Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Guest spot on the Whirling Blog
Good morning, one and all. On the right hand side of the blog, you'll see a section called Links of Interest, where there is a link for The Whirling Blog. This is a blog run by a good friend of mine named Gene-Manuel. He has had several posts by guest writers this month related to Autism Awareness Month, and I was asked to be one of them. My guest post, titled "A Little Hope Goes A Long Way", debuted today. Please check out my article and take some time to check out Gene's blog in general, as well. Hope everyone has a great day!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
High school??
Ok, so Jason will be graduating from middle school this June, which means that high school is just around the corner. Jason has made it clear that he has no interest in leaving middle school and wants no part of high school. Of course, this is the same kid that, three years ago, swore he would not go to middle school and wanted to stay in elementary school forever. Needless to say, we're not worried about that part. There were plenty of other parts that we were concerned about. though.
We were told by several people that we should send Jason to one of the high schools in Coral Springs, rather than the one here in Sunrise. They were praising the autism program at the school, and pushing that the school in Sunrise didn't have a comparable program. Due to his condition, we did have the option of requesting that he go to the other school, rather than the one he would normally be assigned to. We decided to request a meeting at the school to check it out.
When we went to the meeting, we brought Jason along. Our thinking was to let the people in the program get a look at him, and also let him get a look at the school. The hope was that he would lose some of his fear if he went there with us. Then it would be easier to tell him about going there next year with something in his memory to reference to when talking about it. We sat in the director's office, with Jason busy on his iPod. The director asked if Jason also had an iPad, which we said yes. She said that was great, because they use iPads extensively in the classroom, with various apps designed especially for autism. She even showed us a special charger they had that could charge up to 20 iPads simultaneously.
The program basically goes like this: they can keep him in school until he's 22 (8 years). The first four years would be using an academic curriculum designed specifically for him. This would be done using an IEP (individual education plan). He would have specific goals for the year in different areas of his school work. Each quarter, we would review how well he's progressing towards reaching his goals and what can be done to help him reach those goals, or evaluate if the goals need to be changed to something more realistic. This is something that was already being done in elementary and middle school, it's just a continuation of what we are already doing. His teachers and therapists put together the IEP, with input from us as well. Once he turns 18, the next four years would focus on teaching the basics of living independently. For example, one of the classrooms has been converted into an apartment. This room is used to show them how to clean their house, do laundry, use their computer to send emails and balance their checkbook, among other things. There is another classroom that has been converted into a supermarket. They learn how to shop for food, check expiration dates, pick fruits and vegetables, pay at the cashier and take care of your money in public. They are also placed in actual jobs, making a real paycheck, working at places like Publix, Olive Garden, etc. They are taught how to behave at work, how to keep track of their work schedule, etc. We were told that we would be surprised how many kids had to be shown how to take advantage of breaks to go to the bathroom or eat lunch, because they are so used to doing those things at a specific time and if the break didn't happen during those times, they wouldn't do them, just to then ask to do it shortly after coming off of break.
As many of you know, Jason swims on the City swim team. This high school also has a swim team, which features two kids with autism already on the team! The swim coach for the school happens to be one of the teachers in the autism program, so she is very accustomed to dealing with swimmers like Jason. He got to meet her during our visit, and she was very happy to find out that he already swam for the city. We got to sit in one of the classrooms for a bit and see what a typical day is like. Overall, we were very impressed with the school in general and the program specifically. Of course, Jason's favorite part was finding out that the cafeteria had vending machines with chocolate candy and ice cream. Visions of M&M's started dancing in his head.
I don't know if any of us is truly ready for the journey into high school, but it's coming whether we like it or not. I do feel better, having been to the school, although there will always be nerves where high school is concerned. We did the paperwork to have him sent there, now it's just the waiting game to find out if he's in or not. We were given assurances that it would not be a problem, but until I have the official paperwork in my hand, I'll be on pins and needles.
