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SIERRA VISTA — Sometimes, Buena swimmer Tom Cahir likes to gross people out by showing them his left knee.
The 6-foot-1 senior was born without an anterior cruciate ligament. The only thing really holding that knee together is muscle acquired from years of swimming.
Cahir can push out the lower part of his kneecap, out so far it looks as if it’s going to break right through the skin, to the horror of the uninitiated.
He’s always made the best of what makes him a little different. His mom said, for the most part, her son never really thought about it.
 Buena senior swimmer Tom Cahir (right) talks with a teammate during Thursday’s meet against Mountain View at The Cove Aquatic Center in Sierra Vista prior to his victory in the 500-meter freestyle. (Matt Hickman-Herald/Review) |
Now, as the most dominant swimmer on Buena’s team, Cahir even finds it a little funny.
Not only is he without an ACL, the swimmer’s left leg started out shorter than his right. When he was in fourth grade, doctors lengthened the leg, a six-month-long process of dealing with pins and needles, leaving him with numerous scars on his upper leg.
As he grew over the years, his right leg became longer once more. His sophomore year, doctors shaved the growth plates in his right leg to stop its growth and allow the left leg to catch up.
Through all these surgeries and changes his body experienced, Cahir has been swimming. He started on a team when he was 5 years old after his family moved to Sierra Vista, but his mom had him in the water as an infant.
“My mom thought it was important to get us in the water when we were little,” Cahir said of himself and his two older brothers, both of whom swam for Buena. “I don’t think she was really comfortable in the water, and wanted to make sure we were.”
Cahir’s mother, Cathy, said she was really just looking for a recreational activity for her young kids, who are close in age.
Cahir’s older brothers, John and Pat, both competed on the Buena swim team when they were in high school. Both were captains and state qualifiers.
John Cahir swam from 2001-04 in the longer distance races and Pat Cahir from 2003-07 in the breaststroke and individual medley. John Cahir is now attending school at the University of Arizona and Pat Cahir is at Cochise College, but neither are swimming competitively.
Tom Cahir still looks up to both of his brothers, a little more to the oldest since the two compete in most of the same events.
“Even now I call my (oldest) brother after every meet,” Cahir said. “He comes to my away meetss, and I actually like the pressure. A lot of times, I’m comparing myself to him.”
To Buena head coach Richard Smith, who has coached all three of the brothers, each one has something different to bring to the table.
“Tom is his own Cahir,” Smith said. “I’ve known their family since I moved to Arizona. Tom’s just a great kid, and definitely always willing to give everything he has.”
Smith said Cahir’s type of injury brings in a better perspective to the rest of the swimmers on the team, making them think twice about complaining about something like a slight shoulder pain.
For the Colts this season, Cahir has finished in the top two spots in most of the meets where the Colts have participated. He was the only boys swimmer to place at the very competitive Nike Invitational in Tucson two weeks ago, where he pulled a 14th-place finish in 500 freestyle.
But Cahir isn’t one to brag. He’s even modest when talking about how his knee has affected him in his sport.
“He really inspired us, and we really stuck it out as a family,” Cathy Cahir said. “It’s an inspiration to you as a parent to see a 9-year-old go through all that and never ask ‘Why?’ and never complain.”
Against Mountain View Marana on Thursday afternoon at The Cove, Cahir finished with a time of 1:59.43 in the 200 freestyle and first in the 500 freestyle in 5:25.25.
Smith said Cahir’s time in the 500 freestyle is better right now than his time last year at regionals, when he brought his time down from around a 5:40 to a 5:26 by the end of last season.
“As long as he’s working hard, like he always is, we’re proud of whatever he does,” Smith said. “We’re really trying to set the mentality for the whole team that even though you’re broken down, you’ve got to push through it.”
Several of the Buena swimmers earned personal bests in the Colts’ double win against Mountain View on Thursday, including Lissi Welton breaking her own school record in the breast stroke again with a time of 1:11:06. The Buena boys won 104-83 and the girls won 114-66.
“Mountain View has some good swimmers,” Cahir said. “And I know most people say regular season meets don’t mean anything, but they drive you.”
Herald/Review sports reporter Liz Manring can be reached at 515-4682 or by e-mail at liz.manring@svherald.com.
James Moffett wrote on Oct 3, 2008 10:52 PM: