August 13, 2009
YMCA Challenger Bowling Program was a Knockout
By Toni Lapp
Kids with special needs have often been relegated to the sidelines on the field of athletic achievement. Thanks to a program pioneered by the YMCA, more special-needs kids in the KC area are getting to experience the thrill of sports for the first time.
Last night, I enjoyed being the one on the sidelines as the second season of YMCA’s Challenger bowling league came to a close at AMF Lanes in Overland Park. Kids with various disabilities could be seen squealing with delight as they watched pins scatter. One wheelchair-bound child rolled up to the line and against the odds, pull off an impossible split.
Although they won’t be featured on Metro Sports anytime soon, it was inspiring to see these kids — who we all know are typically shunned by their able-bodied peers — high-fiving each other and their volunteer buddies in victory.
In particular, I was impressed with gains made by Robbie Kimmel, a Prairie Village teen with autism. Robbie often wears a handkerchief tied to his belt loop. His mother calls it his “nervous rag,” as it serves as a comfort device for him to grip when he’s under stress. Last night, he had converted it to a do-rag with the encouragement and approval of his peers. He seemed a changed kid.
Robbie Kimmel, sporting his do-rag, with his newfound friends.
I’ll admit now to being a bit wary when Raegan Schurr, YMCA senior director of adaptive programming, approached me and my teen-age son with Asperger’s about participating in the program. My son, after all, is loathe to be tagged with the special-needs label. In my experience, well-meaning people who know little about Asperger’s Syndrome can do more harm than good with one-size-fits-all programs that lump our kids in with kids who are more severely disabled.
My son is happy to spend his summer checking off the books on his summer reading list (Animal Farm, Freakonomics, Atlas Shrugged – just to name a few). Yet nights out with friends are few and far between.
I shared my concerns with Raegan, and she was willing to consider Ryan for a role as a volunteer “buddy.” So he began bowling with a group that included Dustin, another teen-age volunteer who recently graduated from Shawnee Mission South (and seemed to enjoy the good-natured rivalry with my son from East) and Adam, an 18-year-old Northlander with autism who had never bowled before.
Ryan, enjoying some pin action.
Yes, Ryan was reluctant to participate at first, but once I wrested his copy of the Ten Battles that Changed the World from him, he resigned himself to participating. A solid bowler in his own right, he really took pride in offering pointers to Adam, and even accepted some tips himself from Dustin — a strapping young man whose powerful throws sent the pins flying.
By last night, Ryan was relishing the outings, and even bragged about his score (140!) to his younger brother.
And as many volunteers will attest, he gained from the experience — not just through an improved bowling average, but by having his social circle widened ever so slightly.
[...] that have paired children with disabilities with role model peers have included bowling (see story here), basketball, baseball and [...]