Community Corner
A ‘Passionate Plunge’ for YMCA Special Olympics Swimmers
This article features the associate aquatics director and the first Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA Special Olympics Swim Team.
Local resident Emily Korriku, associate aquatics director for the participated in the Passion Plunge Fundraiser at Revere Beach this past Sunday to send a YMCA swim team to the for the very first time.
Korriku and her Assistant Coaches Lindsey Bryant, Hannah Verrette, and Mariana McCarthy all became fully certified as Special Olympics Swim Coaches in January. This is the first time Korriku will take a team to the Special Olympics.
“This team is so important to me. It’s something I have worked hard to create and feel is so beneficial for these kids,” said Korriku.
Korriku has a degree and background in special education, and has been working to create a team for the Special Olympics for three years, beginning with an adaptive swim class.
The adaptive swim class, specifically designed for children with special needs, uses water education to develop water safety, swimming skills and social skills while developing self-confidence and self-esteem.
The program is designed to meet each child’s emotional and developmental abilities.
“Our team is made up of enthusiastic swimmers who are so happy to be part of a team,” said Korriku. “They are so supportive of each other in and out of the water, they help each other learn. They have truly formed a sense of belonging.”
Swampscott mom Jennifer Nisbet has a 15-year old son, Jeremy, on the team.
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“It’s important to me that Jeremy grow up in the Y community and learn to lead a healthy lifestyle,” said Nisbet. “This is more than just time in the pool; the instructors work on diving and stroke development and provide more guidance to help Jeremy learn. This team has helped him to become more independent and confident.”
“Emily and all of the staff at the Y are so wonderful,” said Marblehead mom Tracy Green, whose 10-year-old son Anthony is also on the swim team.
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“They are so welcoming and open-armed, and they truly make a place for our kids here. They do whatever it takes for the kids to feel included, and I know how important that is for my son. I am so grateful he has the opportunity to be in this program, it means so much to him.”
Korriku has developed and coached a team of seven swimmers with various physical and developmental disabilities, who will participate in a qualifying meet in May for the Special Olympics held in mid-June.
To raise money to send the team, Korriku and her Assistant Coaches plunged into the freezing cold ocean water at Revere Beach in the Passion Plunge.
“Participating in a team sport builds their self-confidence,” said Korriku. “Swimming is good exercise of course, but being on this team has helped build their self-esteem and social skills. These kids are a team in the truest sense of the word.”
To learn more about this swim program, or to donate and help send the team to the Special Olympics, contact Emily Korriku at 781-990-7040 or korrikue@northshoreymca.org.
