Rise Above Aquatics

Reminder our Admin is away until August 25

Student of the week!!

THE NEXT LEVEL RISE ABOVE SWIM SQUAD!

We are so excited to announce that Swim Squad is returning this fall and it’s growing!

For the first time,Rise Above Aquatics will be offering Swim Squad Level 1 and Level 2, giving our students an opportunity to continue progressing beyond their individualized adaptive lessons and experience the competitive side of swimming.

Swim Squad is NOT an open-registration program. Students are invited into Squad when our ownership/instructional team feels they are ready for that next challenge based on their skills, safety, confidence, consistency and independence in the water.

For many of our swimmers, reaching Swim Squad represents years of hard work. It gives them something to work toward, something to earn and another reason to be proud of how far they have come.

Level 1 will introduce swimmers to the structure, skills and expectations of squad swimming, while Level 2 will continue building endurance, technique, independence and a stronger competitive swimming experience.

This is a HUGE milestone for our program. What began as individualized adaptive swimming now has another pathway for students who are ready to take their abilities even further.

And with our growing program comes something else new… our very own Swim Squad logo!

We cannot wait to introduce our fall Squad and celebrate the swimmers who have worked so hard to reach this next level.

Different starting points. Different journeys. The opportunity to keep rising with the help with Wapiti Wellness Society!! Thank you

Our Admin is away on vacation August 20 - 24

Andrew’s journey is a wonderful reminder of what patience, consistency, and individualized support can accomplish.

When Andrew first came to us over 10 years ago, he was terrified of the water. Over the years, he built trust, confidence, and swimming skills at his own pace. Today, the pool is a place where Andrew comes for physical activity, connection, and enjoyment you may even see him volunteering and helping friends along the way.

We are so proud of how far he has come.

At Rise Above Aquatics, we don’t just teach swimming, we build relationships.

Every student who walks onto the pool deck brings their own personality, strengths, challenges and story. Over time, our instructors become more than the person teaching a skill. They become a familiar face, a trusted hand, a cheerleader and often a very special friend.

For many of our students, that connection is where learning begins.

Thank you to mom who captured a beautiful moment.

Every Lesson Is Built for Success

At Rise Above Aquatics, we understand that every swimmer experiences the water differently. With our adaptive program many autistic children, success starts with feeling safe, regulated, understood, and in control.

Our instructors support each swimmer by using:

- Predictable routines so they know what to expect
- Visual and verbal cues to make directions easier to understand
- Extra transition time between activities
- Sensory-aware teaching for sound, touch, movement, lighting, and water
- Choices whenever possible to encourage communication and participation
- Repetition and consistency to build confidence
- Individual goals instead of expecting every swimmer to progress the same way
- Breaks and calming strategies when a swimmer becomes overwhelmed
- Favourite toys, interests, and activities to build trust and motivation
- One-on-one support so instructors can adjust the lesson in the moment

Sometimes success is putting a face in the water.
Sometimes it is safely entering the pool.
Sometimes it is communicating “all done.”
And sometimes it is swimming independently for the very first time.

We celebrate every step.