Rowing for the Trainable Mentally Impaired

Terry Smythe, Director at the Keweenaw Memorial Fitness Center in Houghton, Michigan, founded the Community Transition Program for the trainable mentally impaired ages 19–26. It's been a huge success! In the following paragraphs, Terry explains her experience with the program and these dedicated athletes.

We are entering our 3rd year with this program and no one could be more surprised at the success of rowing with this population than I. When I started this program the rowing machine wasn’t even an option I considered (shame on me). I thought, “keep it simple, low stress, and fun” I assumed the technique of rowing would be too complex to teach them and thus not fun for them. Ha! Wrong again!

On the second visit to the fitness center, John (one of our down syndrome participants) looked at the machine and asked if he could try it and the rest is history! Next thing I knew they were all gathering around us and wanting to try, so off to the Indoor Boathouse we went. I put those that had no contra-indications to the rowing machines on their own machine and did a quick demo and they were off. Some rowed slowly, some too fast; so I put music on to help keep them in sync. I gave them a target distance and stroke rating to keep their focus. OK, I also provide entertainment by dancing to the music or doing comedy coaching. Everyone has to have fun and humor is a great teaching tool.

They do so well on the erg (1000–4000m/workout) that they all participate in my meter madness for the WEC every April. As I tell everyone “every meter matters, No Excuses!” during the month of April. Restrictions on the machine vary according to their individual health and condition. Hydration, seizures, and orthopedic issues are a concern but most can be worked around to create a fun experience rowing. I would encourage other facilities with Indoor Boathouses to explore the opportunities with this population. It is truly a fun and rewarding experience and I hope someday to see this as a Special Olympics event. If enough of us in the fitness industry offer the opportunity for them to learn and improve on the erg anything is possible. Shouldn’t everyone have the option to realize the power of the erg?

More about Rowing with the Trainable Mentally Impaired

Written by Karyn Juntunen, Teacher of the Community Transition Program

The Community Transition Program is a community based program located in the Goodwill store in Houghton, Michigan. The program is for adults with Moderate Cognitive Impairments from the age of 18 - 26 years old. The focus of the program is to utilize the resources in our community to develop work and life skills.

When the program started in 2001 it was the first of its kind in the State of Michigan and the sky was the limit for ideas. We were looking to expand the horizons of these students to the limits. With that in mind I approached Terry Smythe with the idea of starting a fitness class that was appropriate for the adults in the program.

Historically the student population in this program have led a very sedentary lifestyle and I wanted to stop the trend. The hope is to interest the students and the care givers into making this an important part of their lives after they leave the program.

In January of 2002 we dared to go where no one had gone before and with Terry’s unending enthusiasm and sense of adventure it has been an awesome experience. We have let the students guide us and advocate for themselves in their exercise regimens. They have wanted to try the different equipment and the rowing machine was one of the interesting looking machines that caught their attention. They asked about it and Terry let them try it. That’s all it took.

The rowing machines provide a low impact exercise that is easy to learn along with being an excellent cardio workout. Rowing has not been for everyone. We have to take into consideration certain medical conditions, the students interest in the machine, and the cognitive ability. However for the rowing students, Meter Madness is an annual event that is greatly anticipated. The students in the rowing section are very competitive and enjoy the camaraderie with Terry at the helm. They are so excited about the number of meters that they are rowing it is the first thing they tell me after each workout. Between the music, the laughing and the water breaks... is this really exercise that should only be segregated to a select population? My students would have never been a part of the rowing community until we met Terry and the rest is history.