Alex Post: Aspiring, inspirational swimmer

Yahoo

14 hours ago

BROOKINGS, SD (KELO) — There are no lazy summer afternoons lounging by the pool for a Brookings man.
Instead, Alex Post is jumping into the water as part of his training to become a world-class swimmer.
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His rigorous workouts are an inspiration to others who may be facing challenges of their own.
Post swims dozens of laps in the pool at the Miller Wellness Center at SDSU.
'Very exhausting. Especially if I do about half of them are backstrokes, the rest is more of the butterflies and that's a lot harder for me,' Post said.
Post is constantly trying to improve his time.
'I could swim in a 25-meter, I think my best time is 45-seconds, which is really good for a guy like me,' Post said.
Post, 24, has been swimming for much of his life. But just a couple months ago, he discovered he could swim without a life jacket. And that would plunge him into uncharted waters.
'At first, I was afraid to swim. I thought I was going to drown. And so, I finally had to get past that fear and just do it,' Post said.
You see, he swims without any legs.
'I was born with the rare genetic disease called arthrogryposis which affects muscle and bone,' Post said.
A dozen years ago, Post decided to have his legs surgically removed.
'A lot of my joints are frozen into place. They can't move and so I knew I was never going to be able to walk with my legs so I told my parents I wanted to remove my legs,' Post said.
Now he aspires to compete in the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. But first, he'll have to compete in preliminary events at the regional and national level. Whenever Post is in the water, he's overflowing with confidence.
'He's driven, super-outgoing, confident and then the biggest thing is he's reliable. Every day he wants to get better,' Post's coach and caregiver Scott Ault said.
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'I push myself and it gets tough sometimes because the muscles hurt. Everything's going to hurt and I know that I'm going to get there,' Post said.
Post is staying in his lane in pursuing his paralympic dream. But he's looking beyond his own ambitions to bring hope to others.
'I'm not just trying to inspire people with disabilities. But people that think they're not good enough in life, that want to give up and I just want to show people there's no point in giving up, there's something that you can do,' Post said.
Leaving a legacy of determination and drive in his wake.
'One of the things my mother always said was: you shoot for the moon and if you don't get there, you'll still fall amongst the stars. And that's Alex in a nutshell,' Ault said.
Post is a client of Right at Home In-Home Care & Assistance. The Sioux Falls-based company is sponsoring his Paralympics quest.
He is looking for additional help. If you'd like to be a sponsor, we have a link to his Facebook page.
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