By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
Rim Special Athletes (RSA) offers adults and children with a wide range of disabilities an opportunity to engage in individual sports activities year-round.
During their summer sports sessions, they offer lake activities at Peninsula Beach, near the marina, for their members. Every Wednesday the students from Mountain of Promise visit and get to engage in water activities such as kayaking, the floating water lily, aqua-cycling, stand-up boarding, sunbathing and other water-related activities with the other members and their families.
President Jack Cooperman with some of the summer water sports equipment that RSA uses.
RSA members are very fortunate that each year some of them get the rare opportunity to ride on the County Fire boat and shoot the water cannon. The water cannon sucks water from the lake and can shoot it a hundred yards or more to put out a fire in a house or boat on the lake. This significant firefighting tool can truly be a lifesaver when a fire attacks or a boating accident occurs on Lake Arrowhead. A home on the lake, if only fought from the land side, could ignite the other homes near it, if not fought from all angles. This boat makes it possible to do so and, by using lake water, they never run out of available water for the fire. Insurance companies like to know there is a fireboat on the lake, as it can make rates lower.
The 19 students from Mountain of Promise attending the lake program that day were excited and looking forward to being given an opportunity to ride fast in the fireboat, skimming along the top of the lake water and shooting the water from the water cannon into an area of the lake that was not too busy that morning. They saw water-skiers going fast on the lake, but the fireboat was going faster than the skiers. They also saw many of the beautiful houses on the shore and discussed which one they thought was nicer. A couple of those on the boat pointed out their homes and docks.
As the fireboat was leaving the dock, one boy was nervous but, once out on the lake with the wind in his face and splashing water all around, he quickly changed his mind and was sad when they returned to shore; he wanted to go again. Each one got to stand up when the boat was calm in the harbor and the water was shooting from the water cannon; they enjoyed the excitement.
There were three firefighters on the boat, two to demonstrate the water cannon and one driving the boat across the lake. There is a rotating handle on the water cannon that controls the stream of water, making the water go up or down and side-to-side to pinpoint the exact location they want the water to go, designed to spray a potential fire out. The water sprays at 1,000 gallons of water a minute. At the end of the spray, it can cover a large area and drench it or be pinpointed on a flame.
The firefighters hope they don’t need to use the boat very often, but they are glad to have it in their arsenal of firefighting apparatus. Not all lakes are fortunate enough to have such a boat.
The San Bernardino County Fire Department has provided the RSA members this fireboat opportunity for several years. They also have generously provided their trucks to RSA for riding in parades and other educational opportunities.
County Fire generously takes RSA members for a ride on Lake Arrowhead.
The RSA members had a wonderful time, shooting the water and riding on the fireboat. Afterwards, they could not stop talking about their adventure. Longtime RSA member Ray had the biggest smile on his face after the ride. Riders on the fireboat were from kindergarten age to senior citizens, and it was enjoyed by all.
RSA offers a beach day a couple days a week during the summer where the members get to play on the RSA-owned water play equipment. They have lunch in the park and enjoy the beach for a couple of weekday hours. The Arrowhead Lake Association has had a contract with Rim Special Athletes for many years, so RSA has their adaptive and water equipment staged at the beach so these special-needs individuals can enjoy the physical coordination learned through the water sports, socialization and physical benefits the lake activities offer.
Some other activities RSA has sponsored this summer are a bowling day at Rim Lanes, a pizza party after riding in the Jamboree Days parade, plus a day of fun activities (and lunch) at SkyPark. RSA tries to have at least one big event each quarter and continuing activities for each season.
Membership in RSA is free, as are the activities. They are focused on allowing members to have positive activities, social interactions and fun while enjoying the sporting events.
During the winter, they offer winter and snow sports activities, including skiing, snowboarding, snow-shoeing, sledding, bowling and, of course, everyone’s favorite: pizza.
The Rim Special Athletes Foundation is a group of volunteers dedicated to providing individual sporting activities for individuals with special needs. The Foundation serves individuals of all ages with visual and hearing impairments, amputations, Down Syndrome and autism, as well as many other cognitive and physical disabilities through their activities. For more information or to enroll, contact them at www.rimspecialathletes.org.
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