World city Heist-op-den-Berg can be compared somewhat to Tokyo, Paris, Rio, London, Beijing and other cities. "Why?" I hear you thinking. Well, last Saturday the Olympic Games were also held at our place. The Arduas swimming federation held its club championships there and it was a very special girl who got to kick off the games! :-)
Surprise of (Olympic) stature
A few weeks ago swimming lessons started for Ella-Marie. In our previous blogs you could already read that we were genuinely amazed at her progress. In just a few weeks from "the girl who struggled to stay upright in the small pool" to smoothly swimming several lengths on her back... great job!
This progress is, of course, only possible because of the incredible support of coordinator Diane with her top-notch team ready to help all G-swimmers. It is also those G-swimmers who were allowed to play an important role in the club championship, as they were each allowed to announce a swim team by leading with a flag.
Ella-Marie cannot walk around a pool, so supervisor Jana took the lead and pushed a proud Ella-Marie further in the wheelchair. She got to introduce the G-team and the applause that rolled from the stands clearly pleased the children.
That wasn't all! An Olympic championship can only start with a torch handed over to the competition committee so that the fire can burn during the games. And now you can make one guess who got the honor of taking a tour around the pool all by herself and handing over the torch... YES! It was our Ella-Marie! :-)
We had sat down in the pool half an hour beforehand. When she heard that she got the honor of carrying the torch, a big smile came on her face (and she said that she secretly found it a bit exciting). Together with Jana, Ella-Marie headed for her goal in the wheelchair. To the tones of Vangelis - Conquest of Paradise, the honorable task was performed. And even better ... she received a standing ovation from the audience. An emotional moment!
And now for real swimming!
Soon after the team performance, the G-swimmers were allowed to
take their seats in the pool. Ella-Marie and Jana dove into the
cold water and set themselves up for a half-length showdown. The
official starting gun was given and almost effortlessly, Ella-Marie
began to kick off lying on her back. It's still amazing to see that
the left leg does cooperate a bit at that point.
A minute later and to loud applause, Ella-Marie arrived. She
received another beautiful cup in return.
Thanks
Diane, Jana and all the other tutors: a sincere THANK YOU for all you do for Ella-Marie. It is truly heartwarming to see how much you do for children who have a little more challenge in life.
If you want more information about HZ Arduas, you can always take a look at their Facebook Account or website