Athletics Certification

Athletes must be appropriately dressed. They must be in Athletic wear. No Blue Jeans will be allowed. Athletes may compete in athletic shoes only. Track spikes less than 3/8 of an inch are allowed. No softball, baseball or Football cleats will be allowed. Uniforms are very important for the athlete’s self esteem.

It is the coaches’ responsibility to submit all forms required. If you do not understand please call your area director or the state office for help. Do not wait until the deadline to ask for help. Forms are due to the event director by the deadline. They are not to be mailed on the deadline.

Track events take precedence over field events. This means if an athlete has a track event and a field event scheduled at the same time they should do the track event first and then go to the field event. They should check in with the field event and let the venue director know what they are doing.

Cones are placed every 5 yards for the 30 Meter span for a total of 5 cones. Athlete must maneuver their chair around all 5 cones in a slalom fashion. Each chair is allowed 2 lanes for their race. There is a 5 minute time limit on the race. Race will be started by a whistle or dropped flag.

A walk is defined as having one foot in contact with the ground at all times. Athletes that gain an advantage by breaking into a run will be disqualified in their events. All disqualified athletes will receive a participation ribbon.

Athletes may have a coach walk with them as a guide and support for 25 Meters. Athletes must stay in their lanes during the race. Coaches or guides are not allowed to initiate forward movement by pulling or pushing the athlete. All forward momentum must be generated by the athlete. Race will be started by a whistle or dropped flag.

Athlete must walk unassisted with no other person providing assistance. Athletes may use walkers, crutches, or other adaptive equipment as needed. The athlete must remain in their lane for the full 25 meter walk. Race will be started by a whistle or dropped flag.

Athlete must walk unassisted with no other person providing assistance. Athletes may use walkers, crutches, or other adaptive equipment as needed. The athlete must remain in their lane for the full 100 meter walk. Race will be started by a starter’s pistol.

Athlete must walk unassisted with no other person providing assistance. Athletes may use walkers, crutches, or other adaptive equipment as needed. The athlete must remain in their lane for the full 400 meter walk, this is one lap around the track. The race will start with a staggered start, meaning that outside lanes will be ahead of inside lanes. Athletes that leave their lane for an inside lane will have walked a shorter distance and thus gained an advantage. These athletes will be disqualified. Race will be started by a whistle or dropped flag.

Blind or sight impaired athletes may have a guide. The guide may not provide any forward momentum.

Athletes may use starting blocks if they wish in all running events. Athletes must provide their own starting blocks if they wish to use them.

The 50 Meter dash is the most popular running event in Special Olympics. Summer Games may have as many as 2,000 athletes competing in the 50 Meter Dash. There will be waiting lines to run the 50 Meter Dash. Coaches should choose events that match their athletes abilities and not just the easiest event to coach. The 50 Meter Dash is a straight race that is 1/8 the length of the track. Athletes must remain in their lanes throughout the race. Race will be started by a whistle or dropped flag.

The 100 Meter Dash is the length of the straightaway of the track. Lines coming through the corner can sometimes be confusing where dotted lines are used. Athletes must practice running through the dotted lines in order to stay in their lanes. A good way to show your athletes the dotted lines is to walk down the track and look back to the start of the 100 Meter Dash. It is sometimes easier to see from that direction. Race will be started by a starter’s pistol.

The 200 Meter run is half a lap of the track. Athletes will run 1 corner of the track and must stay in their lanes at all times. An Athlete starting in the outside lane and moves to an inside lane will have ran a shorter distance and thus gained an advantage and will be disqualified. This race has a staggered start, meaning that each lane going to the outside will be a little bit ahead of the inside lane at the start. After running the corner every athlete will have ran the same distance. This race will start with a starter’s pistol.

The 400 Meter Run is one lap around the track. This race starts with a staggered start meaning that the outside lanes start in front of the inside lanes. Athletes must remain in their lanes. Athletes leaving their lanes for an inside lane are gaining an advantage and will be disqualified. This race will start with a starter’s pistol.

All distance events will start from a waterfall start. This is a curved line at the start of the race, allowing the outside lanes to be slightly ahead of the inside lanes. Racers may cut into an inside lane as soon as they can safely clear the other athletes with one stride. Athletes do not remain in their lanes in this race. Athletes should be trained to run on the inside lane as soon as they can because that is the shortest way around the track. Special Olympics Oklahoma offers the 800m, 1500M and the 3000M. These are high level events that require high levels of training. 800 Meter Run is 2 laps, the 1500 Meter Run is 3 ¾ laps and the 3000 Meter run is 7 ½ laps. The 3000 Meter Run has a time limit of 20 minutes.

