On the Wave: Women's Swimming & Diving Making a Difference With Special Olympics Athletes

Following a tough week of practice, members of the Tulane women's swimming & diving program know they always have something to look forward to on Saturdays.

Each Saturday morning, the team spends time with local Special Olympic athletes, giving the athletes swimming lessons and a chance to be themselves in a safe environment.

"Swim training is very demanding, but I think our team looks forward to our Special Olympics sessions every weekend," said Kaitlin Simpson, a Tulane senior. "We get to see our kids and we leave so fulfilled and so happy. If we don't have a good week of training, we take pride in knowing our Special Olympics kids did."

Three years ago, Tulane law professor Gabe Feldman was attempting to revive a Special Olympics program on campus that had been dormant since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

What began as clinics once or twice per semester evolved into the current weekly sessions on Saturday mornings. The Green Wave swimmers pair up with a Special Olympics athlete ranging in age from 7 to their 20s, instructing them in basic swimming while emphasizing social interaction and fun.

The Special Olympics athletes grow every week, and the total number of swimmers who can complete a lap in the pool has risen from a couple to double digits. Tulane student-athletes also get to play aquatic basketball with them and show them how to dive off the starting blocks.

"While swimming is the medium and what they're there for, there's so much more that we're giving them," Simpson said. "We're giving them a friend, social skills and the opportunity to feel like people care about them. And we really do care about them. I think that's just as important, if not more important, than the swimming skills we're giving them."

Tulane's coaching staff, including fifth year head coach Katie Robinson, is involved with the program as well. They attend the Saturday sessions, encourage the Special Olympics athletes and work with the Reily Center Natatorium for them to get extra time in the pool.

"It is such an honor and joy to be able to work with these Special Olympic athletes," Robinson said. "They enrich our lives in so many ways and always help bring a smile especially after a week of hard training. Teaching and coaching them gives us all a beautiful sense of inspiration and gratitude. We are thrilled at the opportunity to share our sport with them."

A few of the Special Olympics athletes go on to compete for local or regional teams and may even participate in national meets. The group is also trying to swim in a dual meet against JoJo's Hope, a local charity that offers aquatic lessons to special needs individuals.

Other athletes in the group will get a taste of true competition when they attend Tulane's Dual-a-Pool-Ooza meet this weekend as the Green Wave take on Denver, FIU and Rice at the Reily Natatorium.

But as Simpson said, the real benefit for the Special Olympics athletes is not in competitive swimming. The benefit comes in giving them a place to have fun, relax and be themselves. In her role with the group, Simpson gets to speak to the parents of the athletes and hear stories of how they blossom while swimming.

One athlete takes so much pride in his time with the Wave that he refers to himself as "the beast of Tulane" to friends in school. Another family got to take its first vacation because they were no longer afraid of their child drowning. Just a week ago, a mother called Simpson and told her she had never in 10 years seen her son so comfortable and happy as he is swimming with Tulane.

Those are the moments that bring joy to the hearts and tears to the eyes of Green Wave student-athletes.

"I've become close to a lot of the families," Simpson said. "That's part of our culture on this team. That's part of who we are. Once you start doing this stuff, you can't not like it."

On the Wave: Women's Swimming & Diving Making a Difference With Special Olympics Athletes

Players Mentioned

Kaitlin Simpson

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