Use one of the film’s accompanying resources to learn about the issues and get involved. "And for them to be a part of a team is unbelievable." I mean, the kids are gonna have a good time whether they're good, they're bad, they come in first, they come in last," he says in the film. At eleven, she contracted severe meningitis which took her to the brink of death. "With the Hammerheads families, I had found a group of parents who refused to take no for an answer. The doctors gave her an unimaginable…Ellaraino experienced a common teenage reaction when she learned she’d have to leave Los Angeles to spend the summer in Louisiana with her great-grandmother, Silvia. Mike and Maria McQuay, who started the team in 2014 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, both coach with help from other parents and residents. IndieWire Staff. They were saying YES, and as a community, it was galvanizing for them. "At one time or another, all our kids have been ostracized," Mike McQuay says in the film. ‘Swim Team’ for autistic kids makes splash in documentary AP Jun 30, 2017 at 12:08p ET share url email fbmsngr whatsapp sms When Mike and Maria McQuay founded the Jersey Hammerheads swim team, their aim was to give their son Mikey, who has Now the team, coaches and members are the focus of a recently released documentary by director-producer Lara Stolman, titled "Swim Team." Documentary 'Swim Team' Tackles Autism, Teamwork and Community. Parents of a boy on the autism spectrum form a competitive swim team, recruiting other teens on the spectrum and training them with high expectations and zero pity. As a mother, I was so personally inspired by what they hoped to accomplish, I knew I had to share their story."

"The goals are to get these kids in the water, let the parents know that these kids can do something. Yet they all share one commonality: They are all on the autism spectrum. Stolman started filming in 2014, after coming across the Hammerheads as she sought swim lessons for her own children.

 At…POV believes in the power of film to engage communities in dialogue around the most pressing social issues of our time. Mike McQuay Sr. and his son Mikey appear in "Swim Team." "Swim Team" is a documentary about a competitive swim team made up of teens from different cultures and backgrounds but all sharing one commonality: They're on the autism spectrum. Mike McQuay said the purpose of the team was to just get the teens having fun and socializing.

Since the family lived in a neighborhood with several backyard pools, Stolman made it a priority to have her son learn how to swim … Stolman’s 11-year-old son was diagnosed with autism in 2008. Panchita Espitia was a formidable woman, not afraid of rattlesnakes underfoot on the Texas ranches of her youth, or of death itself.

"I was immediately struck by the energy and optimism of the families that were coming together to form the team," Stolman said in a news release about the film. Her grandson, Bishop Ricardo Ramirez, learned this near the end of…Beatrice Vio has cultivated a passion for fencing since she was five years old. "Swim Team" is a documentary about a competitive swim team made up of teens from different cultures and backgrounds but all sharing one commonality: They're on the autism spectrum. Copyright © 1995–2020 American Documentary, Inc. | — -- McQuay Sr. and his wife, Maria, started the Jersey Hammerheads swim team for Mikey. "Swim Team" is a documentary about a competitive swim team made up of teens from different cultures and backgrounds but all sharing one commonality: They're on the autism spectrum.Mike McQuay Sr. and his son Mikey appear in "Swim Team." Parents of a boy on the autism spectrum form a competitive swim team, recruiting other teens on the spectrum and training them with high expectations and zero pity. 'Swim Team' follows teens with autism finding joy and acceptance in the waterFamily of 5-year-old boy shot and killed by a neighbor: 'We shouldn't even be here'Georgia trooper charged with murder in traffic stop shootingThe new doctor in Trump's pandemic response briefings: one who agrees with him "Swim Team" is a documentary about a competitive swim team made up of teens from different cultures and backgrounds but all sharing one commonality: They're on the autism spectrum. The film follows the McQuays and Mikey, who was then 17, along with other swimmers at the Hammerheads' nascency.

She and her crew began shooting on the first day of practice. "It's the parents seeing that their kids can do something and socializing with other kids that are Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? McQuay Sr. and his wife, Maria, started the Jersey Hammerheads swim team for Mikey. The Hammerheads consist of a competitive group of about 13 teenagers and young adults from various cultures and backgrounds. READ MORE: Documentary ‘Swim Team’ Tackles Autism, Teamwork and Community “When people ask me how I found the story of ‘Swim Team,’ I say it found me,” said Stolman. "Swim Team" is a documentary about a competitive swim team made up of teens from different cultures and backgrounds but all sharing one commonality: They're on the autism spectrum. Visit the POV Community Network to browse films available for screenings.POV is a production of American Documentary, Inc.