PLACENTIA : Swimmer Gets Strokes for Effort

When Joshua Kerr swims, he does so with a grace and athleticism that often eludes him out of the pool.

Limbs and muscles that stubbornly refused to cooperate when Kerr played soccer or baseball are transformed in the water.

Smoothly performing the pattern of stroking, kicking and breathing, the 16-year-old sophomore practiced on a recent afternoon with others on the El Dorado High School swim team.

And while Kerr’s pace is slower than every other swimmer on the squad, it isn’t until he is out of the pool that the characteristics of Down’s syndrome are evident.

“When I swim, I feel fast and strong,” Kerr said.

When Joshua was born, his mother recalls being upset about his future. “It was devastating to me to think of how his life would be,” Sue Kerr said. “I really thought it would be horrible.”

But as she watched Joshua struggle to keep up with his older brother, she began to see the possibilities. Perhaps he could adapt to the family’s love of camping, motorcycling and water polo.

“We started taking him camping, he went to his brother’s (athletic events). He basically did everything we did,” Sue Kerr said. “Treating him different just isn’t part of our plan.”

While Kerr may not be the first swimmer with Down’s syndrome to compete on a high school team, it is rare enough that opposing coaches often question El Dorado coach Michael Ash about it.

“They’ll ask me how I coach Josh, and say they could never do it,” Ash said.

But Ash said he and the team make few concessions to Kerr. He must be at school every morning at 6, ready to lift weights. He swims as many laps during practice as the rest of the team.

“It’s no problem having Josh on the team,” said Christian Frid, a senior and one of two captains on the team. “We have to encourage him a lot, but we do that with each other anyway. If anything, he’s an inspiration because he never stops trying.”

Kerr’s spot on the varsity swim team at El Dorado is not a watered-down accomplishment. After the first week of four-hour-a-day practices, many would-be swimmers give up.

“He stuck it out when others dropped like flies,” Frid said.

At a recent meet with El Toro High School, Kerr was relaxed and excited before his first event, the 100-meter butterfly. He cheered on the El Dorado swimmers in the pool as he waited for his turn.

“I’m not nervous. No way,” Kerr said. “I’m going to swim fast.”

Minutes later, as the starter’s pistol sent Kerr and five other swimmers hurling into the water, a chant started around the pool.

“Go, Josh.”

Nearly everyone on the deck watched him, his arms slicing through the water. Even as the gap widened between the other swimmers and Kerr, even as the first, then second, then the rest of the swimmers touched the wall to finish their race, the cheering continued.

“Keep it going, Josh. You can do it, Josh,” yelled a group at the end of the pool, crouched to make eye contact as Kerr touched the wall to make his final turn.

Looking up at the group, Kerr flashed a grin, then put his head down and pushed off the wall. He was alone in the water, and all attention was on him. With each stroke, a buzz built. When he finally touched the wall, swimmers, parents and spectators from both teams applauded and cheered.

Watching the now-familiar scene, Ash commented on why Kerr evokes this response: “In his way, he’s an overachiever. His participation is pure effort, and he is accepted as a swimmer because everyone can see that.”