PLEASANTVILLE — Lower Cape May Regional High School swimmer Jacob Balnis pressed his feet against the wall at the far end of the Pleasantville High School pool last month and waited to hear the horn to start the race.
When it blared, the junior lurched into action, arms churning and legs kicking, until his fingertips grazed the wall at the other end.
His event, the 25-meter freestyle, was not an official part of the meet. It was billed as a “consolation final” that featured the 17-year-old, who has Down syndrome, with several teammates and Greyhounds swimmers.
Yet the cheers were deafening.
And they came from swimmers and spectators from both teams.
“Everyone loves Jacob,” Lower swimming coach Brittany O’Donnell said. “You see it every time he swims. Even the kids on the other teams cheer for him. In today’s world, that’s something you don’t see very often. It’s such a good thing.”
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Jacob, the youngest of JoAnn and Richard Balnis’ 11 children, belongs to the school’s swim and soccer teams.
“I like playing sports because I get to be with my friends,” Jacob said. “It’s fun.”
Over the past year or so, his enthusiasm and determination have been on display at local pools and soccer fields. And everyone has been inspired by it.
Whether it’s in the hallways at Lower Cape May Regional or at a competition, the acts of kindness are boundless.
“It’s just so nice to see the warmth in people,” JoAnn Balnis said with a smile. “That’s something that doesn’t happen very often nowadays. The fact that Jacob has had that effect on people means the world to us.”
Katie Damiana, Jacob’s personal aide, sees it every day.
It’s clear the two have a special bond. Before entering the pool for his race last month, Jacob rushed over with Damiana, 25, to share a quick round of hugs with his mother and three of his 10 siblings.
When they got back, they exchanged an elaborate handshake.
“We started messing around with handshakes one day, and that’s what we came up with,” Damiana said. “This is my second year working with him, and I love it. I wouldn’t trade my job for anything. He’s happy all the time.”
The response from the local sports community to Jacob’s accomplishments has been heartwarming.
It began last swimming season, during Lower Cape May’s meet against Middle Township.
In most sports, Lower and Middle are fierce rivals. The school’s football teams play the Anchor Bowl every Thanksgiving. During that swim meet, however, swimmers and spectators from both schools gathered to root for Jacob.
“Everyone was crying,” O’Donnell said. “It was such a special day.”
The support carried over to soccer this year.
During a junior varsity game against Middle, Middle coaches approached Lower coach Dan Keen and asked if it would be OK if the Panthers let him score.
Other teams followed suit. By the end of the season, Jacob had scored seven goals.
“I had planned to get him in every game, but it was mainly just to let him get on the field and feel a part of the team,” Keen said. “I wouldn’t have asked another team to let him score, so the fact that the other coaches came up with the idea was awesome. It’s times like that when you get to see how people really are.”
Sports have always played a big role in Jacob’s life.
Almost all of his 10 brothers and sisters — five of them adopted — were involved in sports.
Two of his sisters, Gabby and Jessica, were soccer stars at Buena Regional and Delsea Regional high schools, respectively, and went on to play for Stockton University. Jacob started playing soccer at age 5 in a Weymouth Township recreational league.
He started swimming in the family pool in the backyard around the same time and quickly graduated to the Special Olympics, where he recently qualified for the national meet in the freestyle.
“I like swimming very fast,” Jacob said. “Bowling is my favorite sport. I like floor hockey, soccer, basketball, football.”
Jacob’s 17th birthday was the same day as the race in Pleasantville.
After he swam, he was surrounded by his teammates, who sang “Happy Birthday” to him. The group included junior Gabriel Brooker and freshman Robbie Elwell, two of his closest friends.
“He’s probably the most liked person on the team,” Elwell said. “He’s like our teammate and our mascot.”
O’Donnell, assistant coach Fran Zukawski and Damiana presented him with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hooded robe.
He pulled the hood low over his face, then rushed over to show his mom and sisters.
Afterward, he hoped to go out for his favorite meal.
“Wawa,” Jacob said with a smile. “Ham and cheese hoagie, chips, KitKats and Coke.”
Instead, his family treated him to dinner at a local Applebee’s. The last time they were there, he had his parents and family in tears.
“His sisters all ordered (alcoholic) drinks and were asked to show their IDs,” JoAnn said with a laugh. “The waitress turned to Jacob and asked what he wanted and he said, ‘I’ll have a beer.’ She asked him how old he was and he said, ‘21.’”
After the meet ended, he joined his teammates for the traditional post-meet handshake with the other team.
Jacob was first in line. There were more hugs than high fives.
“We were a little hesitant to let him play for the high school team at first because we weren’t sure how he would be received,” Joann said. “But it’s been great. He’s a part of the group and is just so excited to be around them. He even cried on the bus ride home from school last Friday because he wouldn’t get to see his friends for a few days.”
