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What
is Special Olympics?
Who is eligible?
How
does an athlete register to participate?
What
sports are offered at Special Olympics?
What is Unified Sports®?
Does Special Olympics offer programs
for athletes of all levels and abilities?
How
much does it cost to participate in Special Olympics?
Does Special
Olympics need volunteers?
How do you
sign up to be a volunteer with Special Olympics?
Commonly
Asked Coaching and Volunteer Questions
What
is the minimum age for a coach?
What
volunteer opportunities are available for minor (under age
18) volunteers?
Can
an athlete be coached by a family member?
How does a coach
become certified?
What
is Special Olympics?
Special
Olympics is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing
year-round sports training and competition in a variety of
Olympic-type sports for people eight years of age and older
with developmental disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities
to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience
joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendships
with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the
community.
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Who is
eligible?
Special Olympics
is open to every developmentally disabled person, regardless
of the level or degree of that person's disability, and whether
or not that person also has other mental/physical disabilities.
Each athlete must register to participate in Special Olympics
as required by the General Rules. There is no maximum age
limitation for participation.
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How
does an athlete register to participate?
A simple
medical and release form is required of each athlete. A physician
signs the medical form and the guardian of a minor athlete
or the adult athlete signs the release form. Once these forms
are on file in the Special Olympics office, the athlete may
begin attending practice in his/her preferred sport. Please
contact us for an Athlete Registration
form, or find instructions for downloading the form online
from the registration
forms page.
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What
sports are offered at SOHC?
Special Olympics
Hamilton County offers the following sports:
- Volleyball
- Gymnastics
- Equestrian
- Powerlifting
- Softball
- Basketball
- Track and Field
- Swimming
- Bocce
- Golf
- Distance Running
and Walking
- Flag Football
- Bowling
- Cheerleading
- Motor Activities
for people with severe disabilities
- Play Activities
(for people ages 4-7)
We also offer
Unified Sports® in basketball. Some counties and/or areas
may offer a slightly different variety of sports, based on
athlete interest and facility availability.
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What
is Unified Sports®?
Unified Sports®
is a team experience that combines approximately equal numbers
of athletes with and without developmental disabilities of
similar age and ability. With the help of a volunteer coach,
athletes train together year-round in a variety of sports
after school or on weekends. Unified Sports is a school-based
program spearheaded by either adaptive physical education
or special education teachers. It joins together a school's
special education students with their non-developmentally
disabled elementary, junior high, or high school peers through
competitive sports competitions. Non-developmentally disabled
students not only participate in the sports but can help out
with coaching and organizing as a way of fulfilling volunteer
or community service commitments.
Only a few hours together a week gives everyone a chance to
develop sports skills, build new relationships, break down
traditional barriers, and reap the benefits of coming together
as one team.
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Does
Special Olympics offer programs for athletes of all levels
and abilities?
Special Olympics
prides itself on providing programs for each skill level.
The traditional Special Olympics program creates competition
environments based on each athlete's abilities by creating
heats, or competition groups, based on preliminary scores
and times. This ensures that athletes compete based on skill,
age and gender. For athletes with severe disabilities, we
offer a Motor Activities Training Program that emphasizes
training and participation rather then competition.
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How
much does it cost to participate in Special Olympics?
All Special
Olympics programs are free to eligible athletes and are possible
thanks to the generous support from individuals and businesses
that believe in Special Olympics athletes. Special Olympics
receives no federal funds and is supported, almost exclusively,
from individuals, organizations, corporations and foundations.
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Does
Special Olympics need volunteers?
YES! Volunteers
are the lifeblood of Special Olympics Hamilton County. They
serve as coaches, officials, trainers, directors and a variety
of other valuable roles. Whether it's a few hours per week,
once a month or once a year, what volunteers give to Special
Olympics is priceless. They energize our program every day
and, in return, they gain their own rewarding experience.
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How
do you sign up to be a volunteer with Special Olympics?
A Volunteer
Application is required of each volunteer. Please contact us for an Volunteer
Application form or see the Registration Forms page.
Special Olympics has a training that ALL volunteers must take. This is a 2-hour training. It includes protective behavior information designed to help volunteers understand, identify, and prevent abuse of Special Olympics athletes. This training has been mandated by Special Olympics International. See the Volunteer or Coach page for more information.
Class 1 volunteers must:
- Have a completed coach or volunteer application on file.
- Have attended a coach or volunteer orientation within 6 months of their start date as a volunteer.
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COMMONLY ASKED COACHING AND VOLUNTEER
QUESTIONS
What
is the minimum age for a coach?
Coaches can
be certified at age 16; however, all Head Coaches must be
at least 18 years old.
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What
volunteer opportunities are available for minor (under age
18) volunteers?
Volunteers
that are at least 16 years old can be certified in any Special
Olympics sport. Volunteers that are younger than 16 can provide
coaching assistance and event and competition support under
the supervision of a parent, guardian or certified head coach
or assistant coach.
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Can
an athlete be coached by a family member?
Absolutely.
Special Olympics is dependent on the families of the athletes
for a variety of volunteer positions. The age restrictions
noted above apply to all family coaches.
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How
does a coach become certified?
To become
a certified coach for Special Olympics Hamilton County, the
following must be completed:
General Session:
a 90 minute session that introduces the basics for the program
and be willing to submit to a thorough background check.
Volunteer Coach
Sport Specific Training School: a six hour course.
Practicum: 10
hours of hands-on training to be completed after the Sport
Specific Training School.
Complete and
submit coach certification form.
Upon completion,
each certified coach will receive a Special Olympics Hamilton
County Certification and National Certification as a volunteer
coach.
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