Get Involved

Coach Resources/Forms

Regardless of whether you've coached before, you can be an inspiration to Special Olympics athletes. We provide sport-specific training, tips to help you coach your team and a simple certification process that makes it easy for you to get involved.

Below are links to many of the resources you’ll need as a coach. Please contact your Region Director if you have any questions or need additional information about coaching certification courses. If you are unsure about how to contact your Region Director, view our statewide map for contact details.

Volunteer Interest Form
Interested in coaching? Complete our online interest form and a Region Director will contact you with additional information about volunteer opportunities in your area.
Online Volunteer Interest Form

Registered Training Program (RTP) Form
This is a roster of all athletes and coaches who participated in area sports.
RTP Form (PDF)
Online RTP Form

Coaching Guides
Coaches can download Coaching Guides for every sport, except cheerleading, from the Special Olympics Inc. Web site. This includes great tools for planning a training season, teaching sports skills and following the rules, protocol and etiquette of each sport.
Coaching Guides (PDF)

Sport Rules
Rules for each sport , except cheerleading, can be downloaded from the Special Olympics Inc. Web site.
Sport Rules (PDF)

Competition Management Guides
These documents outline the effective planning, organization and administration of a safe, quality and dignified sports competition. Available on the Special Olympics Inc. Web site.
Competition Management Guides (PDF)

Coach Code of Conduct
This document outlines standards of behavior for Special Olympic Virginia coaches and assistant coaches.
Coach Code of Conduct (PDF)

Code of Conduct Report Form & Action Plan
This form is used to document inappropriate behaviors by volunteers or athletes, and to develop an action plan to resolve the issues.
Code of Conduct Report Form & Action Plan (PDF)
Code of Conduct Report Form & Action Plan (Microsoft Word)

Incident Report Form (American Specialty)
This form is used to report an injury to an athlete or volunteer. Completed forms should be submitted to the Special Olympics Virginia staff who will review them and submit them to American Specialty.
Incident Report Form (PDF)
Incident Report Form (Microsoft Word)

Criteria for Advancement to Higher Level Competition
This document outlines the procedures for selecting athletes to advance to higher levels of competition.
Criteria for Advancement to Higher Level Competition (PDF)

Coach Certification Process
This document explains how to become a Special Olympics certified coach.
Coach Certification Process (PDF)

Coach Certification Form
Submit this form whenever you take a coach certification course. If you are applying to be a Special Olympics certified coach for the first time, you need to take the Special Olympics General Volunteer Orientation, take a sport skills training or the Coaching Special Olympics Athletes course and complete a 10-hour practicum working with Special Olympics athletes. To maintain your certification, coaches must take a coach training course of their choice once every four years.
Coach Certification Form (PDF)
Coach Certification Form (Microsoft Word)

Coaching Special Olympics Athletes Online Course

Through this three-hour course, you will develop a better understanding of how people with intellectual disabilities learn and how they participate in sports. The course offers a solid overview of the coaching principles involved in working with Special Olympics athletes as well as practical ideas that you can immediately use in your teaching and coaching. The cost for the course is $16.95. Click here for the course.

 

Coaching Unified Sports® Online Course

While many of the coaching challenges are similar – defining roles in line with ability and fostering teamwork - coaching a Unified Sports team is unlike any other coaching position. Goals, motivations and even the meaning of winning are different. With an introduction by Brenda and Kurt Warner, this NFHS course will help you understand and implement the most successful coaching strategies for this very special mix of teammates. This course is free; click here to access it.


Terminology/Language Guidelines
This document discusses terminology and proper ways to refer to Special Olympics participants and the program
Terminology/Language Guidelines (PDF)

Additional resources, including Class A and B volunteer forms, can be found in our volunteer resources section.