Spring, summer Adapted Swim Camps at MSU help individuals with special needs
Contact: Bryce Mitchell
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State’s Department of Kinesiology hosts its Adapted Swim Camp to teach children and adults with special needs the foundations of swimming and water safety.
The spring camp takes place March 17-21, with the summer camp May 19-23. Both camps will be held in MSU’s Sanderson Center, 225 Bailey Howell Drive.
Under the direction of Associate Professor of Kinesiology Gregg Twietmeyer, certified adapted swim instructors along with MSU student volunteers will help participants develop confidence and learn valuable life skills in the pool with an emphasis on water safety. The camp requires swimmers to attend one 45-minute or 60-minute session per day over a five-day period, depending on age.
“The Mississippi State Adapted Swim Camp is an example of what kinesiology—the study of physical activity—is all about,” said Twietmeyer. “In the camp, we teach swimming and water safety skills to people with special needs. In turn, parents are put at ease, campers learn the joy of play and our volunteers learn the centrality of physical activity to human health and well-being. Skilled movement is an essential aspect of human flourishing, which means everyone should have access to it. The MSU Adapted Swim Camp helps make that happen.”
To be eligible for the camp, participants must be at least three years old and have a diagnosed disability. Participants with a tracheostomy or G-tube stoma younger than two months are not eligible.
The registration fee is $100, with full scholarships available for those in need. Capacity is limited and will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
Volunteers are needed to assist and work with the campers for one session per day over the five-day period. All volunteers must be at least 15 years old and comfortable in the water.
For more information on registration or volunteering, visit https://www.kinesiology.msstate.edu/swimcamp.
For more information on the camp or to inquire about a scholarship, contact Twietmeyer at g.twietmeyer@msstate.edu.
MSU’s College of Education, home of the Department of Kinesiology, also includes four additional academic departments, a division of education, one research unit and numerous service units. Learn more at https://www.educ.msstate.edu/.
This project was supported, in part by grant number 2401MSSCDD, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.
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