by ALEXANDRA RETTER
In a soccer program for children of all abilities, students at a practice this month took turns dribbling through cones before trying to shoot a goal. The Winona Family YMCA offers this inclusive soccer program, as well as a variety of other inclusive sports programs. This programming gives students a chance to practice social skills and make friends, as well as practice their sports skills.
The Winona Family YMCA also offers programs such as adaptive volleyball and basketball and adaptive swim lessons.
Sports Lead Collin Perschnick has been involved with all the inclusive sports programs. “I think it’s something that can be missed a lot in our day in society,” he said. “Making programs that are for everyone and anyone, just bringing people of all skills and abilities together is what I really like about it.” He aims to become an adaptive PE teacher, and he has fun watching students grow. “It’s inclusive sports, but it builds more than just the sports skills; it’s also connection and working on social skills and [it] gets them in a new environment.” He’s glad to see students get more and more comfortable and keep building relationships with others. “I think there’s been a lot of students who have maybe had friendships or known each other from school but are still kind of nervous, and then a lot of time you can find kids who develop buddies or partners who they really like to hang out with a lot,” he said. “And it’s always fun to see those relationships build.” Similarly, he wants students to feel comfortable in themselves. “What I really hope they take away from this is … it’s OK to be them and themselves, and there are people who care about you, adults and peers,” he said.
In soccer, students work on dribbling, passing and shooting, Perschnick said, and they play games as well. “What you will also see with all our inclusive programs is we have our sport, but we will also take breaks to play different games they like … They love freeze tag, they love four cones, which is four corners. We include those games for them to break up their soccer skills and get to interact with their peers in different ways besides just soccer,” he said. They also play color tag, in which students stand on one side and taggers stand in the middle, then call out a color, and if a student is wearing that color, they have to run across without getting tagged.“It also helps them work on the skill of what happens when something maybe doesn’t go our way … and you can see that each and every single time, it gets better,” he said.
Marge Literski’s grandson is in the soccer program, and she said it has been great to watch him interact with his peers. “… The socialization is really good for him,” she said, adding that he has not stood back as much as usual. She wants to sign up him for future programs. Jade Beck’s two children are also in the soccer program, as they are trying out different sports to see what they enjoy. “It’s good for them to learn skills through the program, like waiting one’s turn, waiting in line and listening to instructions,” she said. “I hope they make some new friends and learn some listening skills … We’re members of the Y, so physical activity is a big, big thing that I like to implement into their lives or integrate into their lives, so hopefully they will learn that at this impressionable age and it will last throughout their lifetime,” she said. It’s great to include everyone in the program, she added. “I think everybody has different levels of skill, whether it be athletic skills or listening skills or sportsmanship, so it’s nice to see and appreciate other people’s strengths and weaknesses and just learn that it’s OK for everyone to have varied levels of both those things,” she said.
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