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Participation Opportunities for Athletes and Volunteers:

• We offer both traditional and unified sports.
  • Traditional sports are those where only Special Olympics athletes participate.
  • A Unified sport is a team composed of one or more Special Olympics Athletes and one or more partners (athletes who are not Special Olympians).
• All Sports have State Games/Competition.

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In addition to participation in sports, athletes may join ALPs which is Athlete Leadership Programs.

• They may receive training: in public speaking to promote Special Olympics; in fundraising; in coaching; in officiating.
• They may learn skills which will help them as members of: board of directors, evaluation teams, and local/area committees.
• They may attend ALPs University which is a training program organized around a university-style educational structure for those athletes interested in expanding their role within Special Olympics.  In additional to learning new skills, athletes earn credits for attending classes and graduate with certificates designating their expertise in specific ALPs initiatives.  ALPs University is a two-day program held once a year.  There are also ALPs one-day seminars held in various parts of Indiana throughout the year.

As a result of this training, Athletes are available to talk to school classes and interested organizations about Special Olympics and their experiences in Special Olympics!!

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Tippecanoe County Volunteer Special Olympics Meetings are held the first Wednesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. at the Kathryn Weil Center in Lafayette.  Everyone is Welcome -- both athletes and volunteers.

ALPs Input Council Meetings are held the third Wednesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. at the Kathryn Weil Center in Lafayette.  All athletes (and parents, staff, volunteers) are welcome.

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Many athletes in Athletics, Swimming and Bowling are invited to attend the three-day weekend Summer Games which are held yearly in June at Indiana State University.  These athletes not only compete in their sports, but are treated to a night of opening ceremonies which consists of entertainment and dance; weekend long activities, games, and food at Tent Town; more music and dancing along with meeting and socializing with athletes from throughout Indiana.

Athletes may participate in various fundraisers: car washes, selling Krispie Kreme certificates, raffle tickets, greeting customers at a Spaghetti Dinner.

For the past three years, some athletes have attended a week-long summer camping experience organized by Special Olympics volunteers.

This year several families will be chaperoning several Special Olympic athletes on a Disney Cruise.

Some athletes have gone to Special Olympics World Games which are attended by athletes from all over the world and which are held in various cities every four years.

An athlete has attended various international ALPs meetings with athletes from other countries in Washington, DC and Amsterdam, Netherlands and Dublin, Ireland.

We have a yearly carry-in dinner Sports Banquet to honor both athletes and volunteers.

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Following are sports that are offered in Indiana in Special Olympics but are not currently offered in Tippecanoe County.  These could be offered within our local program if there is athlete interest AND volunteer/Coaches interest.

• Powerlifting
• Gymnastics
• Soccer
• Flag Football
• Play Activities (ages 6 & 7)
• Motor Activities Training Program
• Volleyball (This is now a spring sport with Special Olympics Indiana)
• Tennis
• 3 on 3 basketball (for lower functional athletes who can't play regular basketball)
• Winter sports -- skiing, snow shoeing and ice skating

All sports with the exception of powerlifting and gymnastics could be offered as unified sports.

All of our current sports offering could include unified sports divisions as well if the interest is there

Contact Jan and Gary Beeker, Tippecanoe County Coordinators at 589-8252 if you are interested in any of these sports.

Special Olympics Indiana Tippecanoe County contacts:
County Co-Coordinators:	Jan & Gary Beeker	589-8252	Area Director:	Gary Boardman	477-6086
Individual Sports Director:	Charlie Young	463-2337	Volunteer Coordinators:	Dixie Stinson Elaine Nicol	447-5380 463-6150
Newsletter Editor:	Cathy Young	463-2337	ALPs Facilitator + Website:	Peggy Hoover	743-4120
Finance & Fundraising:	Marge Anderson-Wringer Steve Gebhart	426-2103 477-6531	Special Olympics Indiana website	http://www.soindiana.org
If you or anyone you know are interested in Special Olympics either as an athlete, partner, or volunteer,  contact any of the above named persons. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Special Olympics Indiana Tippecanoe County P. O. Box 4801 Lafayette IN 47903 http://www.lafayette-online.com/specialolympics

Newsletter is published by Special Olympics Tippecanoe County ~ Cathy Young, Editor

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