Red Ross drives the custom boat made for sit skiing during the Lake Palestine Adaptive Aquafest Saturday June 25, 2016 in Bullard, Texas. Over 50 adults and children with varying physical and/or mental handicaps had the opportunity to water ski with help from Houston-based Texas Adaptive Aquatics. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

A Bullard couple opened up their home for the fifth time for the annual Lake Palestine Adaptive Aquafest Saturday.

Fifty-four special needs adults and children registered for the event, which provided handicap-accessible fun on the lake for East Texans. Debbie Bryant and Mike Schovianec got the idea to host the event at their home on Lake Palestine after seeing an advertisement for Houston-based business Texas Adaptive Aquatics. Texas Adaptive Aquatics provided a custom built boat made for sit skiing.

“We adapt every ski to the person’s disability; Everyone’s disability is different,” said Texas Adaptive Aquatics president Roger Randall.

People of varying physical and mental handicaps water skied using sit skis with the help of volunteers and boat drivers Red Ross and Steve Cosby.

“The best part of driving the boat is seeing the parents watch their kid ski for the first time who has spent half their life in a wheelchair. The kids become more outgoing and realize there are new things they can do,” Ross said.

Sarah A. Miller