Water ski clinic introduces athletes of varying abilities to the sport
Splash Adaptive Water Ski and Wake offered a “Give it a Go Day” at Predator Bay in De Winton Saturday for disabled athletes interested in trying out the sport.
Dale Ohler used to water ski and wakeboard and says being able to do it again is amazing.
“Once you get on top of the water, it's such a feeling, and so nice and these people are just unbelievable at being able to get us out there and to do these things that we get to do,” he said.
Rae-Lee Colcleugh, committee chair of Splash Adaptive Water Ski and Wake in Alberta said it’s an incredible opportunity to be able introduce people of any and every disability to this sport.
“We've had people participate that had never done sport before in their life and are now integrated into other adaptive sport communities, and we just couldn't be happier with the outreach that we've had and the ability that we have to bring these events to these participants.”
Some athletes, like Melissa Veldman, believe adaptive water skiing opened the door to whole new world of possibilities.
“It means so much to me, to be perfectly honest," she said. "It's changed my life this program. I've never had the opportunity to be involved with Disabled Sports before. I started with splash adaptive, and ever since then, I I've been able to try a bunch of different adapted sports like wheelchair basketball and and biking and downhill skiing, so it kind of I call it my gateway sport.”
Veldman is now a member of Splash Adaptive’s competitive team.
To learn more about Splash Adaptive Water Ski and Wake visit https://www.wswa.ca/
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Tenants in 16-floor apartment building in Ottawa's west-end served eviction notices
More than 100 people in Ottawa's west-end are in the process of receiving eviction notices to vacate their 50-year-old apartment building for renovations.
Who are the richest people in Canada? Here's how many billionaires there are
If you gathered all the wealth that billionaires currently have worldwide, you would have about US$14.2 trillion, according to Forbes Magazine. But what about in Canada alone?
Health Canada recalls brand of sunscreen product due to potential fungal contamination
Double check your sunscreen products before lathering up this long weekend, as Health Canada has recalled several lots across the country.
NDP MP pays back some of the $17,000 her Christmas trip cost taxpayers
A New Democrat member of Parliament has paid back a portion of the thousands of dollars she spent on a Christmastime trip for herself and her family that was paid for with public money.
‘I’m terrified to go downtown again Halifax’: woman recovering after altercation with group of men who allegedly made homophobic slurs
A birthday celebration turned into a nightmare for a same-sex couple in downtown Halifax on Saturday after they got into a violent altercation with a group of men.
235 flights cancelled as WestJet waits to hear from labour minister on next steps in mechanics strike
WestJet said 235 flights have been cancelled Saturday as it waits to see what the next steps are in its ongoing labour dispute with its mechanics.
Time crunch, rules mess could plague a Liberal leadership race
Calls have intensified for Justin Trudeau to resign as head of the party he almost single-handedly pulled back from the brink after a decimating electoral defeat in 2011.
Teen shot and killed by police in upstate New York, authorities say
An officer in upstate New York shot and killed a teen fleeing while pointing a replica gun, police said Saturday.
As fall elections loom, are fears for the state of democracy in Canada justified?
Is Canada's democracy truly under threat? Political scientists say while Canadian politics and institutions are facing a myriad of concerns, the situation isn't dire overall.