Program News
When Volunteers Opened the Channel
The trees had come down at the worst possible spot and the worst possible time.
Several large trees were blocking the end of our rowing channel right where our boats pass through to reach the Schuylkill River. From the shore, it may have looked like a mess of branches and debris. For our rowing program, it was a closed door.
Jack Campbell, Jeff McGinnis and Nick Gruberg
We had reached out to the City of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation for help to clear the channel. But rowing practices were coming, and the river was still out of reach.
So, six volunteers went to work.
Left to right: Suresh Shelat, Bob Wellmon, Nick Gruberg, Jack Campbell, Kevin McGonigal, Jeff McGinnis and Bill Doughty
Tree clearing - Nick Gruberg gives the final tug
They brought chainsaws, along with ropes, grit, and determination. Jack Campbell, Bill Doughty, Suresh Shelat, Nick Gruberg, Bob Wellmon, Kevin McGonigal and Jeff McGinnis spent five hours cutting through the fallen trees and moving the debris piece by piece. It was slow work. The launch had to be handled carefully. Nothing about it was easy.
There was a small group of Pennsylvania Center for Adapted Sports (PCAS) members cheering them on from the bank, but most people who use the river will never know how it happened.
By the end of the day, just as the final rays of daylight were fading, the blocked channel was open again.
We are grateful to the six volunteers who cleared the channel. They solved the problem when the program needed it to be solved.
That is often how our program keeps going. Not with one big heroic moment, but with people who notice a problem in front of them and decide it belongs to them, too.
The next time our rowers head out through that channel, they may not see the work that has been done there. But they will feel the result. The water is open again.
(Contributor: Jeff McGinnis)
PCAS Partners with Penn Engineering
Penn ADAPT team, with Brianna Leung (author) on the far right
In August of 2024, a group of University of Pennsylvania students from Penn Assistive Devices and Prosthetic Technologies (ADAPT) met with Judy Morrison to discuss collaborations on assistive devices. The ongoing partnership with PCAS has been fruitful, leading to the development of a quick-release bike pedal, easy shoe-lace ties, quick-release rowing shoes, and more.
In collaboration with PCAS, Penn ADAPT has recently launched Enginuity, a student-run platform that hosts community requests and connects community members with student engineers excited to build solutions.
Do you have an idea for a project that could be helpful for adapted sports programs, but don’t know how to build it? Or perhaps a daily inconvenience that needs a solution, but you’re not sure what it could be?
Simply list a request with details to describe the challenge, and it will appear on a request board where student engineers from clubs and coursework at Penn will be able to respond to it.
All resulting solutions will have their own solution page, with information regarding outcomes and manufacturing steps available within. The purpose of solution pages for each design is to build a knowledge bank of previous solutions to problems. If someone visits the site in the future with a challenge in mind, the goal is that they would be able to look through the solutions page first to see if previous work addresses their problem.
Penn ADAPT is actively looking for new requests, as well as feedback on the platform and its workflows within. Please feel free to reach out via the form on the site, or to the email pennadapt@gmail.com with any inquiries and comments!
Contributor: Brianna Leung)
PCAS PEOPLE - ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT
An Interview with Ava McIntire
In PCAS’s Fall 2022 Newsletter, we profiled Ava McEntire, a PCAS athlete who competed in that year’s International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports World Games. We reached out to Ava to see how she progressed.
Ava McIntire
What sports are you involved in? How did you get interested in them?
Growing up, I did track and field and swimming with the PCAS youth team. Right now, the main sport I compete in is swimming. I swam for PCAS for many years when I was younger, and I fell in love with it. It was so much fun, and I knew I wanted to keep swimming in college. Because of that, I got a great chance to swim for Immaculata University (IU), and I am really excited about it! I've made a lot of friends and done many fun things that I never thought I would be able to do. I’ve also taken on the role of co-captain of the IU swim team.
When we met you in 2022, you were fresh off competing with Team USA in Portugal as part of the World Games of the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS). Do you still compete?
Swimming in college is really demanding, so I’ve been sticking to competing in college meets, college championships, and local club Para meets. But this year I’d like to extend the swim season and am looking forward to competing at Move United Nationals and the Jimi Flowers Meet at the Olympic training center in July.
You've been coaching both swimming and track with PCAS for a while now. How has that been for you?
It’s been a great learning experience. The differences between swimming and track and field events are significant. In track there are many options for a range of different events. Swimming events are basically just different distances in yardage between four different strokes. When I started coaching swimming for PCAS last season, the first few months were a little stressful. I wasn’t sure that I would be a good enough coach for the kids. So I checked in with my college swimming coach, Josh Pace, and he shared his insights and tips. It’s been challenging at times now to be both competing and coaching, but I do love both.
What's coming up next for you in this space?
I have two more years of swimming in college, so I will be soaking up every moment I get to spend with my coaches and team. After I graduate, I hope to continue my involvement with adaptive sports and coaching for PCAS. This has been such a special time for me, and I am really appreciative.
What do you wish more people knew about adaptive athletics?
For me, being involved in adaptive athletics initially was focused on training and competing in sports. But I would say it’s the community I’ve gained and the lifelong friends I’ve made that will really stay with me. There has been a lot of growth and inclusivity in both adaptive and mainstream sports, and I hope it continues.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I wouldn’t be in the position I am in today in college swimming if it weren’t for PCAS and Coach Darla. She created the youth programs in our area and has been such an important role model and supporter of our teams. I am very grateful to everyone who has helped me grow as an athlete and coach.
(Contributor: Luc Sigaud)
PCAS PEOPLE - VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Kevin McGonigal
Kevin McGonigal
As with so many of our volunteers, Kevin McGonigal found Philadelphia Adaptive Rowing (PAR) in 2023 through a personal connection, and he quickly realized that he wanted to join our great community.
When there was a need for additional leadership support on Tuesday nights, Kevin diplomatically acknowledges that he was "voluntold" he was the new co-coordinator, but in reality, it's because he’s such a great fit for someone who has been willing to jump in and help wherever needed.
What Kevin enjoys most about volunteering is the people. He remembers being impressed from his very first day by how many volunteers had been involved for years. "That's usually a sign of a really great group," he says. "And it's proven to be true." He describes PAR as a comfortable, welcoming place where people genuinely enjoy spending time together.
One of Kevin's favorite memories involves athlete Jim Loudon. After rowing together indoors all winter using adaptive equipment, they headed out on the water for the first time. Kevin handed Jim two oars and asked how he planned to hold them. Jim's response? "I have no idea!" It was Kevin's introduction to what adaptive rowing is all about: figuring things out together, adapting as needed, and discovering what's possible.
Kevin also loves sharing the experience of rowing with athletes and their families. Whether it's watching athletes become more skilled and confident on the water or simply enjoying a beautiful evening on the Schuylkill, he says every outing feels special.
For anyone thinking about volunteering, Kevin can't recommend it enough. Between the Philadelphia skyline, the occasional eagle flying overhead, and the opportunity to be part of something truly unique, he says he feels lucky every time he gets in a boat. Most of all, Kevin appreciates the sense of community. "People are welcomed right away and encouraged to jump in," he says. "It's a great organization and it’s a privilege to be part of it."
(Contributor: Andrea Pampaloni)
