The freshman, JV, and varsity teams continue to practice, preparing for a race against their ultimate rival Cal Berkeley, which is coached by Ulbrickson’s own rival, Ky Ebright. Ulbrickson has all three teams race against one another and is shocked to see that “the freshmen began to pull ahead” (85), almost defeating the varsity team. Yet Bolles, the freshman coach, struggles with the boys during practice. When Joe, whose stroke is “eccentric” (91), is pulled out of the boat for one practice, the boat slows. Joe is later placed back in the boat, but the experience shows him how “precarious” (91) his position in the boat, and at the university, really is.

Joe does not bond well with his teammates. They make fun of him for always wearing the same sweater and eating their leftovers in the cafeteria, but Joe is unwilling to “walk away from perfectly good food” (92) and shuts them out. The freshman boat continues to improve, beating previous records until it is clear that they are something “exceptional” (93). The day of the big race against Cal Berkeley arrives. It is a home game in Seattle, so Joyce attends the race, resolving to “stay calm no matter what” (96).