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Adapted aquatic program continues to grow at YMCA
By Jim Kilpatrick, Staff Writer
Mary Blankenship, aquatic director for the Coppell Family YMCA, began an adapted aquatics program in 2000, and since its inception it has grown yearly.
Blankenship had a similar program in Lubbock, and when she arrived in Coppell, she was asked to create a program for special populations.
“The first thing that came to my mind was an adapted aquatic program,” Blankenship said.
Blankenship, a certified adapted aquatics instructor since 1986, has guided the program and served more than 500 individuals since its beginning.
Barb Wolf, parent of an adapted aquatics participant says the program is great. “We have been very pleased with the adapted aquatics program at the Coppell Family YMCA,” Wolf said. “Our daughter, Jessica, has been coming for years. She loves the staff and being in the water has helped her so much.”
The program is about 10 years old.
“We started the adapted aquatics program in October of 2000,” said Blankenship. “We have served over 500 individuals, both adults and children.”
Classes are taught on a one-on-one basis with instructors who are specially trained to deal with students with special needs.
“The adapted program is a learn-to-swim program, as well as an exercise program for people with disabilities,” Blankenship said.
Many of the adapted program swimmers also swim on the YMCA Special Olympics swim team, which is affiliated with Special Olympics Texas.
“We have adults that the only thing they can do is exercise in the water, but they can’t keep up with the regular classes,” Blankenship said. “We make their routine based on their disability and needs.”
The program modifies various swim strokes as well as using floatation devises to aid the swimmers.
“Since we look at the whole person, we try to at least twice a year have something that is fun,” Blankenship said. “We have had Christmas parties, arts and crafts parties, and square dancing.”
She added that they want the entire family involved with the program.
The swim classes are held at the Coppell Family YMCA at the indoor pool.
Swimmers, come at various times during the day and evening.
This summer there are 43 swimmers in the adapted aquatic class and 50 swimmers on the Special Olympics swim team.
“A lot of these swimmers swim year round,” Blankenship said. “We have added 10 new swimmers to our adapted program this summer.”
In addition to adapted aquatics, the Coppell Family YMCA has recently begun a new program for children with special needs, called Adventure Eagles.
The program is for boys and girls and is an off shoot the original father son/father daughter program, Adventure Guides and Princesses. The Eagles program works specifically with the special needs children and their dads.
“We have a small group right now, and everyone is getting to know each other and exploring ideas for the program’s future,” said Jeff Parker, family director at the Coppell Family YMCA. “It is basically for special need kids.”
Parker added that they are trying to do special events for the special needs kids like playing soccer or going on camp outs.
“We are asking the dads to help us by telling what kind of activities their children would like to do,” Parker said. “It is a matter of me getting all the dads on the same page.”
Since the inception of the program in December, there has been a swim party and a soccer event with other activities planned, including partnering with the Dallas Woods and Waters club to do activities like a fishing day, therapeutic horseback riding and camp outs for special needs kids.
The present program starts out for children ages 4 to 12.
“We are looking to expand the program to include older kids,” Parker said.
For information on either of these programs, contact the Coppell Family YMCA at 972-393-5121 or go to www.coppellymca.org.
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