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Berkeley swimmer heads to state after overcoming back ailment

Staff photo by CLIFF McBRIDE

Berkeley Prep senior swimmer Zach Eicholtz, who keeps the back brace he wore to remind him of his ordeal, will compete in this weekend's state championships in Orlando.

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By KATHERINE SMITH | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 11, 2009

TAMPA - It started in his toes.

Soon, the tingling sensation spread to Zach Eicholtz's legs. Coordination became a problem for the Berkeley Prep swimmer. He would teeter on the starting block and lose his balance. Sometimes he couldn't feel his feet.

Still, Eicholtz didn't tell anyone.

It wasn't until several months later, when he cut his toe and looked down to see blood but didn't feel pain, that he alerted his family there was a problem.

"I saw the bleeding and thought I should be feeling this," Eicholtz said.

It began during the Christmas holidays of his sophomore year in 2007. Six months later, Eicholtz was told he might not walk again.

Nearly two years after the ordeal began, the 18-year-old will join the top high school swimmers in the state this weekend at the FHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships in Orlando. The senior's Berkeley Prep team competes Saturday in the Class 1A meet.

That Eicholtz will be participating in the state's biggest high school meet is an accomplishment in itself. That he will be able to walk into the aquatic center for the competition is somewhat of a miracle.

A condition called Scheuermann's disease nearly cost Eicholtz the active lifestyle he has grown to love. The disease causes a compression of the spine and affects mostly teenage boys.

"There's nothing I did," he said. "It just happens."

After a series of doctor visits throughout the summer of 2008, Eicholtz was sent to orthopedic surgeon John Small, who finally diagnosed his condition properly and performed emergency surgery.

The prognosis was grim.

"The day of the surgery, Small sat me down and told me there was a 50-50 chance Zach would walk out of the hospital," Eicholtz's father Kirk said.

The surgery involved the fusing of two vertebrae and the insertion of a rod and screws.

"I recently went to a concert, and the hand wand went off and they made me lift up my shirt," Eicholtz said. "They wouldn't listen to me when I explained I had back surgery."

Following the surgery, Eicholtz laid in a hospital bed for one week, then in his own bed for another week. He couldn't drive for a month. He endured three months of physical therapy and needed the aid of a walker.

"I had to retrain the nerves on how to put one foot in front of the other," he said. "The first two weeks, the pain was unbearable. I can't describe it. But then it slowly started getting better."

For four months, Eicholtz wore a full-body back brace. The uncomfortable gadget serves as a badge of honor, and it has a special place in his bedroom.

"I will probably keep it forever," he said. "I see it every day and I reflect back."

Eicholtz's condition cost him his junior season. His doctors cleared him to begin swimming again just before the start of his senior year. With no expectations, the sprinter prepared for the season, and in his first dual meet he won the 50 freestyle.

"It's just been great to be able to come back and experience this with my team," he said. "I couldn't ask for any more. I'm still in shock that I was able to come back."

Berkeley Prep's boys team enjoyed one of the best seasons in school history. It beat Jesuit for the first time in 11 years, won a district championship for the first time in 10 years and won the school's first region title. Coach Kevin Rosepapa couldn't imagine accomplishing those feats without Eicholtz.

"He has exceeded way past expectations from the first meet he was back," Rosepapa said. "He's been a big, big, big surprise. It's a huge addition having him back. We couldn't have done those things without Zach this year."

Eicholtz advanced to the state meet for the first time in an individual event, the 50 free. He also will anchor the Bucs' 200 medley and 200 and 400 free relay teams.

In addition to his rigorous swimming schedule, Eicholtz participates in a workout class to keep his back strong.

You would never know he has a disease that nearly robbed him of these opportunities.

"Things happen for a reason, and what's happened after has only been good," Eicholtz said. "So I can't complain that it's happened because I've definitely gotten better from it. Everything was almost taken away, so I have to think differently.

"I live every day like it's my last.''

Reporter Katherine Smith can be reached at (813) 259-7860.

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