Wheaton Coop Swimming and Diving 2012
Starting this year, the IHSA is implementing a program for people with disabilities. For swimming and diving and cross country, people with disabilities will be able to participate in the state meet. One member of the 2012 girls Wheaton Coop diving team is Erica Engel. She is a freshman at Wheaton Warrenville South High School. Ever since she was born, she has been legally blind. When speaking to her, I realized just how difficult it must be to live with a disability. Upon asking her what the most difficult part of being blind is, Erica said, “the most difficult part about it is telling and explaining what it is like to other people because I have never really been able to see”. Although she has a disability, Erica does a really good job getting through it with diving. Erica just started diving this year and is making excellent progress. During practice she works hard and collaborates with her teammates to learn new dives. Her favorite dive is the 102, or Front Somersault. Erica’s least favorite dive is the 301, or the reverse dive. The most challenging dive for her is the 101, or Front dive. We have been in our season for about a month and Erica has not had the opportunity to dive in a meet yet, but she will get to dive for her first time in a high school meet on September 27th at West Chicago High School. Not being able to see affects Erica’s diving in a number of ways. Erica says, “it’s hard to tell where the board and water are”/.There is a portion in the IHSA state swimming meet for vision impaired people that ERica will have the opportunity to compete in. Go to www.wheatoncoop.org for more information on the 2012 Wheaton Coop swimming and diving team. Feel free to come cheer us on. Go Tigers and Falcons!
