To: Volunteer Community Director and CMT Sports Chairs

MEMO

To: Volunteer Community Director and CMT Sports Chairs

From: Sarah Arts, Director of Sports & Programs

CC: Nicolle Egan, Vice President/COO

Date: July 28, 2014

Re: 2014 Sport Season Memo

Please see below regarding the 2014 Sports Season:

Sport - Bowling

Training

·  Ensure coaches have reviewed the most updated sports rules (2014 edition), which can be found on the Special Olympics Alaska webpage.

·  Registration for Training is due electronically to Special Olympics Alaska no later than Monday, August 11, 2014. The registration form can be found on the Special Olympics Alaska webpage under “sports training and competition”.

·  All athletes/partners and volunteers must be officially registered before participation (medical/release/volunteer form). Also, athletes/partners/coaches should sign and turn in the code of conduct to the head coach.

·  Athletes can train and compete in any format identified within the rules during the sports season and for local competition.

·  It is recommended that bowlers bowl 3 games at every practice (see eligibility under “Bowling Competition”).

·  Weekly recap sheets can be found on the Special Olympics Alaska webpage. Please email those electronically in excel on Mondays, no later than 5pm. Please do NOT change the format or formulas in the excel sheet. If you need to move, add or remove bowlers we will work on that on an individual basis so that we don’t enter the wrong score for an athlete.

·  There will be no midseason report due.

·  The local games sanction form will be due on October 6, 2014.

·  Eunice Kennedy Shriver day is on September 27, 2014. Please plan to have the bowling team involved in activities celebrating athletes and the Special Olympics movement.

·  The bowling team is encouraged to raise money as a team for the Alaska Law Enforcement Torch Run & Pledge Drive. (Suggestion: select one practice, or more, where team members, coaches, family members, can donate. Then recognize the bowling team in May at the event.)

Local Bowling Tournament

·  Special Olympics Alaska athletes must have completed 24 games (3 consecutive games, over 2 months/8 practices for this sport) prior to the local tournament in order to be eligible to compete in the local tournament.

·  When creating opportunities for Special Olympics Alaska athletes to participate in sports training and competition, Special Olympics Alaska Programs should be guided by the following principles: 1) each athlete should enjoy a dignified and meaningful competition experience; 2) The integrity of the sport must be preserved; 3) The health and safety of all athletes, coaches and officials must not be compromised.

·  Please plan to speak with Sarah Arts regarding divisioning for local competition in late September.

·  Local results/tournament registration is due on October 27, 2014.

Special Olympics Alaska Bowling Tournament

·  Please be advised that the Tournament Organizing Committee for the Bowling Tournament will be considering meaningful competition in relationship to divisioning based on gender, age, ability and number of competitors in divisions (meaningful competition). The optimal number of teams/doubles/singles in a division for competition is at least 3 and no more than 8. Divisions of less than 3 competitors will be reviewed and considered for cancelation.

·  A quota will be set for the 2014 Special Olympics Alaska Bowling Tournament. It will be based on the percentages of Athletes/Partners who are training.

·  The total quota for the tournament is 280 bowlers and 70 teams. Quotas will be established in October.

·  The Special Olympics Alaska Bowling Tournament is a team event. Athletes will also bowl in doubles and singles competition.

·  To be eligible for the Special Olympics Alaska Bowling Tournament, athletes must be on a team (4 bowlers) and they must be able to bowl 3 consecutive games in singles/doubles/team events (9 games total, over 2 ½ days). 33 scores (24 from the season + 9 from local competition) will be used to establish a handicap in the bowling tournament.

·  The 2014 Special Olympics Alaska Bowling Tournament is scheduled to be at Polar Bowl, JBER. Information to access the military base will be sent out in September and October.

·  Official Special Olympics Alaska Sub-Community Program issued bowling uniforms must be worn at all competitions. Athletes/partners who are not in official uniforms will be disqualified from competition.

·  Substitutes must be officially registered for the Bowling season, competition, and the state tournament. Bowling scores (24+9) will be required for substitutes.