Swimmer shows spirit

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, May 3, 2001 | 11:10 a.m.

Brian Benedict has a dilemma on his hands.

A student in the performing arts magnet program at Las Vegas Academy, Benedict is scheduled to play a viola solo in an orchestra concert on Saturday.

At the same time, he's supposed to compete for the Chaparral swim team in a Sunrise regional meet at UNLV, as well as for his Sandpipers club squad in an event at the Las Vegas Municipal Pool.

It's the type of tough decision typical of an active high school student, but hardly for one with spina bifida -- a birth defect in which a baby is born with part of his spinal cord outside his skin.

For some, the disability can be fatal. For others, it can mean spending life in a wheelchair.

But for the 15-year-old Benedict, merely walking was never enough of a challenge. Determined to participate in competitive athletics at an early age, he began swimming four years ago and has never looked back, spending countless hours perfecting his strokes and improving his times.

Though his physical limitations may prevent him from challenging Southern Nevada's top swimmers, the sophomore has become a significant asset for Chaparral, scoring points for the Cowboys all season. Next weekend, he will represent the school at the Sunrise Region Meet, after posting a qualifying time in the 100 butterfly.

Best of all, Benedict's work in the water has also helped keep him on his feet, proving to be the best physical therapy in his battle with a handicap he refuses to let get the best of him.

Battling for survival

Spina bifida isn't as rare as one might think, affecting one in every 1,000 newborns in the United States, according to the Spin Bifida Association of America.

Nevertheless, Benedict's parents were hardly prepared for the shock they received when their baby was born with his spinal cord protruding from his skin.

"For the first year, it was really touch-and-go (whether he would live)," said Brian's mother, Melody Benedict. "There was operation after operation, complication after complication. There were questions about whether he would walk, and then whether he would be able to keep walking without help."

Within hours of his birth, Benedict underwent the first of 11 surgical procedures that spanned the first seven years of his life. In one early operation, doctors implanted a shunt in his brain to help relieve the constant build-up of spinal fluid.

Through a rigorous physical therapy routine, Benedict learned to walk on his own, without the use of braces. But by age eight, he was ready to try something more rigorous.

His parents enrolled him in karate classes, where he improved his balance and mobility. Physical contact remained out of the question, however, so by middle school Benedict was in search of a new sport.

Taking to the water

With his younger sister, Dana, already an accomplished swimmer, Brian decided to join her on the Sandpipers, a Las Vegas-area club team. His parents hoped his new activity would continue to strengthen his body.

"Water is generally good exercise for everybody, and there was no question it would be good for him," Melody Benedict said. "It's like having physical therapy, but he gets to be part of a team and have fun."

Working with Sandpipers junior coach Chris Barber, Benedict adapted the different strokes to his physical capabilities. From the start, he showed proficiency in the butterfly, a stroke which requires a single leg kick, rather than alternating kicks from both legs.

"With butterfly, the beginning swimmers either have a knack for it or it takes a while," Barber said. "He was able to do it with his arms and with his body as part of the kick."

With the risk of diving headfirst too great, Benedict starts his races in the water, giving him a significant disadvantage in competition. Nevertheless, he refuses to get caught up in his order of finish, preferring to judge his own progress against past performances.

"I don't really care if I beat anyone," Benedict said. "It's all about improving my time and getting better. I've come so far as to not have those alterations in my kick anymore."

Upon entering high school last year, Benedict joined the Chaparral squad. And from the start, his new teammates accepted him as one of their own.

"Both club kids and high school kids are very accepting of him," Melody Benedict said. "They see right away by the way he walks and his scars that he has some disabilities. But they're really great to him, always cheering him on."

Offered Brian, "The Chap team is great. I have so many friends on that team. We're like a family."

Used to finishing last against elite club competition, Benedict suddenly found himself in the hunt at the high school level. So after nearly making regionals as a freshman, he set that as a goal for himself heading into his sophomore year.

Last month, Benedict realized that dream, posting a 1:19.15 in the 100 fly to qualify for next week's Sunrise championships. This weekend, he'll have the opportunity to make it in the 100 backstroke as well.

Swimming as therapy

Regardless of his postseason finish, Benedict's story has already been one of major success. As his parents predicted, the 5,000-6,000 yards he swims each day has gradually improved his physical condition, bettering his life out of the water as well.

"Swimming works muscles without cement of gravity, and it allows him to build muscles without straining muscles," Melody Benedict said. "It keeps his legs limber and strong, and that keeps him on his feet."

Agreed Barber, "I can definitely see the strengthening of his body overall. It's mind over matter. You can tell at times he just wills himself to do certain things."

Like the time he convinced his parents to take him ocean kayaking, or his affinity for mountain hiking. Like a devotion to music that has made him an accomplished viola player, or a dedication to his studies that has earned him a spot on his school's honor roll.

"I've always maintained that there's no reason to put limitations on him," Melody Benedict said. "He's very courageous. He doesn't let things get in his way, including attitude from people who don't understand."

As for that positive outlook, Benedict says it's simple. He just refuses to get down about things he can't control.

"I'm stuck with it and there's nothing you can do, so I make the best of my situation," he said. "The doctors said I wouldn't be able to walk. Guess I showed those guys wrong."