AC Baths: A pool where everyone feels valued

“They make us all feel welcome and valued every single week!”

Lorraine Te Punga is the swim team co-ordinator for the Special Olympics Taupō team who train at the AC Baths.

“The whole team train weekly in the Indoor 25m lane pool" says Lorraine. Four of the swim team qualified for the Special Olympics NZ National Summer Games along with eight tenpin bowlers.

“In total 1,350 athletes took part and we were very excited to have our team involved. Our small team really excelled. Morris, Wendell, Jordan and Matthew all returned to Taupō with at least two medals apiece including a gold medal for Morris."

“Many local organisations gave us their support to help us attend this huge event and we would like to especially thank the pool. We are super grateful for having such a great facility in which to practice and improve our skills.”

AC Baths’ team leader, Kelera Smith, says there is so much more to the pools than people realise.

“We love having the Special Olympics team here. Being able to offer Lorraine and the team a dedicated lane pool for training is great. There are other amazing clubs who use our facility for training too and seeing so many success stories in person is very uplifting.”

Special Olympics club games throughout the year keep the team busy when not training at the AC Baths. Lorraine recognises that while it’s a lot of fun, it’s also hard work behind the scenes.

“Last year’s travel to Christchurch for the games was successful and quite an eye opener. From the air travel, to accommodation, to managing themselves in huge and often noisy crowds, it was quite a challenge for our athletes who have a variety of intellectual disabilities.

“At the end of the day, we’re here to ensure everyone with an intellectual disability has a chance to get fit, meet other people and have heaps of fun, so it’s very rewarding to help the team."

Keen to be involved? Get in touch with taupo@specialolympics.org.nz.