R. John McCullough, a below-the-knee amputee, dominated in water polo and then swimming at Clear Creek and Clear Springs high schools in Houston, Texas this past year, and now he has been hand-picked to train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado for the 2012 Paralympics. Dolphins would have better luck keeping up with this young athlete than some of the nondisabled swimmers he has faced.

Practicing five days a week to perfect his swimming technique, McCullough has competed at varsity level swimming and water polo since his sophomore year in high school.

Swimming Improves
“Coach [Sean] Kapp, the swim coach for Clear Springs, worked with me to improve my swimming strokes to help both my water polo and swimming,” said McCullough.

His success at the Can-Am Games in San Antonio led to a meeting with some of the top American and Canadian swimming athletes.

“This was a great experience for me and they welcomed me to my first international competition,” said McCullough. “I took away from this meet the understanding of the hard work, dedication, and commitment it takes to compete at this level.”

Paralympic Attention
McCullough’s competitive success in the Can-Am Games also caught the attention of Doug Garner, the director of Paralympic Sport Arlington, which led to the invitation to hone his skills at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado. 

“I was very surprised to receive the recognition because of the number of qualified swimmers that attended the Can-Am Games,” McCullough says. “This was my first opportunity to compete at this level, and this was my first competition in a 50-meter pool.”

Able-Body Competition
As a swimmer with a disability competing at the high school level, athletes have little choice but to swim against nondisabled competitors. However, McCullough remains undaunted by the challenge.

“I have always competed with able-body swimmers in both swimming and water polo,” states McCullough. “Competing with able-body athletes helps the disabled athlete because the competition is more challenging and forces us to push ourselves harder. I work hard in practice because I know once in the pool, they don’t see me as disabled as much as they see me as any other athlete.”

ASL Teacher
As much as he loves the competition of swimming, McCullough strives to be a well-rounded individual with goals beyond the field of competition.

“I would like to pursue a degree in an area such as [American Sign Language] interpreting where I can help people to overcome their struggles as others have helped me,” says McCullough.