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We would like to extend our appreciation and admiration for the
increased participation of disabled athletes in the LSC, as well as
the practices we have observed by the coaches, clubs and officials
to help these athletes find access into the sport and develop
through participation and competition. I would like to spend a few
minutes to both review the current philosophy and resources
available to assist clubs, families, athletes, coaches and
officials in their efforts to participate in our mission.
Randy Julian, Disabilities Chair for United States Swimming spent
considerable time over the phone and through e-mail in December
2006 to help articulate the philosophy of United States Swimming
toward disabled athletes. USAS does not intend to promote a
“search and rescue” approach toward such athletes by
seeking those who could possibly be disabled to varying degrees by
inconspicuous conditions, but to foster an approach to assist those
with apparent disabilities which impede them from being able to
participate so that they can participate. Every child has an
“access moment” in which the swimmer has to transcend
fears anxieties and doubts in order to participate, but we
typically don’t tag them with “Anxiety Disorder”
and make adjustments which prevent the swimmer from a moment of
growth and adjustment on their own. Consider instead, a swimmer
who, because of amputation, who may initially need some
accommodation to start in an untraditional manner, or who would
need a means of evaluating the legality of a short axis stroke (fly
or breaststroke) in which the rules demand “simultaneous
motion” of both appendages. The deficit is apparent, not
sought, and the solution simple enough to allow the swimmer to have
that “access moment.” This distinction in approach
should provide a common-sense directive to all coaches, parents and
officials to help the athlete to participate without canceling the
opportunity for that athlete to learn and grow through the sport as
determined by their capabilities as well as their
disabilities.
A wonderful demonstration of this philosophy in practice occurred
at a meet in Clemson when Colleen and Ed Miller of Spartan Splash
School asked the referee for time so that a swimmer with a
cognitive disability could find her way to the blocks. During the
initial events, the swimmer needed the coach escort right onto the
blocks; by the end of the meet, the swimmer was able to make
increasingly greater distances on her own to find her proper lane.
The coaches did a wonderful job of setting the scene for the
athlete to learn and grow, and the officials’ crew provided
time for the athlete to undergo the process without negatively
impacting the other competitors in the event.
Resources
Coach Keith Kennedy and the Greater Toledo Aquatic Club staff have
been gracious to provide our office with insight from their
experiences in developing a real leader among all USA Swimming club
programs to develop athletes with disabilities.
Coach Kennedy has represented USA Swimming at the Paralympics in
Athens 2004 and the World Champs in 2006. The team helped to
develop Beth Riggle, a Bronze medalist in individual events and a
Gold medalist in relays at the 2004 Paralympics. GTAC also provided
our office with their plan for the development of a program to
access swimmers with disabilities into the sport in a manner which
is cost effective and an opportunity to the members of any club who
are willing to engage in the program. GTAC also has been gracious
to allow us to share their ideas and booklet to any coach or club
willing to read, learn, experiment and grow in the process of
program development. Please contact SC Disabilities Chair Jim Keogh
at jkeogh@scvrd.state.sc.us concerning
this resource.
Correction
During the April 29th LSC Board of Directors meeting, USA Swimming
Club Development Consultant Dave Thomas corrected me in referring
to the National Championships as the Adaptive Championships. The
meet is correctly named Disabilities
Championships.
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