Paloma Velasquez, a former artistic swimmer and phycologist, founded The Special Mermaids, a synchronised swimming team composed of athletes with diverse disabilities.
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00:00Well, artistic swimming is my life, it's my passion.
00:06When we swim, which are routines, it's a dance in the water and the stage is the pool.
00:15Being able to do routines makes me feel empowered, strong.
00:23When I'm underwater, I feel free.
00:28Being underwater is incredible, it's like being in another world.
00:37We are a very special team because we are made up of people with different disabilities.
00:48We are two-time world champions and we are also Pan-American champions.
01:00The people with D.A.M.M.E. are people like any other person.
01:06We can do everything in the world, no matter what is behind us.
01:19SIRENAS ESPECIALES
01:22Sirenas Especiales is an artistic swimming team for people with disabilities.
01:2895% are athletes with D.A.M.M.E. Syndrome.
01:32D.A.M.M.E. Syndrome is a condition that has different characteristics.
01:40For example, some people find it difficult to speak.
01:46For example, some people find it difficult to speak.
01:54For example, some people find it difficult to speak.
02:04A Sirenas Especiales training is like any other training.
02:09We start with swimming, then we work on specific exercises for artistic swimming
02:14to get to know the positions, movements, and then we do the routines,
02:20which is the combination of all these movements, positions, and arm movements,
02:25which makes you conform.
02:28I like swimming with my friends.
02:31I have a lot of team friends.
02:34I like making butterflies,
02:39colors,
02:41frogs,
02:44I like competitions,
02:48I like to win medals.
02:55I like to experiment with new things with my coach.
03:00I try to do it, even if it's hard work.
03:03If I don't do it the first, second or third time,
03:09I never give up.
03:11Even if it's a difficult challenge, I always like to overcome it.
03:18My coach has been a very important factor for me
03:23because he has really been able to help me a lot.
03:29He has helped me in many ways.
03:34What can mean a challenge to work with athletes with OCD
03:38is sometimes the way you communicate.
03:41I have learned to work in a language that they understand.
03:45And all of a sudden, the attention and concentration.
03:48And that's precisely why this is the project.
03:51All of my teammates have been good companions.
03:56We get along very well.
03:58We are different people in common.
04:03As we always say, we are a great family.
04:12What I like to do the most out of the water is TikTok.
04:17I like it!
04:20I love it too.
04:22I spend all my time with my family.
04:27My mom is everything to me.
04:30She is my top.
04:31She is my life's biggest supporter.
04:35Special Mermaids changed my life completely.
04:38I think now I value many more things than before.
04:43And I also know that when challenges come, everything can be accomplished.
04:48In many different ways.
04:51What I like the most is when we are together and we talk.
04:56And see how they get excited.
04:59See how they move forward.
05:01How we start to ride and everything is in order.
05:06And all of a sudden, everything starts to make sense.
05:09Everything starts to get organized.
05:12What I hope for my Special Mermaids
05:15is that they continue to shine and grow.
05:21What I hope for my Special Mermaids
05:25is that people see athletes with Down syndrome
05:30and they can do whatever they want.
05:34There will be things that are a bigger challenge on a social level.
05:38But we can move forward a little bit.
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