We were told by several people that we should send Jason to one of the high schools in Coral Springs, rather than the one here in Sunrise. They were praising the autism program at the school, and pushing that the school in Sunrise didn't have a comparable program. Due to his condition, we did have the option of requesting that he go to the other school, rather than the one he would normally be assigned to. We decided to request a meeting at the school to check it out.
When we went to the meeting, we brought Jason along. Our thinking was to let the people in the program get a look at him, and also let him get a look at the school. The hope was that he would lose some of his fear if he went there with us. Then it would be easier to tell him about going there next year with something in his memory to reference to when talking about it. We sat in the director's office, with Jason busy on his iPod. The director asked if Jason also had an iPad, which we said yes. She said that was great, because they use iPads extensively in the classroom, with various apps designed especially for autism. She even showed us a special charger they had that could charge up to 20 iPads simultaneously.
The program basically goes like this: they can keep him in school until he's 22 (8 years). The first four years would be using an academic curriculum designed specifically for him. This would be done using an IEP (individual education plan). He would have specific goals for the year in different areas of his school work. Each quarter, we would review how well he's progressing towards reaching his goals and what can be done to help him reach those goals, or evaluate if the goals need to be changed to something more realistic. This is something that was already being done in elementary and middle school, it's just a continuation of what we are already doing. His teachers and therapists put together the IEP, with input from us as well. Once he turns 18, the next four years would focus on teaching the basics of living independently. For example, one of the classrooms has been converted into an apartment. This room is used to show them how to clean their house, do laundry, use their computer to send emails and balance their checkbook, among other things. There is another classroom that has been converted into a supermarket. They learn how to shop for food, check expiration dates, pick fruits and vegetables, pay at the cashier and take care of your money in public. They are also placed in actual jobs, making a real paycheck, working at places like Publix, Olive Garden, etc. They are taught how to behave at work, how to keep track of their work schedule, etc. We were told that we would be surprised how many kids had to be shown how to take advantage of breaks to go to the bathroom or eat lunch, because they are so used to doing those things at a specific time and if the break didn't happen during those times, they wouldn't do them, just to then ask to do it shortly after coming off of break.
As many of you know, Jason swims on the City swim team. This high school also has a swim team, which features two kids with autism already on the team! The swim coach for the school happens to be one of the teachers in the autism program, so she is very accustomed to dealing with swimmers like Jason. He got to meet her during our visit, and she was very happy to find out that he already swam for the city. We got to sit in one of the classrooms for a bit and see what a typical day is like. Overall, we were very impressed with the school in general and the program specifically. Of course, Jason's favorite part was finding out that the cafeteria had vending machines with chocolate candy and ice cream. Visions of M&M's started dancing in his head.
I don't know if any of us is truly ready for the journey into high school, but it's coming whether we like it or not. I do feel better, having been to the school, although there will always be nerves where high school is concerned. We did the paperwork to have him sent there, now it's just the waiting game to find out if he's in or not. We were given assurances that it would not be a problem, but until I have the official paperwork in my hand, I'll be on pins and needles.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Light It Up Blue!!!!!!
Hello, all. Just a quick reminder that April is Autism Awareness Month, and April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day. Many places around the world will be lit up with the blue light of hope the evenings of April 1st and 2nd as Home Depot is selling blue light bulbs and blue lanterns to benefit Autism Speaks. We bought some blue light bulbs for the front porch and backyard, while Jason asked for some blue light bulbs for his bedroom. Anything you can do this month to shine the blue light of hope on autism will be greatly appreciated.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Update - 2/6/12
Hi, everybody. Yes, it's been a while. Things have been a little hectic, but I'm back. Let me just catch you guys up on a few things since the last post. First, we had a great time at Tate's Comics over the holidays, visiting substitute Santas, Yoshi and Darth Vader. Here are some pics from the visits.
The first picture is Jason and his friend Lucas with Santa Vader, the second is myself, with Lucas' dad Luiz getting talked into a pic with Santa Vader. The last one is Jason's friends, Lucas and Adriana, hanging with Santa Yoshi.
