#55: Jessi's Gold Medal
“Horses sweat, gentlemen perspire, and ladies glow!” - Madame Noelle, page 1
Classic Madame Noelle. Book #55 begins at Jessi’s dance class, because DID YOU KNOW JESSI IS A BALLERINA??? It’s almost never mentioned. Although, by the looks of this book’s cover, she’s also now a synchronized swimmer? I guess Jessi can do it all! Which is good, because Stoneybrook Middle School has an annual Sports Festival mostly focused on track and swimming and some of the BSC members are fixin’ to participate. (SMS has some really intense and diverse programming for a smallish town. Just saying.) Mallory and Mary Anne are the only ones who aren’t psyched, but Jessi is all of a sudden obsessed with swimming.
When Jessi and Mal are swimming with their gym class, a synchronized swimming team coach picks up on Jessi’s grace and dance training and invites her to join the synchronized swimming team. Jessi says yes - partially because it will get her out of gym class. (Relatable.) Jessi gets paired with a girl named Elise, who tries to show her the ropes. Elise has strength but not much style, and Jessi has not much strength but a lot of style, so they’re a good match. Plus, Elise is really nice and helpful - which is good, because there is a synchronized swimming competition as part of the Sports Festival and Jessi’s a little nervous.
Meanwhile, I’m a little nervous that I keep finding obvious typos in BSC books:
Meanwhile, Olympics fever has taken over and Jessi has a Kristy-level idea: the BSC is going to hold a Mini-Olympics for their charges. Some of them are super into it and hyper-competitive, and others (like Charlotte and Becca) would rather do anything else (kinda like Mary Anne and Mallory). In the end, of course, it’s chaotic but fine, and all the kids get an award ribbon.
Jessi is nervous AF about her synchro performance. She’s used to being good at everything she tries (hello, ballet) and she does not feel confident about this event. She worries about getting laughed and and about embarrassing her family until her mom’s like, JESSI, CHILL. SOME THINGS CAN JUST BE FOR FUN AND IT’S COOL AS LONG AS YOU DO YOUR BEST. Good lesson, Mama Ramsey. Meanwhile, I respect the hell out of Mallory purposely spraining her ankle so she doesn’t have to participate in the Sports Festival. That’s real commitment.
And Kristy… oh, Kristy. She has created a spectacle by competing one-on-one against Alan Gray in an obstacle course, with the loser having to do whatever the winner wants for a whole week. Alan Gray is getting back up to his sexist bullshit and I hope Kristy kicks his ass.
“It was disgusting. But that’s Alan.”
- page 113
Of course, she does. And then she does an egomaniacal endzone celebration in true President fashion.
“Not exactly modest. But that’s Kristy.”
- page 117
Kristy isn’t the only one who experiences triumph. Despite having forty-seven panic attack and thinking that she totally sucks, Jessi and Elise win the gold medal for the synchronized swimming pairs competition. Jeez, Jessi… could you be bad at something? Mallory’s inferiority complex just grew its own inferiority complex. After the competition, though, Jessi and Elise decide to retire from synchro… good thing, too. We can’t have people out here getting too talented.
