The Zombie Patrol swim team is a group students with special challenges who attend the Arch Academy in San Diego. The team consists of swimmers who despite the apparent obstacles in their lives are encouraged and nurtured to elevate their own personal potential both academically and athletically. The Zombies have already completed the Alcatraz Swim, the Catalina Channel Relay and are regulars La Jolla Cove where they can often be seen doing the 5K swim between UCSD’s Scripp’s Pier and the cove. They now have their sights set on the English Channel.
You can help the team by visiting their fundraising campaign.
“The Zombies are heading for the English Channel Relay! In June of 2015, the Zombies will travel to Dover, England to swim the English Channel, a life-changing opportunity that will forever transform how people perceive each team member’s capabilities and potential. More importantly, the Zombies hope to change how society views all children with similar disabilities and challenges by showing the world what is possible!
With autism, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, ADHD, drug or alcohol issues, these are students who are viewed by most people as having limited potential. At the Arch Academy, they are being challenged, and their achievements are astonishing!
Academically, all Arch Academy students are on a college prep track. With every success, each student’s bar gets raised. The same is true for athletics. Swimming started in the pool: then summer swims in the Pacific Ocean were added. When this became routine, the Zombie Patrol* was “spawned”. A group of 14 high school students, each with one or more of the challenges listed above, chose to join Arch Academy director Cheryl Zak for 6:00am ocean swims three days a week throughout the year, often in cold and rough conditions.”