Another thing that happened over the holidays was that Jason got to see one of his old swim coaches. Brandon coached Jason two years ago, but then started his collegiate swimming career at UNC-Wilmington. He came back during Christmas break and was swimming with the team for a few days, so he got to see Jason practice and was impressed with how much better he's gotten, as well as how much taller he's gotten.
Jason got a surprise Christmas present from his two "swim aunts": a mountain bike. Now, he doesn't know how to ride a bike and they knew this. They wanted him to get a bike so he could learn to ride. We got together in the park to have some riding lessons. First, his friends and "swim cousins", Gaby and Adriana, came to the park, and Adriana got to work on the lessons. She showed a great deal of patience and understanding, taking her time to make sure she explained things in a way that HE would understand.
Then his other "swim cousin", Lucas, arrived and his mom started working with him as well. Then , my good friend Noel came with his boys, my nephews. Noel, Luis and Daniel. Once the bike riding lessons were over for the day, a football game broke out. Noel was quarterback for both teams, as Noel, Luis, Gaby, Adriana, Jason and Daniel had a great time.
Daniel had a pretty good view of the game, didn't he? It was a great day for Jason and he had a lot of fun. He ended up having lunch that day at Cannoli Kitchen with Noel and Luis.
We also had a meeting at Jason's school, and got great news about his behavior. When he started middle school, he would get written up for bad behavior three times a week on average. This year? He has been written up ONCE the WHOLE YEAR! His maturity and self-control have improved dramatically. We are very, very proud. I want to finish up with a little tidbit from last night. Jason had a great time playing football again yesterday, as he played with Gaby, Adriana and his cousin Devin, with my brother as quarterback. Late in the evening, the headlights on the cars had to be turned on so he could see but he wanted to play anyway.
Hopefully, I will be back to posting on a more regular basis. See you soon.
Another thing that happened over the holidays was that Jason got to see one of his old swim coaches. Brandon coached Jason two years ago, but then started his collegiate swimming career at UNC-Wilmington. He came back during Christmas break and was swimming with the team for a few days, so he got to see Jason practice and was impressed with how much better he's gotten, as well as how much taller he's gotten.
We also had a meeting at Jason's school, and got great news about his behavior. When he started middle school, he would get written up for bad behavior three times a week on average. This year? He has been written up ONCE the WHOLE YEAR! His maturity and self-control have improved dramatically. We are very, very proud. I want to finish up with a little tidbit from last night. Jason had a great time playing football again yesterday, as he played with Gaby, Adriana and his cousin Devin, with my brother as quarterback. Late in the evening, the headlights on the cars had to be turned on so he could see but he wanted to play anyway.
Hopefully, I will be back to posting on a more regular basis. See you soon.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Autism friendly businesses: Tate's Comics
Well, time for another edition of local businesses who have shown to be friendly to special needs customers in general and to Jason, specifically. This time the spotlight falls on Tate's Comics+Toys+Videos+More, a place where you can find me every Wednesday. This has been my comic shop since 1997, when I moved to Broward County, Florida. My first visit was with Arlene, who was pregnant with Jason at the time. Jason's first visit in person came just a few weeks after he was born. The staff at Tate's has seen Jason grow up into a young man, and have always gone out of their way to make Jason feel welcomed in the store. Jason loves going to the store, especially when he knows he's walking out with something. Visits to Tate's have often been used as bribes for getting him to behave or to get through an unpleasant experience.
Jason will usually be found doing one of three things in the store. One is watching one of the three TVs located in the store, playing DVDs or old cartoons. He will be entranced and totally lose track of time. Another place is the Transformers section. He has no problem looking at all of the old figures and calculating how many chores he has to do to earn enough money to buy Astrotrain or Galvatron.
His favorite section, by far though, is the Star Wars section. Figures, spaceships, lightsabers, you name it, he wants it. It's always a safe bet to find him checking out what figures they have that he needs.
As great as the merchandise is, what makes Tate's such a great place to go to with Jason is the staff. From Tate himself, his wife Amanda, his dad Tony, to JoAnn, Anthony (both of them), Nakia, Kathy, Steven, Kreisten, Edwin and Katelyn, there is no shortage of cool people to hang out with and talk to.
