All Abilities Watersports

Speaker 1 00:00:03 I want to know more about the national disability insurance scam. A chat with a local area coordinator can help you understand the NDIS, whether it's right for you and how to apply for access book a spot at Lac in community. A free service from carers Queensland. Find out more check for events coming up near year and book your spot [email protected]. You can also call us on 1300 triple 9, 6 3 6 Speaker 1 00:00:42 Joyce and control a podcast, celebrating people with disability, brought to you by carers Queensland, indice, local area coordination partner in the community. We talk about how sport is good for your mental health physical health. It's a great way to make friends, but it's also enormous fun, especially the rush of something like water skiing. Chris Beckett's, family's big on water skiing and he founded the all abilities, water, sports club to make sure everybody in the family and the community has a chance to have a go they're based in Townsville. And recently did a trip through an area where there aren't always a lot of options for people with disability, the vast inland expanse of Northwestern Queensland. Speaker 2 00:01:26 So we start on this club back in 2018, where we initially started and we seen a need for a broader group of people to be captured, to participate in water scheme. Uh, we've got children with disabilities ourselves wasting the need that our children to be involved in that sport of water skiing, which we love. We had to start another club because the current clubs we're in at the time didn't facilitate the disabled side of it. So we're seeing a huge need and there was a big gap there. So we started all abilities, water, sports to capture those that wanted to take part in the disabled water scheme. We had to think outside the square. Um, there was other people involved. Initially when we started the club, we got sporting wheelies Queensland involved. They come along and help them assist us with, uh, the disabled side of it so we could understand it more so we could draw and do and put in place the best we could to capture the most from the disabled people to get them out and about all the water. Speaker 1 00:02:26 And what is involved, how does accessible water skiing differ from the mainstream version? Speaker 2 00:02:31 It can differ quite a lot and it can still be mainstream scan, disabled. People can still do mainstream scan. We've got a legging tease that we take scheme on double skis, but the traditional ski. But for those that don't have the ability to ski in the traditional, why we have the adaptive sit skis, which allows them to be on the water to water street, to feel that walking on water feeling and sensation that we get. Um, so we've had to adapt that so the people can still water-ski sit skis, uh, two and a half thousand dollars each. So it is expensive. We actually might come now here in Townsville, I'll set up a mall that where I can actually make new equipment for the people, because there's no one in Australia now that actually makes them anymore all the businesses in Australia with salt or fiber seas. So we sent a needs, make them here to keep it in house, to make it more affordable for those people. What I want to an adaptive ski, we can actually make them here in Townsville, which makes it more affordable for people to continue in the sport. Speaker 1 00:03:30 I heard of a niche, but that's fantastic. Yeah. Danielle from <inaudible> has cerebral palsy. She's one of the people who headed to the lake when all the abilities watersports did their recent tour through the Northwest. Speaker 3 00:03:42 So my family has always been into water skiing. My dad said this first club is for non <inaudible> era in, and my dad's always been into water skiing. And with that, I grew up around the water plus horses. And with that, I always was sitting back and like, I always tried, I never had the leg strength to get up on the skis. So, and my siblings finished water ski bike board desk, and a few other things. So, and I never managed to get up, but I was quite disheartened. I never got, was able to do that. So when dad told me that Chris was coming with the all abilities were ski, I was super happy and super excited, just excited. Cause I was hopefully kind of be able to water ski. Yeah. Speaker 1 00:04:36 So that was your first time being able to water Speaker 3 00:04:38 Ski properly? Uh, yes. Yes. Yeah. That was one time, but that was with Les waters and he, he, um, on the boom bought and that poor, poor man had to hold me up to the appointment while I was skiing. And yeah, mom's got a story about his, you could see his muscles bulging trying to support me to get me up. So yeah, that was the only time I had ever managed to do that this first time. But this time was absolutely incredible. Amazing. Yeah. That's Speaker 1 00:05:15 Fantastic. How does it feel? Speaker 3 00:05:17 It was absolutely amazing. Brilliant. I loved it when I was out on the water, I was looking at Rand on the side of the banks to see what was happening. And I was also waving to people on the other thing. I was so happy even though in some of the phones that doesn't look like I was happy. I was super happy, super proud. It was an amazing experience. And I can't wait to do it again. Yeah. Speaker 1 00:05:43 And that must be such rewarding feedback. Chris, knowing what a difference it's making Speaker 2 00:05:47 It's certainly is to be included is a huge, huge part of our club because everyone's got the right and everyone deserves the right to have the opportunity to participate. There's nothing worse than sitting on the bank and not being part of something. When you've got a passion and your family's got a passion to be on water, you've, you've got to be included. Um, and that's what you have to think outside the square. Okay. What are we going to do to get these