Toughness Personified

Watch Ben Brackett compete on the track, train in the weight room, or go about any of his other daily activities, and you’ll see the embodiment of desire, determination, dedication to excellence, and downright grit.
A Collegiate junior and lifer, Ben lives with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, a condition which attacks the peripheral nervous system and affects his motor skills, balance, and mobility.
 
Rather than allow what some might consider limitations to define him, he embraces the challenges, requests no special treatment, makes no excuses, expects no sympathy, and considers himself no different than any other on-the-go 17-year-old.
 
“It just takes an extra step or two,” he says, “to get to the same point.”
 
It takes perseverance and fortitude as well.
 
“Throughout my athletic career, I always knew I wasn’t the fastest or strongest on the court or field,” he said. “Every time I’d race my friends in Lower School, I’d lose.”
 
When he was in 3rd grade, Ben dislocated his right kneecap for the first of several times during his early years because that kneecap is smaller than normal and the imbalance caused by CMT puts stress on the joint and because he goes at life full bore.
 
“I had to learn boundaries and how to recover,” he said. “The first time, I was unable to bend my knee for months and went to physical therapy. It was extremely difficult to come back from it. I was heartbroken. Eventually, I realized it didn’t have to affect my life.  My mom (Callie) has the same issues with her knees. She taught me to just come back better.”
        
Ben was in Middle School when he first learned the name of his disease and received a game plan for navigating the obstacles created by CMT.
 
“I never really noticed I was walking differently,” he said. “When I learned I had it, it explained a lot because I realized my motor skills and balance were never that great. At first, I didn’t change anything because I was already doing stretches and exercises with my mom every night to work on my mobility and strengthen my feet and legs.
 
“In 7th grade, I realized how bad it was when I was watching film for Cub football. I saw myself running, and I saw the way my ankles were going out. My 8th grade year, I started wearing ankle braces. At first, I only wore them when I was doing something demanding, but now I wear them all the time because they make walking easier.”
 
Ben played football through his sophomore year and served as the varsity statistician this past fall while working out on his own. He also competes as a sprinter and thrower on the winter and spring track teams.
 
While he finds joy representing the Green and Gold, he’s using his track training to prepare for the upcoming Move United Junior Nationals and, hopefully one day, the Paralympics. His training began in earnest while his friends on the football team were at practice.
 
“I worked on running,” he said. “At first, I ran 10x50-meter dashes. Then, when the team had weight room, I’d lift with them. As I got more in shape and faster, I started doing more distance and conditioning and workouts like hill sprints to get more explosive and faster.”
 
His regimen evolved into 10x100-meter sprints, then 15 hill sprints. His most demanding self-directed session was 7x400 meters followed by 15 hill sprints and a body-weight workout on the pull-up bar.
 
“Since I was part of the football team, it would have felt weird leaving before they were done, so I stayed out there,” he said. “That led me to do more workouts. I’d finish one thing that would be super-challenging and realize there was an hour left, so I’d force myself to do other things.”
 
This year’s Move United Junior Nationals is July 8-14 in Birmingham. As with the Paralympics, there are various levels of disability for each event with qualifying standards appropriate for each level. Over the next few weeks, Ben plans to undergo testing that will determine his classification for the 100 and the shot put.
 
His research indicates that there are three possible qualification levels for the 100. Two require a previously documented performance of 32 seconds, one of 26 seconds. Ben, of course, is preparing with the 26-second time in mind. It’s a time he’s exceeded in practice but not yet in a sanctioned meet.
 
This unflinching, resolute mindset attests to Ben’s off-the-charts mental and physical toughness.
 
What else would you expect from someone who performs 30 minutes of stretching exercises for his hands, legs, and feet every single night so he can attack the next day with enthusiasm, joy, and courage?
 
Or someone who has undergone arduous physical rehabilitation numerous times and who has developed a high pain threshold because of the constant discomfort with which he deals?
 
Or who has found the time and resolve to earn a black belt in karate and attain the rank of Eagle Scout?
 
Or who uses the word “disability” generically but doesn’t consider himself disabled?
 
“I think there’s definitely some toughness required because it’s difficult to train with a disability,” he said. “I realize I have challenges, but I’ve never let them stop me from doing what I want to do. I started really caring about my athletics in the 6th grade to get in shape and lose weight. I started doing some core workouts in my room at night while I was doing my stretches.
 
“Eventually, I started going to the gym with my dad (Alex) to get more athletic. It kept evolving, and I did more and more to get stronger and faster so I could PR when I threw the shot or beat my time when I ran or overall keep getting better. The motivation definitely came when I found out I could do something like the Paralympics. I realized how great an opportunity that would be.”
 
That’s the way Ben views life — as opportunity — and he avails himself of each that comes his way with a positive spirit and strong heart. He makes no complaints. There’re no What if? or Why me? He just competes.
 
“Feeling sorry for myself wouldn’t change anything,” he said. “I’m not going to have a better life sitting here saying, ‘Oh, man, if I didn’t have this, it would be much easier’ when instead I can say, ‘If I go and do this, I can make things easier for myself.’
 
“Everybody has their own issues. If I didn’t have this, it would probably be something else. You have to look on the bright side. If I didn’t have this, it wouldn’t be possible for me to think about the Paralympics. If I didn’t have this, I’d be a different person than I am.”
 
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