ID athletes were banned from the Paralympic Games following a cheating scandal at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics, where a number of members of Spain's basketball team were discovered not to be suffering from an intellectual disability, but the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) voted to reinstate them into the Games at their General Assembly in 2009.

The sport of ID rowing could now feature at the Paralympics in Rio 2016, and Karen Lewis, the adaptive national team head coach for US Rowing who headed up the three day camp in Austin, said that she certainly spotted a lot of talent at the camp.

"It was clear from the camp that we have athletes already who can compete strongly in rowing," Lewis said.

"It will take a strong grassroots effort for inclusion, as it did to get adaptive rowing into the Paralympics."

Lewis made special note of the efforts of the camp's organisers, who included Concept2 master instructor Terry Smythe, Tracy Lea of Athletes Without Limits and Debbie McDiarmid of Texas for All, Texas Rowing Centre's adaptive programme.

"I am sure that when we get the call, the US athletes will be ready thanks to people like them," Lewis said.

For Smythe, the event was the next step in the realisation of a dream she has held for the last four years: Providing competitive opportunities in rowing for Special Olympians and other athletes with intellectual and cognitive challenges.

"It was an amazing, amazing weekend," she said of the camp at Texas Rowing Centre, which gave seven athletes from around the country their first exposure to on-water rowing.

"Seeing the way these kids' faces lit up in the boat and how quickly they picked up the basics of rowing, how much they loved being on the water, it was just really special."

The campers also got to spend a morning practicing their rowing technique on rowing machines from Concept2, also a camp sponsor, at Flywheel Fitness, an Austin indoor rowing studio.

The machines were the same kind Smythe has taken to the Michigan Special Olympics winter and summer games the past four years for indoor rowing demonstration events.

Based on how the athletes performed, Smythe is convinced of rowing's potential to benefit people with intellectual disabilities, particularly those who are looking for a competitive outlet.

"The selection camp in Austin proved without a doubt that with coaching, appropriate support and facilities they can also row on water, and row well" said Smythe, who has made adaptive indoor rowing a focus of her company, UCanRow2.

ID athletes are defined as having an IQ of 75 or below, significant limitations in adaptive behaviour and onset before age 18.

In addition to the exercise benefits that are good for all populations, Smythe said rowing is well-suited to intellectually disabled people because it requires repetitive motion, and people in that group learn well through repetition and hands-on practice.

"What's critical to lifetime health for the non-impaired population is critical to the adaptive world because they are often forgotten or thought not to need as much activity," she said.

"In fact, they are no different than the rest of us in their need for exercise to fertilize their brains and help keep them young and fit."

"We have the chance through Special Olympics to find the athletes who can represent the United States at the Paralympic level, while still allowing for the simple joy of participation in friendly competition for those less able.

"It doesn't get much better than that."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
July 2010: IPC and ParalympicsGB respect rowing decision over ID athletes
June 2010: Rowing turns down opportunity to have ID athletes at London 2012