Brickelle Bro, a fourteen-year-old freestyle swimmer and bilateral amputee, was recently awarded a $5,000 scholarship from the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation.

by Lisa Crockett with photos provided by the Bro family

Brickelle Bro, a 14-year-old eighth grader at Rocky Heights Middle School and a resident of Castle Pines, is a bilateral amputee – she was born without feet and is missing most of her lower legs.

Some people wonder how it is that she’s a freestyle swimming champ, finding success against able-bodied swimmers her own age. But she says she can’t miss what she never had, and has proceeded to work hard and find success despite what others might perceive to be an obstacle. And even at her young age, people are starting to take notice of the girl who sports zebra-stripe prosthetic legs.

“I started to do color on my legs a while ago and I was looking for something cool to do,” said Brickelle. “My prosthetist found the zebra stripes and I decided to try them and I love them.”

In May, Brickelle received the “Exceptional Star of the Year” award at an annual luncheon sponsored by the John Lynch Foundation to honor outstanding student athletes in the Denver area. The event was held at INVESCO Field and hosted by Tim Tebow, Von Miller and John and Linda Lynch. The annual luncheon honors middle school and high school students who combine leadership, academic excellence and athletic performance.

“I got to meet John Lynch and his wife and some football players and the other award winners,” said Brickelle. “It was a great experience.”

The Exceptional Star award is given by the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation and goes to four recipients, two with Down syndrome and two with physical challenges. Brickelle was featured in a video presentation at the luncheon and awarded a $5,000 scholarship.

“The world defines her as an amputee, but she defies the expectations and people are in awe of her,” said Heather Bro, Brickelle’s mother. She’s tried really hard not to fit in that box. She goes out of her way to prove that she can do anything – she’s worked her whole life to prove she can do what she wants. She’s a straight-A student and puts herself in everything she does. She commits 100 percent, so for swimming, it’s natural that she would do the same thing.”

A swimmer with the Rock swim team in Castle Rock, Brickelle competes in regular competitions, and is now trying her hand at Paralympic events swimming the mile and the 500 m, as well as some shorter-distance events.

“Swimming the Paralympic events is great,” said Brickelle. “The other Paralympic athletes can relate to me in a different way, and it’s great to be with them. They were all so nice.”

Brickelle recently participated in a National Paralympic Championship qualifying meet in Minneapolis, finishing in the top five in five different events, and she has her eyes on the Paralympics in London next year.

Coaches from her own team, as well as coaches and swimmers on other teams, have taken notice of Brickelle’s poise as well as her performance.

“I have seen her walk into a crowd of able-bodied athletes with complete poise, remove her prosthetics, and get herself to the starting block on her own, while the other athletes tower over her,” said Will Amos, an age-group coach for Castle Rock Swimming.

“Her determination and courage are an inspiration to me, her teammates, and other athletes who compete against her. There is not a single meet that she competes at where I don’t have at least one athlete from another team tell me how amazing she is. She is one of the rare athletes that make me want to be a better coach in order to meet her needs as an athlete. I am privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Brickelle, and look forward to great things from her in the future.”

For her part, Brickelle seems to take things in stride – quite literally. She was fit for her first prosthetics at just six months old, and handles them with the same grace and ease that define her as a swimmer. After being nominated for the Exceptional Star award, the Lynch Foundation asked her to write an essay about what it meant to be an “exceptional” athlete. Here is a passage from her essay:

“Every day the world sees me as an amputee instead of a teenage girl. They are amazed that I can do so much, but to me it’s just part of everyday life. I don’t know why they’re so surprised to see me running down the hall, swimming another lap and jumping around. I don’t feel like I’m overcoming any challenges, just simply going through life the best I can with what I have. I’m just another creative, smart, friendly, energetic teenage girl who happens to be an amputee.”

The scholarship was awarded at a special luncheon hosted at INVESCO Field by the John Lynch Foundation.