The top pic is of Katelyn, Anthony R. and JoAnn, while the bottom one is of Anthony A. and Nakia sitting on Santa's chair in the middle of the store. Every weekend during the holidays, they have a "substitute" Santa there to take pictures with the kids and ask them what they want for the holidays. The best part? It's free! They have had Spider-Man, Godzilla, Batman and Donkey Kong! This Friday, from 5-7pm, it will be Yoshi from the Mario Bros. games, and then Saturday from 10am to noon, it's Darth Vader taking the kids holiday requests! Click on the link in the first paragraph and it will take you to their website, which includes links to the pictures from the previous substitute Santas.
This store has a little bit for everyone. DVDs, toys, action figures, statues, comics, graphic novels, plushies, t-shirts, wallets, even lightsaber chopsticks!! The second floor of the store is the Bear and Bird Boutique + Gallery, and two doors down is Tate's Gaming Satellite. There are links to both at the top and bottom of the main web page, be sure to check them out as well as they have great merchandise and fantastic events all throughout the year. Tate's has even won the prestigious Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award for best comic shop in the world. Yes, they beat out comic shops from around the world for that honor.
Jason will usually be found doing one of three things in the store. One is watching one of the three TVs located in the store, playing DVDs or old cartoons. He will be entranced and totally lose track of time. Another place is the Transformers section. He has no problem looking at all of the old figures and calculating how many chores he has to do to earn enough money to buy Astrotrain or Galvatron.
His favorite section, by far though, is the Star Wars section. Figures, spaceships, lightsabers, you name it, he wants it. It's always a safe bet to find him checking out what figures they have that he needs.
As great as the merchandise is, what makes Tate's such a great place to go to with Jason is the staff. From Tate himself, his wife Amanda, his dad Tony, to JoAnn, Anthony (both of them), Nakia, Kathy, Steven, Kreisten, Edwin and Katelyn, there is no shortage of cool people to hang out with and talk to.
The top pic is of Katelyn, Anthony R. and JoAnn, while the bottom one is of Anthony A. and Nakia sitting on Santa's chair in the middle of the store. Every weekend during the holidays, they have a "substitute" Santa there to take pictures with the kids and ask them what they want for the holidays. The best part? It's free! They have had Spider-Man, Godzilla, Batman and Donkey Kong! This Friday, from 5-7pm, it will be Yoshi from the Mario Bros. games, and then Saturday from 10am to noon, it's Darth Vader taking the kids holiday requests! Click on the link in the first paragraph and it will take you to their website, which includes links to the pictures from the previous substitute Santas.
This store has a little bit for everyone. DVDs, toys, action figures, statues, comics, graphic novels, plushies, t-shirts, wallets, even lightsaber chopsticks!! The second floor of the store is the Bear and Bird Boutique + Gallery, and two doors down is Tate's Gaming Satellite. There are links to both at the top and bottom of the main web page, be sure to check them out as well as they have great merchandise and fantastic events all throughout the year. Tate's has even won the prestigious Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award for best comic shop in the world. Yes, they beat out comic shops from around the world for that honor.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Hope renewed
Well, some people have noted that it's been a long while since I posted on this blog, or made any significant posts on Facebook. There are a couple of reasons for that, primary among them is the fact that I have been battling a deep depression the last few months. I had a lot of things rolling around in my head, and I fell into a dark place. I am doing a little better, but there's still some work to be done on my part. There are realistic, attainable goals for 2012 that I can and will meet, to make life better for Arlene and Jason. Decisions that need to be made, financially, personally, health-wise and others. What has helped me the most during this period, has been the love and support that I have gotten from Arlene and Jason, as well as from others who did not know what I was going through, but helped me nonetheless. It's true that you never know what effect you are having on someone, because you don't know what is going on inside of them. To all those who stuck by us, even though you had no idea what kind of tough times we were going through, I thank you. These are debts I can never repay. Jason's life, especially, is all the better for all of you being in it.
