The coach

He met the coach on the day he held the interview to join the university's diving team. He had applied to the team and was selected due to his results in school competitions.

The coach was a person who walked between youth and adulthood, extremely reserved, serious, tall, always with a stern expression, deep gaze, and drastic decisions. He had a reputation for being tough and demanding, and his athletic successes preceded him.

When Max entered his Spartan office, he greeted him, and the coach responded, indicating that he should sit down. There was no further exchange, and then he said:

"Your training sessions start at 7:00 AM and last until 8:30 AM, and in the afternoon from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. I've seen your class schedule, and it won't affect any of your courses. It's from Monday to Friday, and Saturday mornings only. I don't accept tardiness, and at the time I specified, you must already be at the pool. That's all, you can leave."

"Can I ask you something?" Max, the new team member, asked.

"No, I'm busy. We'll do it tomorrow," the coach replied.

Max apologized, feeling uncomfortable, and got up and left the coach's office. He was an 18-year-old first-year data engineering student who had arrived from another city and was staying in the campus dormitories thanks to a sports scholarship. He was tall, weighing 70 kg, with a toned body, contoured legs, a magnificent back, and long arms. He had a very attractive face, a certain shyness, and superior intelligence compared to the rest of his cohort. Shy and reserved, his athletic development was exceptional, having practiced diving since he was 12 and participated in local, regional, and national competitions, making it likely that he would be selected for international championships, starting with university games.

His academic results were not exceptional, but they would have been enough for him to join his current career. However, the scholarship provided him with certain benefits, such as accommodation and additional credits for his academic performance. Besides, he felt fulfilled practicing this sport, finding it attractive and satisfying.

He had a single dorm room with a shower and a small kitchen. It was quite spacious, and the cost was zero, covered by his sports scholarship, which also included meals, medical insurance, transportation, and other benefits.

Max was organizing his university life, away from his family, with a sufficient academic workload and the added motivation to achieve athletic successes, which always proved very gratifying for him.

The next day, at 6:55 AM, Max was already ready at the pool, wearing his university's corporate swimsuit, to start his training sessions. His new teammates were there, and the coach greeted them briefly and gave them a brief welcome. He divided the young athletes into four groups and asked them to introduce themselves. Max didn't pay much attention, except...