The running long jump is a high level jumping event. The athlete will run down the runway and jump off of the board, off of one foot, landing in a sand pit. The spot is marked and measured at the place the athlete touches the sand closest to the takeoff board. The athlete will receive 3 jumps and the jump of the greatest distance will be the score for that event.

The High Jump is a very high level jumping event requiring a very high level of training. The basic rules require that the Athlete jump off of one foot. The athlete cannot do a front flip over the bar. The opening height of the bar will be 1 meter. If an athlete cannot make a 1 meter jump at practice they should not be entered in this event. Each Athlete will receive 3 attempts at each height of the bar. The bar will raise 5 cm after each round. If an athlete fails to complete the jump in 3 attempts that athlete is eliminated at that point. Athletes may decide to pass on a height. This is perfectly acceptable and can be an advantage to start jumping when the height is closer to that athlete’s ability. The height of the bar cannot be lowered however, once the rounds begin. If the athlete passes a height and then misses all 3 attempts at the next height, the athlete will be eliminated at the height of the last successful jump. The winner will be decided by the highest jump of the event. In case of a tie on a height, the misses on the previous height are counted and the person with the fewest misses will win.

The Shot Put is a very high level event. This event requires a very high level of training. If you are not familiar with the Shot Put and do not know the proper training techniques, this is not an event you should coach. There is an element of danger in this event. Safety first! Athletes can hurt their elbows and shoulders if they do not perform this event properly. The basic rules of the Shot Put require the Athlete to enter and exit the throwing ring from the rear of the ring. The Shot must be held in close proximity to the jaw below the ear. The elbow may never precede the Shot Put. This is a pushing motion, not a throwing motion. Each Athlete will receive 3 attempts with the Shot Put. The furthest distance of the 3 Puts is recorded as the score for the event. Athletes that touch the top of the footboard or enter or exit the front of the ring will have their Put scored as a scratch and that Put will not count. Athletes that improperly Put the Shot will be disqualified for safety reasons and they may not be allowed to continue the event, if in the judgment of the official, the athlete is improperly trained in the event. Disqualified athletes will receive a participation award. Shot weights for this event are, 8-11 year old and all females athletes will us a 6lb Shot Put, All males 12 years and older will use an 8lb Shot Put and all Athletes in the Wheelchair Shot Put will use a 4lb Shot Put.

Athletes may not enter Softball Throw and Turbojav. They must choose. The softball throw is a transitional throwing event leading to the turbojav.

The Turbojav event is an intermediate level event. There are two sizes of turbojavs used by Special Olympics Oklahoma. 8 – 15 year olds use the shorter 300 gram Turbojav and all athletes 16 years and older use the longer 500 gram Turbojav. You can purchase turbojavs at www.turbojav.com The Turbojav should be thrown similar to the motion of a football. The elbow should remain close to the body during the throw with the hand holding the turbojav going directly over the head. It is thrown very similar to throwing a spiral with a football. The basic rules state that the turbojav can be thrown with any motion as long as they do not cross the scratch line. The tip of the turbojav must hit the ground first. This is the point where the measurement will occur. The Athlete will receive 3 attempts, the greatest distance will determine the score for the event.

The 4 X 100 Meter Relay must have 4 athletes competing. The track is marked with an exchange zone at the 100 Meter, 200 Meter and 300 Meter increments. The exchange zone is 20 Meters long and the start of the exchange zone is marked by a triangle facing forward. The end of the exchange zone is marked by a triangle facing back towards the other triangle. Athletes must exchange the baton in the exchange zone. This is a staggered start and athletes must stay in their lanes the entire time. If an athlete drops the baton they may pick it up as long as they do not interfere with the other athletes. The baton may not be thrown; it must be handed to the next athlete. If an athlete drops the baton that same athlete must pick it up to hand to the next athlete. Relay teams should be in like uniforms. If a coach has multiple relay teams that may get heated together it can be helpful to have different colored shirts for each of the relay teams.

The Pentathlon is a very high level event consisting of 5 separate events. A point total is awarded for the score of each of the 5 events and the scores are added together to determine a winner in the overall event. Only one award is given in the pentathlon. The five events are the Shot Put, High Jump, Running Long Jump, 100 Meter Dash, and the 400 Meter run. In the Olympics the athlete that wins the Decathlon is considered the World’s Greatest Athlete. In Special Olympics, the winner of the Pentathlon is the World’s Greatest Athlete.