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all it kismet—Joe Jelinski and Chris Engler do. More
than 15 years ago, as high schoolers from Philadelphia,
they were on a beach in Australia with friends when a
group of young kids walked up to them and said, “We
know you…we train with you...we will see you guys around!”
Confused and a little befuddled, Jelinski and Engler didn’t
know what to make of it. But as the kids walked away, they
noticed all of them were wearing Special Olympics jackets.
“It was wild,” says Jelinski. “We just thought they were kids
having fun on the beach, joking around and saying hello to
people. Little did we know, seven years later, it would turn out
to be the impetus to the development of our Eruption Athletics
(EA) pilot program.”
EA is a company that designs exercise programs specifically
for people with intellectual development disorders (IDD). And,
as with most brilliant ideas, there is a combination of events and
passions that collided to form the EA epicenter.
Jelinski, who has always been an athlete and played
professional soccer after college, knows how to train for
peak performance. “There’s a formula—80 percent training
and preparation, 10 percent practice, 5 percent competition
and 5 percent rest,” he says. Engler, who also has an athletic
background in rowing, has a brother named Andrew who has
special needs. This encompassed the other part of the idea.
“When Chris’ brother was training for the Special Olympics,
we wanted to help,” recalls Jelinski. “When we learned there was
no physical training program for these athletes, we were shocked
and concerned. People with IDD are prone to different physical
issues, including obesity, which may be due, in part, to body
composition, lack of physical activity, side effects of medications,
or parents/caregivers who may be overly permissive or overly
restrictive with food and exercise. We knew we needed to
do something to help. That was the beginning of Eruption
Athletics.”
Since the pilot program took off in 2009, EA has grown
substantially. It offers multiple programs to the IDD community,
like the “Grow with the Flow” group and “Magma Chamber”
1-on-1 training sessions. The company also reaches participants
through its “Road Show” off-site and “Field Trip” on-site
training programs, in addition to helping the parents of children
with IDD practice what they preach through “EA-dult” training
classes.
EA has patented the Volcano P.A.D.D., a mat with colorful
numbers serving as visual cues, which helps support proper
body placement, spatial awareness, and movement lines. And,
the “EA-xercise for Everyone” inclusive and adaptive program
license model consists of adaptive equipment, adaptive
progressive curriculum, trainer certifications, ongoing support,
and data analysis. The program is being implemented by schools
and organizations to provide the exercise programming IDD
students need to live happier, healthier lives.
“Everyone involved in our participants’ lives outside of our
training, like doctors, teachers, parents, and caregivers, see
Eruption Athletics
founders Chris Engler
(left) and Joe Jelinski.
the difference,” says Jelinski. “Our clients have increased
endurance, focus, musculoskeletal functioning, muscular
strength, flexibility, balance, stability, coordination and
increased intellectual and cognitive skills from attending at
least two classes per week and following the ‘EA-volutionary
Development System’ on the Volcano P.A.D.D.”
Partnering with The Arc, a national organization that
advocates for and serves people with IDD and their families,
EA has been able to build the most current components of the
program.
“Through [The Arc], we can offer EA to local chapters and
schools that can get funding to keep costs affordable,” explains
Jelinski. “Since we started licensing to schools, nonprofits and
rec centers, we’ve been able to open programs in Massachusetts
and Pennsylvania. But because we cannot be everywhere to
teach all the classes, we have trained others to successfully run
the EA program and they’re having the same results we do.”
He adds, “Now we’re looking for more sponsors to get
the EA program into more of these types of facilities. Here
in Pittsburgh, we are opening new program sites in addition
to our mainstays in Bridgeville and McMurray. EA will
be in Gibsonia and Mars; Robinson and Zelienople; and
Washington, Squirrel Hill, Bethel Park/Castle Shannon,
Canonsburg, Irwin/Greensburg, and Slippery Rock in June.
It’s taking off everywhere and we are so excited.”
Participants wanting to sign up for EA “Grow with the Flow”
programs must be ambulatory or present with a walker or hand
crutches. Staff and volunteers are on hand to assist and
motivate them throughout the classes. “The results we’ve seen
over the years have proven to us our program is working,” says
Jelinski. “Chris and I feel very fortunate to have started our
business together and live out our passion in helping so many
people live their best lives.”
To learn more about Eruption Athletics and how
you can volunteer or participate in the program, visit
eruptionathletics.com. n
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