Franklin swimmer overcoming back ailment

<p>Jaden Wilhelm probably won’t win either of his individual events at this weekend’s swimming and diving sectional — but the fact that the Franklin junior will be even in the water today already feels like a victory.</p><p>Sidelined by severe back problems a year ago, Wilhelm has returned to the pool for the Grizzly Cubs. He’ll compete in the 500-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke, and while he’s unlikely to advance to next weekend’s state meet, he’s still made quite an impact on the team this winter.</p><p>Wilhelm started experiencing pain in his back early in his sophomore season and tried working through it; at the time, he and everyone else thought he had just strained a muscle in the weight room. But when the pain didn’t subside, he went to get X-rays and received some interesting news — not only was there a fractured vertebra, but a rather pronounced case of scoliosis that has left his spine looking not all that unlike a spiral staircase.</p><p>Unable to swim, Wilhelm could have called it a career and walked away from the pool, and no one would have thought less of him for it. But he remained dedicated to the team, staying on as a manager and helping in any way that he could. He helped coach the junior varsity team and also taught lessons for the Franklin Regional Swim Team’s swim school.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>Franklin coach Zach DeWitt considered Wilhelm an indispensable part of the team even when he couldn’t compete.</p><p>&quot;He’s really not had the greatest experience with swimming due to sitting out so much, so I was thankful that he even wanted to be a part of the sport still,&quot; DeWitt said.</p><p>Wilhelm wasn’t sure he’d ever swim again at that point. But then, this past summer, he decided to give it another shot. DeWitt and the other FRST club coaches experimented a bit and worked with Wilhelm to figure out what he could handle without making his back problems worse.</p><p>By the end of the summer long course season, Wilhelm was putting up state cut times and feeling good — so he’s largely stuck with that same game plan through the high school season, training on a schedule that keeps him sharp while also managing his pain.</p><p>&quot;He’s pretty much been rolling this entire time,&quot; DeWitt said. &quot;We’ve had a couple of hiccups, but we’ve got a better understanding of what makes it flare up, what we can get away with and what we can’t.&quot;</p><p>As a result, Wilhelm has not only been able to race all season long, but he’s been pretty competitive. He’s already been timed at 4 minutes and 59 seconds in the 500 freestyle, a full nine seconds better than his fully tapered time as a freshman, and he’s posted a time of 56.4 seconds in the backstroke, already down more than three seconds from his best time two years ago.</p><p>Wilhelm placed in the top five in both events at both the Johnson County and Mid-State Conference meets.</p><p>Regardless of the results, this season has been an unqualified success for Wilhelm. Being faced with losing the sport truly renewed his energy for it.</p><p>&quot;I thought I wouldn’t be able to swim again; I thought that was it. So the fact that I’m back, I’m really happy about that,&quot; Wilhelm said. &quot;It changed my perspective a lot. I greatly appreciate it now and have a new understanding for what goes on here, how things work and what I should be doing.&quot;</p><p>After the season, Wilhelm will be going to New York City to undergo a new surgical procedure known as vertebral body tethering. Screws will be placed in each vertebra and used to hold a cable that will pull his spine straight. </p><p>This procedure, an alternative to straightening the spine with rods, should allow Wilhelm to maintain enough mobility to continue swimming at a high level.</p><p>As a bonus, the straightening of his spine could make Wilhelm a couple of inches taller.</p><p>DeWitt isn’t ready to make any projections regarding how good a healthy Wilhelm could be next season, but Wilhelm certainly has some goals in mind — including qualifying for the state meet as an individual.</p><p>&quot;I know I’ve been working as hard as I can here and doing everything I can,&quot; he said, &quot;so we’ll see what the end result is.&quot;</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="If you go" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p><p><strong>Franklin Sectional</strong></p><p><strong>Today</strong></p><p>Swimming preliminaries, 5:30 p.m.</p><p><strong>Saturday</strong></p><p>Diving preliminaries, 9 a.m.</p><p>Swimming and diving finals, 1 p.m.</p><p>Admission: $6 per session, $10 both sessions</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]