I have struggled to maintain the positive outlook that is the basis of this blog. I have had a hard time believing that all will be well. I have tried to be a rock for my family, to not show any cracks where fear could creep into the equation. I have learned, however, that it's ok to show sadness and fear while still being a rock. The truth is that being a rock doesn't mean being fearless. It means overcoming that fear with the hope of a better day. The Christmas season is an annual reminder of peace and hope for the whole world, so what better time to shake off the fears of yesterday and reach out for the hope of a better tomorrow? I guess that's the message my Christmas tree has been trying to give me:
We all have the ability to make our lives better. It's not easy, it's not quick, but it CAN be done. Some of us can't do it alone. There is no shame in that. There is no shame in asking for help when you truly need it. Why is it ok to ask your friends and family to help you move, but we think twice about asking them to listen to our problems or just be a shoulder to cry on? You can still be strong and get help at the same time. Don't ever believe that no one cares, because there is always at least one person who cares about what happens to you. I want to conclude this post with a quote from a comic book. Some of you just rolled your eyes, but I showed it to Arlene the other day and she agreed that it was very true. The quote is from the graphic novel "Batgirl Rising", written by Bryan Q. Miller with art by Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott. Batgirl says "A guy asked me a question the other day about why people run when things get tough. That's easy, you can become someone else wherever you land, right? Who's gonna know the difference? So why stay? Why set yourself up for more failure? for more pain? Also easy, because we don't know how to do anything else. So why stay? Why open yourself up to all the bad you've tried to leave behind? The only variable you can control is yourself. You can forget who you are, or you can be who you want to be. That's why you stay. You stay for a second chance." Give yourselves that second chance. It's really not as hard as you may think. Till next time, folks.
I have struggled to maintain the positive outlook that is the basis of this blog. I have had a hard time believing that all will be well. I have tried to be a rock for my family, to not show any cracks where fear could creep into the equation. I have learned, however, that it's ok to show sadness and fear while still being a rock. The truth is that being a rock doesn't mean being fearless. It means overcoming that fear with the hope of a better day. The Christmas season is an annual reminder of peace and hope for the whole world, so what better time to shake off the fears of yesterday and reach out for the hope of a better tomorrow? I guess that's the message my Christmas tree has been trying to give me:
We all have the ability to make our lives better. It's not easy, it's not quick, but it CAN be done. Some of us can't do it alone. There is no shame in that. There is no shame in asking for help when you truly need it. Why is it ok to ask your friends and family to help you move, but we think twice about asking them to listen to our problems or just be a shoulder to cry on? You can still be strong and get help at the same time. Don't ever believe that no one cares, because there is always at least one person who cares about what happens to you. I want to conclude this post with a quote from a comic book. Some of you just rolled your eyes, but I showed it to Arlene the other day and she agreed that it was very true. The quote is from the graphic novel "Batgirl Rising", written by Bryan Q. Miller with art by Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott. Batgirl says "A guy asked me a question the other day about why people run when things get tough. That's easy, you can become someone else wherever you land, right? Who's gonna know the difference? So why stay? Why set yourself up for more failure? for more pain? Also easy, because we don't know how to do anything else. So why stay? Why open yourself up to all the bad you've tried to leave behind? The only variable you can control is yourself. You can forget who you are, or you can be who you want to be. That's why you stay. You stay for a second chance." Give yourselves that second chance. It's really not as hard as you may think. Till next time, folks.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Swimming
Well, it's been almost a month since my last post. We've been neck deep in stuff almost nonstop. Jason has had two competitions since my last post, and I wanted to talk about both of them.
