User:Swimmersarecool/sandbox/David Gelfand

David Gelfand is a US Paralympics Swimming Emerging Team athlete from the town of Weston, Connecticut. He grew up in the town of Millburn, New Jersey but moved to Connecticut at an early age. David was born with Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency and has a shortened left leg with a full foot.

He is currently in eleventh grade at Weston High School and has distinguished himself through his leadership in the pool and in the classroom. His times and grades earned him a nomination to the United States Scholastic All America team.

Swimming
David has swam competitively since he was six years old and has participated in disability meets for many years. When he competed at the NJDC he was classified as a S9. Recently he has put himself on the radar for international competitions after his first Can-Am Championship meet in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2013. He didn't compete again in a international competition until the 2015 Spring Can-Am Championships in Toronto, Ontario. He narrowly missed the Emerging Team cut but managed to swim it nine months later in Bismark, North Dakota. David's next major competition will be the USA Swimming Paralympic Trials in Charlotte, North Carolina where he will be vying for a spot on the US Paralympic team to swim in Rio de Janiero. He trains and competes with the Wilton YMCA Wahoos. He also competes on his high school team, the Weston High School Trojans, the Connecticut Class S State Champions.

Other Accolades
February 2016, David became an Eagle Scout.

June 2016, David was honored with the Cornell University book award.

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