Bree is the protagonist of the novel. She’s good at puzzles, enjoys spending time with her dad, and loves going to class, especially math. However, from the start of Swim Team, Bree’s fear of swimming is apparent. The novel is about both Bree’s conflict on the surface—her fear of swimming—and her internal conflict over confronting her fears by finding comfort in her community and her friends.

The novel quickly establishes that she is a strong student, so it is out of character for Bree to skip class. Her willingness to do so, let alone frequently, emphasizes the magnitude of her fear of swimming pools. The dark gray or black thought bubbles clearly illustrate how Bree’s doubts and fears can distract her. Throughout the novel, Bree comes to better understand herself and those around her because of swimming. She slowly realizes that she can “outswim these thoughts” (112), as the sport offers her something to focus on, making the gray thought bubbles disappear when she swims. As Bree learns that improving at swimming means break it down into specific skills, just like math, she grows her abilities as a swimmer because she already understands the importance of breaking down a problem step-by-step, a philosophy she applies when discussing Holyoke Prep’s winning strategy as well.