The first one was on October 1st, in Sebastian, FL. It was the Florida State Aquatics Championships for Special Olympics. Jason had qualified for this event back in late August, when he finished in first place in three events. He swam the same three events this time around as well. His first event was the 50 meter freestyle. When he got up on the starting block, he was complaining that the block was too hot. He wanted the volunteer that was with him to splash some water on it to cool it off. The guy misunderstood him and thought he was afraid of being up on the block. He kept trying to tell Jason that it was ok to start off the side of the pool, but Jason was telling him that he had to start off the block. (Sidenote: the City team teaches him to always start off the block, because their competitions don't allow you to start anywhere else other than off the block.) Then the guy felt he had to hold Jason's arm, still thinking he was afraid. We were all yelling at him to let Jason go, because he couldn't get set properly. The guy released him one second before the start of the race, so Jason just dove awkwardly, not getting set comfortably. He gained speed in the water, and passed several people. He finished in second place by less than a second, earning him a silver medal.
The second event was the 50 meter breaststroke. This time, we sent him to the starting block with a bottle of water, so he could cool off the block himself. He was neck and neck almost the whole race with someone, but got a boost the last few strokes. He finished in first place, earning a gold medal. His last event was a 4x50 meter freestyle relay. The other races the team swam, they had a set order they would swim in, with Jason being third in the water. For some reason, the order got changed for this race, with Jason leading off, instead of going third. The change in order affected all four of them, and they finished third, earning a bronze medal.
As proud as we were with what he accomplished that weekend, the following weekend was probably even more impressive and inspirational to us. On October 8th and 9th, Jason was scheduled to swim five events in his first ever meet for Sunrise Swimming, his original team. These were not special needs kids he would be competing against now. Now, it was "regular" kids that had been swimming competitively since 8 years old in some cases. Jason's 13 now, and just started swimming competitively this year. Needless to say, our expectations were adjusted accordingly. All we wanted was for him to get through it. Just swim. If he could avoid getting disqualified in all of his events, that would be a bonus. We really weren't asking for a whole lot. Unfortunately, his Saturday races (50 meter freestyle and 50 meter breaststroke) were canceled due to lightning in the area.
That left three events on Sunday. His first race was the 50 meter backstroke. He had never swum this in a race before, so we were very nervous as to how he would do on this. He finished with a time of 1:02.31 (unofficial) which was last place by 14 seconds. None of us cared about what place it was, though, as we were just ecstatic that he didn't get disqualified and hung in with them. His coach gave him some tips for next time, but was very proud of how he did. Next was the 100 meter breaststroke. He finished in last place by four seconds, but his time was not announced because he was disqualified for an improper stroke. He brought his hands down to his hips, which is too far down. To his credit, he took the DQ in stride, did not get upset at all. He wasn't happy about it, but kept his cool. The official that disqualified him remembered us from other events that we volunteered at in previous years, so he was very careful in how he told him about the DQ. We found out the coaches talked to the officials prior to the start of the day, letting them know about Jason's autism and bipolar. It did NOT change how he was judged, it was simply a heads up in case Jason got riled up. His last event was the 100 meter freestyle. His unofficial time is 1:31.52 but the more impressive thing was that he did not finish last. He beat another guy by four seconds. Afterwards, his coach was very happy and impressed with Jason's performance. They said he had better times than they were expecting him to have. Another thing that stood out was that the head official made a point of telling Jason how well he had performed and that we should be proud of what he had accomplished. In all of the events we have volunteered at, I cannot recall a time where any official told a swimmer they had done well. That really got to us.
All in all, we are very happy and proud of how Jason did at both events, for different reasons. Both weekends were very emotional for us. We are thankful to a lot of people that helped us get through these last two weeks. He is finished with Special Olympics for this year, at least. However, he will be swimming again with Sunrise Swimming on November 5th and another one in December. The November meet will be at the Swimming Hall of Fame in Ft. Lauderdale, the December meet will be in Coral Springs, where Olympic swimmer Dara Torres trains. No matter what happens, as far as I'm concerned, Jason was a winner the minute he hit the water. There were a lot of people that told us this would never happen. We even told Jason that people were doubting whether or not he could do it. He did a great job in proving a lot of people wrong. There were a lot of tears, but they were good ones.
