the arms extend and powerfully enter the water as the body wriggles forward. Extremely difficult on the upper body and shoulders, often beginners aren’t allowed to do it.

  DAIRY QUEEN (or DAIRY QUEENED): A play on the letters DQ that appear next to a swimmer’s name if he or she has been disqualified from a race. A swimmer can get disqualified for touching the lane rope or leaving the blocks too early.

  FLIP TURN: To turn and go back in the other direction, the swimmer flips his or her body just before touching the wall. It is timed so the swimmer will flip in the water and end up touching the wall with his or her feet, and then push off to go back in the direction from which he or she came.

  FREESTYLE: A race in which swimmers can use any stroke they choose. Almost all swimmers choose to do front crawl because it’s the quickest stroke, which is why freestyle races are sometimes mistaken for ones requiring swimmers to use front crawl.

  FRONT CRAWL: Most common stroke in swimming. Swimmers arms rotate and extend forward while laying belly-down on water. Feet are extended and legs kick straight. Watch a high-level front crawl race and be amazed how little water is splashed up by the swimmers’ strokes. The key is to be as smooth as possible in the water.

  LONG COURSE: An Olympic-size pool is 50 metres long. It is called a long course. A 100-metre race would see swimmers go back and forth once.

  MEDLEY: A race that combines multiple stroke techniques. A swimmer will do sections of the race using different strokes.

  RELAY: A race that has multiple team members (usually four) each swimming an equal amount of laps in a race. A medley relay will see each of the four swimmers taking a specific stroke (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly).

  SHORT COURSE: A short-course pool is 25 metres long. Many recreation centres aren’t large enough to accommodate 50-metre pools, so many swimmers will train and race in short-course pools, which means they will need
to turn more to complete their race distances.

  SUICIDE TURN: A lung-busting turn done that’s used when coming to the wall off a backstroke. Your palms need to be deep in the water to prepare for a backward flip under the water. The name comes from the difficulty: you can’t really see the wall and need to hold your breath for longer.

  Acknowledgements

  I’d like to thank Callum Ng, a senior writer and producer at Olympic.ca and two-time Canadian Interuniversity Sport Swimmer of the Year, for his assistance and advice. I’d also like to acknowledge the aid of Ben Stevenson, manager of production at the Canadian Olympic Committee.

  Copyright © 2016 Steven Sandor

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers acknowledges the support of the Ontario Arts Council. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities. We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts which last year invested $24.3 million in writing and publishing throughout Canada. We acknowledge the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Media Development Corporation’s Ontario Book Initiative.

  We acknowledge the [financial] support of the Government of Canada.

  Nous reconnaissons l’appui [financier] du gouvernement du Canada.

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Sandor, Steven, 1971-, author

  Trolled / Steven Sandor.

  (Sports stories)

  Issued in print and electronic formats.