April 13, 2010

Stony Brook, N.Y. - In many ways, Stony Brook swimmer Grace Gifford (Columbus, Ind.) is your average college student-athlete. She attends morning and afternoon practices, goes to study hall and enjoys hanging with friends. But she has had to overcome much more than most athletes.

Gifford, 20, was born with a condition called acrocephalopolysyndactyly, a rare genetic disorder. Characteristics include premature closing of skull bones, craniofacial abnormalities, heart defects, growth retardation and other disorders. "I don't know a lot about it and I can't even pronounce it, but it's a genetic mutation," said Gifford, who is 4-foot-8.

Born in Rocky Mount, N.C., Gifford spent some of her early years at Duke University Hospital, one of the country's premier facilities. Doctors explained to her parents that Grace would have numerous disabilities and probably would never walk. "The doctors prepared my parents for the worst," Gifford said.

Gifford, who has had to endure 15 surgeries, had four operations early on. "My head was fused at the top, I had numerous eye surgeries and my chin was restructured," she said. She also had her legs lengthened, becoming the youngest person in the world at that time to have the painful surgery.

"My parents wanted me to have as normal of a childhood as possible," she said, "so I started to adapt to the environment by doing whatever worked for me."

Her parents, Allen and JaneAnn, introduced Grace to gymnastics and hockey, but the impending surgeries made those sports difficult. That's when Gifford's athletic interests changed. "A friend's mom suggested swimming," she said, "and I knew it was something I may enjoy doing."

The Donner Swim Club, a highly competitive club in Indiana, provided Gifford an opportunity. "I knew I liked to swim, but I didn't realize how much I loved it," said Gifford, who became a four-year varsity swimmer at Columbus North High School. In January of 2008, her senior year of high school, Gifford found the next challenge in her life. "I was looking online and read information on the Paralympics," she said.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has a classification guide in which athletes are assigned a class depending on a disability. Typically, classes are broken down by categories such as Amputee, Cerebral Palsy, Intellectual Disability, Les Autres - a French term meaning `the others' - vision impaired and wheelchair. In the sport of swimming, the classification ranges from S1 to S10. S1 involves people with a severe impairment and S10, Gifford's class nationally and internationally, involves people with a lesser impairment or most able-bodied.

Although Gifford missed the deadline to register for the American trials in Minnesota in March of 2008, she still was allowed to compete. "They put you in events based on your class," Gifford said. All she did was set the American record in the 200 breaststroke.

"It was the coolest thing ever," Gifford said. "It was the first meet I had ever swam at that I wasn't nervous for. I learned so many things that I never knew. Everyone is so supportive of each other."

Interestingly, Gifford felt more disabled at the Paralympic trials than she did it normal life. "The other athletes ask each other about their disabilities. It came up more there than in everyday life," Gifford said.

Although she won the 200 breaststroke, the event was not held at the Beijing Paralympics because of cost. "Once I didn't make it to Beijing, I knew I wanted to qualify for London in 2012," Gifford said.

After the trials in Minnesota, Gifford went to Lewis & Clark College, a Division III school in Portland, Ore. "The Division III level wasn't as competitive as my high school team," she said. "It wasn't really what I was looking for and I wanted to swim more competitively."

Zackery Good, a former high school teammate at Columbus North, enrolled at Stony Brook and told Gifford of his positive experience. "Zack said it was a good school, the coaches are great and you should come check it out," Gifford said. And she did, transferring to Stony Brook in the fall of 2009.

Not only was it an adjustment for Gifford, it was for many of her teammates. "I think a lot of girls were surprised at my ability," she said. She became closer to them during a recent training trip to Florida. "A lot of my teammates took a second look at me and realized I was just like them. Ever since then, I've felt like one of the girls," Gifford said.

At the conclusion of the season, Gifford attended the U.S. Paralympic Nationals in San Antonio, Texas. She finished third in the 100 breaststroke (1:42.41), third in the 200 breaststroke (3:40.53) and sixth in the 200 individual medley (3:11.89) and 100 butterfly (1:31.91). "I swam every race to the best of my ability," Gifford said.

Despite not qualifying for the World Championships in The Netherlands, all is not lost. Gifford will be attending the Winter Nationals in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and have the opportunity to qualify for the 2012 London Paralympics through certain national standards. But for now, she can say modestly but truthfully, "There is no one else like me." And she'd be right.