When Joey Geschke swims a lap, he experiences a miracle.
On Thanksgiving Day 2003, Geschke was playing football at his uncle's house in Virginia. He slipped on ice and fell into a hole, breaking his knee. Within a few months, Geschke would have surgery to remove his broken patella, a surgery that would require an update every 2 1/2 years. Geschke's patellar tendon now grows back infected, each time requiring another surgery to remove the infection. He has undergone three surgeries, the last of which was performed in April.
After that surgery, doctors told Geschke his swimming career was over. The devastation of losing his dream was too much for him to handle and disbelief set in.
"I immediately started to cry," the Ridgewood High School sophomore said. "I didn't think I'd be able to deal with it. I spend more time at the pool than I do at my house. All I kept thinking was that there had to be a way around it. If there wasn't, I was going to make a way around it."
Geschke wasn't alone after his last surgery, however. TBAY Aquatics coach Casey Claflin is a highly respected swimmer and coach who has taken Geschke under his wing during the difficult periods he has faced.
"After his surgery he continued to have pain, but he'd try to swim," Claflin said. "Once he couldn't take it, we'd get him out of the pool and have him do some dry land stuff, but he'd be watching the other kids swimming and you could see that it was eating him up."
Claflin's presence has meant a lot to Geschke, who views the 55-year-old as a mentor.
"The man just broke a world record (in masters backstroke)," Geschke said. "I've been through a lot of relationships with coaches, but Casey is different. He's like a father figure. I look up to him when I need something. He's what a swimmer or a son would always want."
After struggling in the pool and having to sit out for extended periods of time, Claflin helped Geschke find another doctor. He was given an electronic stimulation machine, a device that shoots electronic pulses through his leg to work his muscles. Within days, Geschke's pain had dissipated.
"We had come to terms with the fact that Joey wasn't going to swim for his high school," Claflin said. "I said, 'Joey, I'm waiting for that day when you come to me and say, Coach, I have no pain.' Three days after he started using that machine, he came to me and said he had no pain."
Geschke still uses the machine for three hours a day, dubbing it the "miracle machine."
"When I put it on it feels like a massage going through your leg," Geschke said. "After three hours, though, the muscles feel tired. My left leg used to be 3 or 4 inches smaller than my right, but now it's the same."
Geschke now has a newfound confidence. He lost more than 50 pounds in an eight-month span and plans to continue his goal of getting to the Olympics.
"They say there is no limit to greatness," Geschke said. "Well, I'm greatness. I'm hoping to go on to college after this and maybe Casey will coach college and I can go where he is. Maybe he can stay with me like Michael Phelps' coach did with him."
According to Claflin, Geschke has been an inspiration to his teammates. The pool, however, is not the only place where Geschke is inspiring.
He does it at home, too.
"He has the same work ethic as I do," said Joey's mother, Katy Geschke. "The difference between he and I is that he goes above and beyond with swimming. He's absolutely obsessed with it and works endlessly at getting better. He inspires me with his passion for it."
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Fast facts
Joey Geschke
Age: 15
School: Ridgewood High School
Grade: Sophomore
Etc.: Geschke won his first competition when he was 5 years old. In high school, he has made the state tournament in the 200- and 500-meter freestyle. The team has its sights set on finishing in the top 16 at a state event.
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