117182 JCC Greater Annual 2021 Web[1]updated - Flipbook - Page 5
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HOW GOOD IT IS:
TO THRIVE
Eighteen years ago, doctors gave Mira Spiegel’s baby daughter a
one-in-five chance of survival. However, Zoe has survived and
thrived and continues to surprise folks with her physical prowess
at the JCC’s gym at the JCC’s Winn Family & Wellness Center.
With trainers like Debra Selik and Ana Horowitz, Zoe has found
a safe and welcoming place to challenge herself and reach higher.
“Zoe is really strong,” says Mira. “She has equal and in some
cases superior ability to her peers. Zoe’s always had this raw athletic ability.”
After her daughter was diagnosed with autism at age 2, Zoe’s
mom sought out programs that would support Zoe in her growth.
Because of some of the speech and social deficits that come into
play with her disability, traditional athletic competition can be a
challenge. Zoe participates in specifically targeted programs such
as ACEing Autism and TOPSoccer. She has the skills, but, her
mother notes, Zoe “hasn’t necessarily seen that kind of success
that mainstream individuals define as athletic success. She will
score baskets, but she’s not in the game.”
Coming to the JCC has put Zoe in the game, as it were. At the
JCC, a place where the kids would learn to swim, and the parents
would work out, Mira and Rob found support for their daughter.
It’s a natural progression of a years-long relationship with the
JCC. Mira says her family is on board with our mission as a vibrant and evolving Jewish community where everyone belongs.
“The location is great, the affiliation and the concept of a Jewish
Community Center is appealing to us,” she says. “I grew up in this
area, and in between college and grad school, I used to come to the
JCC every night after work. I loved the friends that I made here.
We knew it would be a good fit for our family.”
They’d taken their children to swimming classes here, and while
Zoe would eventually seek out adaptive programs elsewhere, they
circled back to the JCC when Mira, a Crossfit enthusiast, heard
about the adaptive personal training available at the JCC.
Fitness isn’t one size fits all, says JCC trainer Debra Selik, who
works with Zoe weekly on her physical conditioning.
“Everybody has their different abilities. Everybody has an accommodation. Not everyone is capable of doing this or that: you
will create a program that accommodates, with the goal of
challenging the individual and pushing the way to make some
improvements.”
With strength training, balance exercises and box jumps to
name a few, the pair works on enhancing Zoe’s abilities.
“We started Zoe with a six-inch box jump,” says Debra. “It took
her a little while to understand what the expectation was, but she
progressed and is up to a 26-inch box jump.”
“Improving the quality of your life is within everybody’s reach,
says Debra. “Everybody can improve the quality of their life, no
matter where you are, whether you’re young or not.”
It’s simply a matter of patience, and finding where to meet the
person when it comes to their needs, she says.
“My being able to affect a positive change in people’s lives, that’s
the bottom line for me,” Debra says. “I feel very fortunate to do
work that feels so meaningful.”
“There’s a basic outline of what is important for human beings
to be able to do functionally, activities of daily living, certain
things throughout life that you just need or want to be able to do,”
Debra says. “Everybody needs to carry this body with them
throughout their life, and you don’t want to feel like you’re
lugging it while stepping up to the challenges of everyday life.”
Even amid a pandemic that has forced a reexamination of how
we conduct our routines, Zoe has found a safe place to exercise
and find community. At the Winn Family & Wellness Center,
which followed state and CDC requirements to the letter, Zoe
and athletes like her can focus their attention on self-improvement, and it shows.
“One of the things that’s so nice is that they all recognize her,
even the people who don’t work with her,” Mira says. “There’s always the sense that she has as much right to be there as everybody
else. And that’s not a message that we get everywhere.”
“I have to say Zoe brings me great joy,” Debra says. “I look forward to training with Zoe. She brings a lot to my life.”
“The big thing is it gives her the chance to just excel at something,” says Mira. “It’s so nice to have her identified as something
other than just this girl with autism. She’s this girl with this incredible ability.”