people included? Um, and the adapted state skis is the way to go because I get to experience the exact same feeling of walking on water. Like we do, they just do it slightly different, but they're still included and they still pass all. And water skiing is a family, a family sport. So there's something for everyone to do and to have Jenny L involved and actually ski and take part is absolutely amazing. Yeah. The smiles on everyone's faces that dye was incredible Speaker 1 00:06:39 Considering you going from Townsville to Mandela. So that's a fair hike, but there must be the demand there to justify that kind of effort. Speaker 2 00:06:46 I believe there's a huge demand there. Actually what we found on that tool we did cause we stopped at few and done Richmond Cloncurry and Mount ISER. A lot of people still don't the mindset. They've got the mindset that you've got to be a super fit lytic person. You've got to have a boat, you've got to have all the ski gear to do it. And we're trying to change that mindset that you don't have to have all that to participate. You've just got to be, have the determination and be willing to have it go. Cause we've got the boats, we've got the game, we've got the people in Mount ISE or at different stops along the way that are willing to help. So it's about determination and having a guard and to be included in what you're trying to train that mindset that you don't have to be a super fit athlete. Speaker 2 00:07:28 Well, you don't have to have a a hundred thousand dollars ski boat or anything to have a garden. And we've shown that on that tour that yeah, it's for anyone and everyone from five to 95 can participate in water skiing feedback we received has been fantastic. And we were actually started the planning process now for, um, an event he owned. And they've asked us to go back and do a two day event in like February. So we're starting to plan that now, which is great because there's so many people that want to have a go, we're going to change the way we do the tour. So it's going to be a two-day event and then so forth. But it's going to be spread out over the year because two and a half weeks was a massive effort to do that whole tour in two and a half weeks. And we feel if we had more time at each stop, we could actually include more people and get more people involved. Speaker 1 00:08:14 Danielle, I'm going to come back to you for saying, well, the skiing's pretty big in Mount AZA. Does that help to now having this accessible opportunity that more people can get into? Speaker 3 00:08:23 Definitely. Definitely. Yeah. It's really, really good to see so many seeing these options, accessible options, come out for people who have diversabilities few people at work. Like after I saw the pictures of me doing it, I said, I wouldn't be mad. I said they could do what I did Speaker 1 00:08:43 The psychological organization. And it's also that thing. If you've been told, oh, it can't be done. It's too difficult. You can't do it. It is a big step to then go, no, actually I can do this. Like that's a big step to take. If you've been sort of told over and over again, you can't. Speaker 3 00:09:01 I always had the motto when I was younger, when I was trying to get off of the normal worst case, I can do it. I know I can do it. So yeah. So that's always been my motto. Speaker 2 00:09:13 We've got a motto in our club that it's not a disability. It's a different ability. It's not a disability. Just means you've got to do it different and you need just need to think outside the square. And like Jenny, like Danielle said, it's, it's, it's a mindset you've got to be in the right mindset. People are going to put you down and say it can't be done. But if you've got the right mindset, you can do anything. Danielle did it. She had the right mindset. She was determined to do it. We had the equipment, had the right mindset and she achieved it and tick that box. So that's fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. Speaker 2 00:09:49 So good. But I guess for a lot of people, it can be scary going on the water, knowing that you've got, knowing that you've got a disability, it can be a scary thing. And you've got to, as a coach, I've got to build, it's hard. You've got to build that trust with the person to get them in the right mindset and to get them used to the feel of being on the water. And once you can, once you can get past that, then they're willing to have a go. And I think Danielle is actually inspiring people in Mount ISER. They've seen it done now and they go all, hang on, she's done it. Didn't look that hard. Didn't look that scary. She was laughing. She was smiling. Let's have a guard. Sorry, next time. Yeah. We're going to hopefully plan it a bit differently to make it a better die and get more people involved and get more people on the water. Speaker 3 00:10:36 Even though it seems difficult. It's not difficult at all. Like it, you just gotta have as crystal saying, and I have the correct ones that to do it. Yeah. Speaker 1 00:10:47 What do you need now as an organization to help make this happen and keep it going and reaching more and more people who need it? Speaker 2 00:10:55 Well, the biggest thing for us is falling in volunteers at the moment to, to assist. Um, a lot of the people with disabilities that come to our events do have their own carers and so forth, which is great because they're the kind of people that understand the person's need more than anyone. They work with them. They support them dilate. Um, and the support workers know that person better than anyone on, on what they need and, and so forth. They know the words to use to help encourage and stock. Whereas for us, we're still learning ways of communicating and things. All that we've got vision impaired scares. We've got paraplegics, we've got amputees, we've got people with cerebral palsy. Like it's a wide