Become a Coach
Thank you for your interest in becoming a Special Olympics South Carolina coach. Complete these simple steps to become a Certified Coach.
Coaches must be at least 18 years of age. Anyone between the ages of 14-17 can attend a training/take an online course to become a Junior Coach.
- Each sport team or Area attending a State level competition must have at least one (1) Certified Coach in each specific sport they have competing at the event.
- A person must be a Certified Coach to serve as a Coach on a regional, national or international level.
For any questions or for more information contact: Anna Parks, Sports Leadership Manager – ap****@so***.org.
COACHING RESOURCES
- Training Courses & Requirements for Class-A Volunteers. Additional information and requirements for Sport Assistants and Coaches can be found by clicking on the “Certified Coach” box.
- Extra Trainings to make you an extraordinary coach
- Rules that govern the Special Olympics movement
- Planning your season
- Keeping the athletes healthy off the playing field
- Resource documents and printables:
SPORTS RESOURCES
- Get More Sports Resources.
COACHING REQUIREMENTS
- Step 1 –
Contact your local Area Director to find out what opportunities are available in your local program. - Step 2 –
All coaches must complete Class A Volunteer Registration. - Step 3 –
Create a FREE account on the Special Olympics Learning Portal at https://learn.specialolympics.org/. - Step 4 –
Follow the coach requirements listed below.
Junior Coach: (Anyone under 18.)
- Contact Anthony Buzzetti for the Under 18 Class A application form
- General Orientationand Test
- Concussion Training
- In-person Training- OPTIONAL
Team Manager: (This is someone who acts as Admin for the team. Not necessarily a coach, but someone capable of handling the paperwork and scheduling.)
- Class A
- Protective Behaviors
- General Orientationand Test
- Concussion Training
- In-person Training- OPTIONAL
Assistant Coach: (Assistant Coaches are unable to make protest at competition if needed.)
- Class A
- Protective Behaviors
- General Orientationand Test
- Concussion Training
- Coaching Special Olympics Athletes
- Special Olympics Unified Sports Coaching Course *Required for all Unified Sports
- First Aid *cost – OPTIONAL. Send certification to Anna Parks, aparks@so-sc.org.
- In-person Training- OPTIONAL
Head Coach: (Every team must have at least one Head Coach at State Competition and higher.)
- Class A
- Protective Behaviors
- General Orientationand Test
- Concussion Training
- Coaching Special Olympics Athletes
- Special Olympics Unified Sports Coaching Course *Required for all Unified Sports
- First Aid *cost. Send certification to Anna Parks, aparks@so-sc.org.
- In-person Sports Training (Rules, tactics, training, curriculum.)
MAINTAINING YOUR COACH CERTIFICATION
All Coach Certifications are valid for three (3) years. In order to keep your certifications up to date, please contact your local Area Director and Anna Parks at aparks@so-sc.org with any questions.
To avoid expiration, take one of the following courses:
- General Orientation
- Coaching Special Olympics Athletes
- Concussion Recognition
- Unified Sports Course
- Principles of Coaching
- First Aid
- National Federation of High Schools Course
- National Governing Body Sports Course
- CoachTube
COACHING RESOURCES
- Training Courses & Requirements for Class-A Volunteers. Additional information and requirements for Sport Assistants and Coaches can be found by clicking on the “Certified Coach” box.
- Extra Trainings to make you an extraordinary coach
- Rules that govern the Special Olympics movement
- Planning your season
- Keeping the athletes healthy off the playing field
- Resource documents and printables:
SPORTS RESOURCES
- Get More Sports Resources.
COACHING REQUIREMENTS
- Step 1 –
Contact your local Area Director to find out what opportunities are available in your local program. - Step 2 –
All coaches must complete Class A Volunteer Registration. - Step 3 –
Create a FREE account on the Special Olympics Learning Portal at https://learn.specialolympics.org/. - Step 4 –
Follow the coach requirements listed below.
Junior Coach: (Anyone under 18.)
- Contact Anthony Buzzetti for the Under 18 Class A application form
- General Orientationand Test
- Concussion Training
- In-person Training- OPTIONAL
Team Manager: (This is someone who acts as Admin for the team. Not necessarily a coach, but someone capable of handling the paperwork and scheduling.)
- Class A
- Protective Behaviors
- General Orientationand Test
- Concussion Training
- In-person Training- OPTIONAL
Assistant Coach: (Assistant Coaches are unable to make protest at competition if needed.)
- Class A
- Protective Behaviors
- General Orientationand Test
- Concussion Training
- Coaching Special Olympics Athletes
- Special Olympics Unified Sports Coaching Course *Required for all Unified Sports
- First Aid *cost – OPTIONAL. Send certification to Anna Parks, aparks@so-sc.org.
- In-person Training- OPTIONAL
Head Coach: (Every team must have at least one Head Coach at State Competition and higher.)
- Class A
- Protective Behaviors
- General Orientationand Test
- Concussion Training
- Coaching Special Olympics Athletes
- Special Olympics Unified Sports Coaching Course *Required for all Unified Sports
- First Aid *cost. Send certification to Anna Parks, aparks@so-sc.org.
- In-person Sports Training (Rules, tactics, training, curriculum.)
MAINTAINING YOUR COACH CERTIFICATION
All Coach Certifications are valid for three (3) years. In order to keep your certifications up to date, please contact your local Area Director and Anna Parks at aparks@so-sc.org with any questions.
To avoid expiration, take one of the following courses:
- General Orientation
- Coaching Special Olympics Athletes
- Concussion Recognition
- Unified Sports Course
- Principles of Coaching
- First Aid
- National Federation of High Schools Course
- National Governing Body Sports Course
- CoachTube
“After being involved with Special Olympics Powerlifting, I know it's building more than just strength and power. Special Olympics builds confidence, endurance, and a sense of dedication that supports athletes in everyday life!”
A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS
