Gymnastics program special for youths

The benefits have been worth the wait for Lindsay Swerhun.
The 14-year-old disabled athlete, along with four other Fort Frances participants and two more from International Falls, is thrilled to be able to take part in the weekly special needs gymnastics program, which runs every Sunday from 2-3:30 p.m. at the Fort Frances Gymnastics Academy.
“It’s pretty good because I’m not the only person who wants to be here,” said Swerhun, whose wheelchair may confine her body but not her enthusiasm for a sport she has quickly grown to love.
“[The program] gives disabled people more opportunity to meet one another, and gives them the chance to form a bond with others and share in the same activity,” she noted.
After several false starts, former Fort Frances Visserettes coach and coaching co-ordinator Betty Grynol finally cleared her calendar enough this past January to launch the program.
“I’ve been trying to get it going for years, but I couldn’t because I had so many other things on the go,” said Grynol. “I felt there was a real need in Fort Frances for a program for these kids.
“I had parents talk to me about such a program a while ago,” she added. “But there’s so much red tape to cut through when bringing a new program to Gymnastics Ontario that by the time you get through it, the parent had moved their child on to something else.
“But we’ve finally got it together.”
Grynol said her background as a special needs and physical education teacher has made this venture a natural passion for her.
“I love working with kids—it’s the love of my life,” she remarked. “There’s a lot of people who don’t know about the program and we want to get the word out there.”
The older members of the program are scheduled to compete at a meet June 7 in Winnipeg. But while the program’s inaugural season will wrap up at the end of next month, a special needs gymnastics camp taught by Visserettes coach Mirel Bica is slated to take place at the academy this summer.
A new season then will begin in September.
That suits International Falls participant Jenny Francis, 20, just fine. A very athletically-inclined youth before being afflicted with cancer a few years ago, she relishes the recreational outlet the program provides.
“It’s just fun to come and see everyone, and learn the new routines,” said Francis, who received no argument from Fort Frances participant Carrie Jolicoeur, 17.
“I’ve always enjoyed gymnastics,” said Jolicoeur. “I love all of [the program] and getting to use things like the ribbon [apparatus], which is so pretty and looks so artistic when you get it moving in the air.”
Anyone interested in registering or learning more about the program can contact Grynol at 486-3538 or call the gymnastics academy at 274-2966.