AURORA, Colo. -- Sunday afternoon practices at Smoky Hill High School are something all the swimmers on the Cherry Creek Special Olympics Aquatics team look forward to.
“It’s a lot of fun,” says swimmer Caitlin Hass. “I enjoy doing it and I enjoy being with my friends. It’s a lot of fun.”
Caitlin is working on her technique and speed now, but her swimming career got off to a slow start.
“I used to be afraid of the water and it really helped me grow as a swimmer and love the water,” she said.
Helping along the way were her coaches, which include her dad.
“Every one of them has a unique different challenge,” Randy Hass said about the swimmers. “From stamina to endurance to ability to get the exercise to move limbs. Understanding of the strokes can be tough enough for anyone to learn how to do the butterfly or breast stroke.”
Chris Litwin says being on the team has helped his son gain more confidence in his swimming ability.
“Before when he came in, he really didn’t know what to expect,” Litwin remembered. “He wasn’t able to do a freestyle, backstroke, and do it properly. So Randy has given him the ability to get in the pool and try it out.”
Special Olympics Colorado offers athletes to the opportunity to tryout and compete in 22 different sports thanks to a team of 9,000 volunteers.
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