June 23, 2006

Genesis Offers Water Skiing To People With Physical Disabilities

DAVENPORT, Iowa – People with disabilities in the Quad Cities don’t have to sit along the shore and watch as others enjoy the fun and excitement of water-skiing.

For the third straight year, the Genesis Therapeutic Recreation Department and the Backwater Gamblers will offer a unique adaptive water-ski clinic for people with disabilities. This alternative recreation activity clinic promotes independence and allows people with physical disabilities to experience something they did not think was possible... the thrill and excitement of water sports.

Last year, the clinic enabled 15 participants to water ski with the help of trained instructors and water-skiing equipment especially designed for those with physical disabilities. The Genesis clinic was featured in Sports ‘N Spokes, a national magazine devoted to wheelchair sports and recreation.

This year’s clinic will be held July 15-16 at the Backwater Gamblers ski dock, located off of 44th Street in Rock island. Participants must complete a registration form by July 13. Cost to participate is $5.

Using a large ski fitted with an appropriately sized frame or “cage’’ with a seat, people with disabilities, including spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, acquired brain injury or polio, or those who are legally blind, can try water skiing. Volunteers follow on three-person, personal watercraft, so that help arrives immediately if there is a wipeout. Excellent equipment, safety protocols and well-trained volunteers reduce the risk.

Glen Sancken, a recreational therapist at Genesis, worked to launch the program in the Quad Cities after participating in a similar ski clinic four years ago in Waterloo. Eighteen years ago, he became a paraplegic after he bruised his spinal cord in a car accident. “I just had an amazing time,” he said of his skiing experience. “That was the first time I had skied since my accident. I had such a powerful experience, I wanted to bring this to the Quad Cities.”

Skiiers must have the cognitive ability to follow directions and be able to pass a water safety test. For example, they must, while wearing a life jacket, be able to have their head underwater and then upright themselves again.

To obtain a registration form, or for more information, Glen Sancken, at Genesis Medical Center, West Central Park, Therapeutic Recreation Department, (563) 421-1443.

The Genesis Therapeutic Recreation Department helps patients use existing skills and interests to aid in the healing process. Recreation therapists develop treatment plans to promote the independent physical, cognitive, emotional and social functioning of a person who has been debilitated as a result of trauma or disease.

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