ST. PETERS, Mo. — There is a gym in Mid Rivers Mall where the trainers focus on a person’s ability—not their disability.
On the second floor of the mall, it's all about taking small steps but making big strides.
"We've got different abilities. We're challenged," said Kelly Behlmann, who founded the Disabled Athlete Sports Association, known as DASA.
Inside the DASA ability gym, disabilities are conquered.
“Five years ago, I told my boss Kelly that one day we’ll own our own gym, and she looked at me like I was crazy,” recalled trainer Kimi Peterson.
“I saw so much more ability in them,” Behlmann remembered. This adaptive training center has been her dream. “We thought why not build our own gym?”
The environment is just like any other workout facility. It allows for a degree of normalcy.
“Coming into a non-medical environment really makes them thrive,” Peterson said. “You’re not a patient, and that’s what makes it so comfortable," Behlmann agreed.
Just like any other trainer in America, they push and they encourage.
“Best thing I can see is having an athlete give me 110 percent,” said Peterson. They don’t take it easy on anyone at the gym. “I am very hard on my athlete."
“They know specific strength training to go with the bio-mechanics needed to work with them properly,” Behlmann added.
The goal is to help their athletes become more than what others may have thought they could be.
“They are here to succeed,” said Peterson.
Some inspiring people like Sean are showing that the approach is working.
“Now he’s an actually jock in a gym,” said Behlmann.
Her t-shirt reads “adapt and achieve,” and this is where that's happening.
“We want the very best of you to walk out, or in Sean’s case, crawl out because we’re working him pretty hard today, right,” said Behlmann.
Several of the athletes training at the gym are preparing for the upcoming Gateway Adaptive Games in May.
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