range, but finding volunteers to help run the vets are a big thing for us. Um, and financially to do, to do that to our out west, uh, was about 13 and a half thousand dollars, which we raised here, which was great. Speaker 2 00:11:49 And it was good to have the councils on board. So we could put a lot of free events on, which was, there was no cost involved to people that take part. And that's a big, big part too. People think it's going to be expensive. You know, you're talking boats, you're talk and specialized equipment and people think it's going to be really expensive. It doesn't have to be because we've got all the equipment, we've got the boats we're big on network. So we want to spread our message water and Danielle and the manners of water ski club and join that by having us out there and getting that message out as well. Don't be need to change your mindset because we don't, you don't have to have the expensive boat and everything. We just need people that have got the right attitude to have a diet. Speaker 2 00:12:28 And it's just, it can be a case of just getting someone to sit in the edge of the water, um, because let's face it. What is the best therapy for anything? You know, you're sitting there feeling weightless loss. There's no weight on your shoulders. No, nothing. You sit there and you're just floating. And that starts the process. Then that changes their mindset to saying, well, hang on. I can do it. I'm in the water. And it's just a case of putting the ski under him and away they go. And then it's happy. So if we can spread the word, let people know that yes we are out there. We're a social ski club for anyone from five to 95. It doesn't matter what ability, all right, we're there to help. We can travel and we will travel if there's a need for it. So if there's people in other regions that haven't seen the adaptive ski, or haven't had that opportunity to get on the water and experience a dial on the water, getting contact with us via email, uh, by our Facebook page, let us know. And we will work with them to see what we can do to get their people, their participants on the water, um, in a safe environment. Speaker 3 00:13:31 I can do it. It's like with me, I had two people on either side supporting me by place. I was doing it. So there's people that are supporting you. You can, you can do it. It's easy enough to do. Um, you can, with the ski, you can help with the hand or you can just talk the handle to the, what is a Chris on? Speaker 2 00:13:52 I suppose the adaptive skis got a toe walk on it. We can actually hook it on. So for people that are arm amputees or don't have upper body strength to hold the rope, we can actually hook it on. So there's, we've got all these little things in place to cater for everyone. So if they don't have the upper body strength, then it doesn't matter. They don't have to hold the rope. They can just talk it on and still water-ski if they want to disconnect that rope and hold on, like Denny Eldad, they can do that. That is there. So all the options are there. Speaker 3 00:14:23 It sounds like you've tried to take as much as many different forms of ability into a cannabis possible. Speaker 2 00:14:29 I think you have to, because let's face it everyone's different. We're all different. And it would be boring if we with a sign. So we are all different. We all ski different. We've all got different strengths. We've all got different abilities. So you've got to sort of tighter for everyone. And having those options allows us to get more people on the water to experience that on-water feeling Speaker 3 00:14:50 Everyone's I diversability or different ability. So yeah, anyone can water ski if they've got, if they want to, or if they've got big prep mindset and they just believe that they can do it. Speaker 1 00:15:04 If you'd like to find out more about the all abilities water sports club, or maybe get in touch and find out how you can get involved head to Facebook and look for all abilities. Watersports, Speaker 1 00:15:16 December 3rd is international day of people with disability come and celebrate with carers Queensland. You're in the IAS local area coordination partner in the community in Ipswich, we'll be at the reveling shopping center from 10 til two with the, be your own boss marketplace. Our be your own boss project empowers, educates and supports people with disability to establish and build their own micro business. It's a great way to earn some money, increase your self confidence and achieve greater independence and control. The marketplace will be showcasing micro businesses already running so you can support businesses, run by people with disability. Meanwhile, up in Rockhampton, we're celebrating international day of people with disability, with a free screening of the film, wonder there'll be guest speakers, information and resources available, and the free film screening as well. If you'd like to find out more or register for either of these events, head to our website, carers qld.com.edu and look for events. Carers Queensland is also pleased to support all access day at the beach, celebrating international day of people with disability at Mooloolaba beach in front of the surf lifesaving club from 10 till three, there'll be all sorts of good things to do. There'll be activities for people of all abilities, extra beach mapping in place and for beach wheelchairs with a hoist. So everybody can go for a spin on the sand. It's free. Everybody's welcome, but you will need to book to find out more head to the sunshine coast council [email protected]. Speaker 1 00:16:52 Thanks for joining us a choice and control a carer's Queensland podcast. For more information about the national disability insurance scheme or carers Queensland, contact us [email protected]. You can call us on one, 300 triple 9, 6, 3, 6, or head to Facebook and look for carers Queensland and dis