Para Learn to Swim and Para Competitive Swim Program
What is Para Learn to Swim?
The program is a volunteer led program that encourages physical literacy development in the water through play and skill development.
The overall goal is to develop the necessary skills of a high-performance athlete.
The skills focused on in this program will be the following:
- Water Safety (bobs, blowing bubbles)
- Front and back floats
- Back to front, front to back rolls
- Float to stand
- Symmetrical swimming skills (dolphin kick, double arm back, sculling, etc).
6 weeks blocks will be offered over the season (October-June). More information will follow soon.
What is Para Competitive program?
PARA - Pre-competitive and Competitive: These swimmers have graduated from Para Learn to Swim to learning to train in a group setting. They will continue to work on developing their skills while working in a group setting. When they're ready, swimmers will join the competitive team. They will work with the coach to have an individualized schedule and training plan. They will begin attending swim meets.
The Vernon Kokanee Swim Club follows the rules and guidelines for eligibility, as laid out by Swimming Canada, under the criteria provided by World Para Swimming. Some examples of eligible underlying health conditions:
- Physical Impairments
- Amputees/Dysmelia;
- Cerebral Palsy/acquired brain injury
- Spinal cord injury/Polio
- Dwarfism
- Others (Major joint restrictions, coordination restriction, limb paralysis/weakness)
- Visual Impairments
- Blind
- No light perception in either eye up to light perception but unable to recognize the shape of a hand at any distance or direction.
- Visually Impaired
- From the ability to recognize shape of a hand up to a visual acuity of 2/60 and/or visual field of less than 5 degrees.
- From a visual acuity above 2/60 up to a visual acuity of 6/60 and/or a visual field of more than 5 degrees and less than 20 degrees.
- Intellectual Impairments
• Typically leads to the athletes having difficulties with regards to pattern recognition, sequencing, and memory, or having a slower reaction time, which impact on sport performance in general.
A more extensive list of eligible and ineligible can be found on the Swimming Canada Classification page: https://www.swimming.ca/en/resources/para-swimming/para-swimming-classification/
Contact Cole Bergen at headcoach@kokaneeswimclub.ca or 403-968-6544 in order to book an assessment and to discuss the program.
