Day 9: Melissa's Valiant Effort

From David Rotter, Scheck & Siress prosthetist:

The day that Melissa had been waiting for: today is the 400-meter free, which is Melissa’s strongest event. The morning session again is the qualifying session to make it to the finals, held the same day later in the evening.

We are now accustomed to waiting for her meet, which is second-to-last. Finally, Melissa comes out and our section erupts with cheer. The race begins and Melissa is off to a good start. This is a long race, making it possible for swimmers to improve their positions or get overtaken by a competitor’s surge.

Despite a valiant effort, Melissa finishes fifth in this race with one more meet in her S9 class to go. As we learned, the competition is very stiff. After the final race they put the qualifiers on the screen. As the names go up, it becomes clear that the competition is just too stiff and that Melissa’s time isn’t a qualifying time.

She finishes number 17. We are so proud of our champ! She defied all odds and made the Paralympic squad. She represented our country valiantly. At the end of the heat we got a chance to see Melissa. She got a supporting and comforting embrace from her husband, Dick, and a shoulder to grieve on.

We all got a chance to give Melissa a hug and tell her how proud of her we are. She is understandably disappointed. We all plan to go to the finals this evening to cheer on the American team.

During the evening session we got a chance to see Jessica Long get a gold medal. For the first time at an Olympic Games, I saw our flag raised and listened to The Star-Spangled Banner at an award ceremony. It was a very proud moment.

Melissa got a chance to sit with us and cheer for a bit. Every one in the American cheering section got a chance to congratulate her on the great accomplishment of being a Paralympian.