Announcements: Meet your new Editor!

Katie Lee: Director of Coaches Education and University Programs, Katie moved to Columbus, OH from Louisville, KY in 2016 and is a recent graduate from The Ohio State University where she received her Master’s of Science in Sports Management and worked as a Graduate Administrative Associate for Competitive Sports within the Department of Recreational Sports. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University in Recreation Administration and has been an active volunteer with Special Olympics Kentucky and Special Olympics Ohio since 2014. Katie served as the Sport Programs Intern in the summer of 2017 and implemented the first Unified Sports league into the Competitive Sports program at The Ohio State University.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, being active in the gym and outdoors, traveling, and of course attending Special Olympics events. We are excited to have her as part of the sports program staff and the impact she will make to unified sports and coaches development!

Special Events Manager

Katelyn Beno is a native of Howell, Michigan and has lived in Columbus, Ohio since 2016. comes to us from the Sports & Orthopedics Physical Therapy Department at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and has served in variety of internship roles with Special Olympics Michigan and Saginaw Spirit Hockey Club. She received her bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University in public relations and event management, and joins the Special Olympics Ohio team as the Special Events Manager effective May 14th. We are excited to have her on our Marketing and Development team driving our special events, with full integration into our sport events!

Coaching Resources

Conditioning Corner

How to become a Special Olympics Ohio Certified Coach

Trainings:

2018 Special Olympics Ohio State Summer Games

We are less than a month out from State Summer Games! State Summer games will be June 22nd-24th at the Ohio State University. There are over 2,500 athletes participating in the 2018 State Games. We will kick off the games with Opening Ceremonies on June 22nd at 6:30 p.m. at the Jesse Owens Stadium. Sport Competitions will begin after Opening Ceremonies at 8:30 p.m.. We are extremely excited for this year’s State Summer Games and can’t wait to see your athletes compete!

Healthy Athletes

Focus: Opening Eyes, Healthy Hearing, Fun Fitness, and Special Smiles.
Location: RPAC (2nd floor) and Tent Town
When: Saturday June 23, 2018
Time: 9:00AM-4:00PM

This is a great opportunity for athletes and partners to receive treatment and information about being healthy! Please encourage your athletes and partners to visit Healthy Athletes and take advantage of the opportunity! Have Questions? Contact Josh Messersmith

Sport Locations

Athletics: Jesse Owens Stadium
Bocce: Adventure Recreation Center (ARC)
Bowling: Sawmill Lanes
Cycling: Fred Beekman Park
Gymnastics: St. Johns Arena
Powerlifting: Drake Union
Roller skating: United Skates of America
Soccer: Lincoln Tower Park
Swimming: McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion
Tennis: Lincoln Tower Park
Volleyball: RPAC

Tent Town Hours

Friday, June 22nd: 7:30PM-10:00PM
Saturday, June 23rd: 9:00AM-11:00AM 12:00PM-4:00PM

Coaching Tip of the Month

Prepare your athletes for the weekend!

This includes training sessions, proper hydration and nutrition, and knowing their schedule for the weekend.

Sport Highlights

NIRSA National Basketball Tournament
The Ohio State University hosted the NIRSA National Basketball Tournament for the 3rd year on April 20th -22nd. There were two Unified teams that represented Ohio: the University of Toledo and the Ohio State University. They competed against teams from Toronto, Michigan, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Next year the tournament will take place in Wichita, Kansas.

Unified Track and Field
The first Annual Unified High School Track & Field Regional Championships took place May 8th –10th in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland. There were 17 different schools who were apart of the first High School Unified Track and Field program— 8 schools in Columbus, 4 schools in Cincinnati, and 5 schools in Cleveland We are excited about the success of this program and are motivated to continue to grow around the state!

Columbus Regional Champ: Hilliard Darby
Cincinnati Regional Champ: Loveland High School
Greater Cleveland Regional Champ: Avon High School

Monthly Coaching Newsletter – May 2018