viewpoints
Ben Maxwell: lifesaver
Snapshots of Eckerd
courtesy of Wikicommons
Journalism students interview classmates
14
Friday, October 23, 2009
By Alexandra Solan Contributing Writer
B
en Maxwell was only 15 when he saved his first life. As life-altering as that moment must have been for the 50-year-old family friend Ben saved from drowning in Cape Cod, it was just as life-changing for Ben. “I’ve always been a strong swimmer,” said the 20-year-old Eckerd junior, “and I’ve always thought about going into the Armed Forces, so I thought why not combine the two?” When first looking at Ben Maxwell, one might not think he screams Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer. The Falmouth, Mass., native is a star on the Eckerd tennis team, majoring in creative writing. Ten years ago, he moved to Sarasota, Fla., where he plans on living the rest of his life. When asked why he chose Eckerd, he simply replied, “Eckerd actually chose me,” recalling that Eckerd recruited him for tennis, a sport photo by Alexandra Solan that he has been playing his whole life. “I really didn’t like Eckerd at first because I thought the athletic program was not the best, but I learned to love it.” He added, “My teammates are an awesome group of guys and I enjoy playing with them every match.” While Ben still plans on playing tennis after graduation next year, he has his eyes set on his other goal, becoming a member of the Coast Guard. So, I asked Ben to take me back to that day he saved the life of his friend, Dave. Ben and a group of his family had decided to go parasailing out on the Cape that day, despite the cloudy weather. After round one, Ben said he opted to go up for a second time with Dave. Yet this time around, the boat decided to stop and both men went down in the water. Ben didn’t think anything was wrong at the time, until he saw the sail go underwater. After unclipping himself and beginning to swim back to shore, Ben suddenly heard Dave gasping for breath. Dave had been pulled down by the deflated sail, to which he was still attached. By the time Ben got to him, Dave was 15 feet or so underwater. “To this day, Dave thanks me for saving his life.” While this parasailing event helped Ben realize that he eventually wants to join the Coast Guard, it definitely has not been the only deciding factor. “Growing up on the Cape there were always a lot of Coasties, and as a kid I always thought about joining some kind of service.” He further admits that the Kevin Costner-Ashton Kutcher movie, The Guardian, also inspired him to become a rescue swimmer. For now, Ben is just your typical Floridian who likes to fish, play some tennis and hang out with his buddies. As for the rescue stuff, he’s taking that one parasailing crisis at a time.