The first one was on October 1st, in Sebastian, FL. It was the Florida State Aquatics Championships for Special Olympics. Jason had qualified for this event back in late August, when he finished in first place in three events. He swam the same three events this time around as well. His first event was the 50 meter freestyle. When he got up on the starting block, he was complaining that the block was too hot. He wanted the volunteer that was with him to splash some water on it to cool it off. The guy misunderstood him and thought he was afraid of being up on the block. He kept trying to tell Jason that it was ok to start off the side of the pool, but Jason was telling him that he had to start off the block. (Sidenote: the City team teaches him to always start off the block, because their competitions don't allow you to start anywhere else other than off the block.) Then the guy felt he had to hold Jason's arm, still thinking he was afraid. We were all yelling at him to let Jason go, because he couldn't get set properly. The guy released him one second before the start of the race, so Jason just dove awkwardly, not getting set comfortably. He gained speed in the water, and passed several people. He finished in second place by less than a second, earning him a silver medal.
The second event was the 50 meter breaststroke. This time, we sent him to the starting block with a bottle of water, so he could cool off the block himself. He was neck and neck almost the whole race with someone, but got a boost the last few strokes. He finished in first place, earning a gold medal. His last event was a 4x50 meter freestyle relay. The other races the team swam, they had a set order they would swim in, with Jason being third in the water. For some reason, the order got changed for this race, with Jason leading off, instead of going third. The change in order affected all four of them, and they finished third, earning a bronze medal.
As proud as we were with what he accomplished that weekend, the following weekend was probably even more impressive and inspirational to us. On October 8th and 9th, Jason was scheduled to swim five events in his first ever meet for Sunrise Swimming, his original team. These were not special needs kids he would be competing against now. Now, it was "regular" kids that had been swimming competitively since 8 years old in some cases. Jason's 13 now, and just started swimming competitively this year. Needless to say, our expectations were adjusted accordingly. All we wanted was for him to get through it. Just swim. If he could avoid getting disqualified in all of his events, that would be a bonus. We really weren't asking for a whole lot. Unfortunately, his Saturday races (50 meter freestyle and 50 meter breaststroke) were canceled due to lightning in the area.
That left three events on Sunday. His first race was the 50 meter backstroke. He had never swum this in a race before, so we were very nervous as to how he would do on this. He finished with a time of 1:02.31 (unofficial) which was last place by 14 seconds. None of us cared about what place it was, though, as we were just ecstatic that he didn't get disqualified and hung in with them. His coach gave him some tips for next time, but was very proud of how he did. Next was the 100 meter breaststroke. He finished in last place by four seconds, but his time was not announced because he was disqualified for an improper stroke. He brought his hands down to his hips, which is too far down. To his credit, he took the DQ in stride, did not get upset at all. He wasn't happy about it, but kept his cool. The official that disqualified him remembered us from other events that we volunteered at in previous years, so he was very careful in how he told him about the DQ. We found out the coaches talked to the officials prior to the start of the day, letting them know about Jason's autism and bipolar. It did NOT change how he was judged, it was simply a heads up in case Jason got riled up. His last event was the 100 meter freestyle. His unofficial time is 1:31.52 but the more impressive thing was that he did not finish last. He beat another guy by four seconds. Afterwards, his coach was very happy and impressed with Jason's performance. They said he had better times than they were expecting him to have. Another thing that stood out was that the head official made a point of telling Jason how well he had performed and that we should be proud of what he had accomplished. In all of the events we have volunteered at, I cannot recall a time where any official told a swimmer they had done well. That really got to us.
All in all, we are very happy and proud of how Jason did at both events, for different reasons. Both weekends were very emotional for us. We are thankful to a lot of people that helped us get through these last two weeks. He is finished with Special Olympics for this year, at least. However, he will be swimming again with Sunrise Swimming on November 5th and another one in December. The November meet will be at the Swimming Hall of Fame in Ft. Lauderdale, the December meet will be in Coral Springs, where Olympic swimmer Dara Torres trains. No matter what happens, as far as I'm concerned, Jason was a winner the minute he hit the water. There were a lot of people that told us this would never happen. We even told Jason that people were doubting whether or not he could do it. He did a great job in proving a lot of people wrong. There were a lot of tears, but they were good ones.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)