A little inspiration: The key to adaptive and Special Olympics group coaching success is to embrace the challenge of conducting inclusive group activities simultaneously among diverse athletes by making each session’s lesson objective/theme adaptive to athlete ability. Successful coaching depends on recognizing Ability (with a capital A!), and applying creativity and progressions to challenge each athlete optimally. For example, we can all be “working on our serves” by working on parts or the whole of the serve stroke as differently and creatively as our abilities demand and allow. However differently each athlete’s journey, by sharing a common lesson/session goal, we can learn together, celebrating thematic accomplishment as a group!
Questions, Comments, Ideas: Contact jbtrew2016@gmail.com or wayne@publictennis.org
Fall 2024 Weekly Special Olympics School Program Days and Times
- McCracken Middle School at Bluffton High School courts
- Mondays, 10-11AM, 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28, 11/4
- ## athletes, 11 coaches, Lead: Wayne Lilley
- HHI High School at HHI High School courts
- Tuesdays, 11:45AM-12:45PM, 9/24, 10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, 10/2
- ## athletes, 12 coaches, Lead: Dean Layton
- May River High School at May River High School courts
- Tuesdays, 1-2PM, 9/24, 10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29
- ## athletes, 13 coaches, Lead: Laura Wenban Pucko & JB Trew
- HHI Middle School at HHI High School courts
- Wednesdays, 1-2PM, 9/25, 10/2, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6 (10/9 is a holiday)
- ## athletes, 9 coaches, Lead: Beth & Bill Hommes
- Bluffton High School at Bluffton High School courts
- Thursdays, 1:30-2:30PM, 9/26, 10/3, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7 (10/10 is a holiday)
- ## athletes, 15 coaches, Lead: Tom Shaw
- Beaufort, Whale Branch and Battery Creek High Schools at Battery Creek courts
- Fridays, 12-1PM Beaufort and Whale Branch groups, 1-2PM Battery Creek group
- 9/27, 10/4, 10/18, 10/25, 11/1, 11/8 (10/11 is holiday)
- ## athletes, 10 coaches, Lead: Paddy O’Donnell
- Hardeeville K-12 at Hardeeville School courts
- Fridays, 1-2PM, 9/27, 10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 10/25, 11/1 (Jasper County district calendar)
- ## athletes, 12 coaches, Lead: Wayne Lilley
Lesson Plans
- Week #1 Lesson Plan HERE
- Week #2 Lesson PlanHERE
- Week #3 Lesson PlanHERE
- Week #4 Lesson Plan HERE
- Week #5 Lesson Plan HERE
- Week #6 (Team Challenge Competition and Celebration)
Generally Useful Basic Coaching Skills Documents and Videos
- PTI Coaching Goals, Standards, Expectations Review THIS Document
- Creating A Productive and Fun Learning Environment Review THIS Document
- Keeping Demos Simple (less is more, simple, visual, very few words)
- Basic Ball Feeding Tips Review VIDEO
- Tips on Working with Special Olympics Athletes at Schools Review VIDEO
- Redefining “success”, Embracing A(not dis-)bility, Inclusive Activities Review VIDEO (Serve Example)
- Ball Feeding Progressions https://publictennis.org/video-tip-youth-beginner-ball-feeding-progressions/
- More training videos and useful documents can be found under the “coaching” tab.
New Volunteer Coaches! If you’re not on a coaching team and you’re interested in one of these programs, please text your name and your interest to 843-310-6080, and we will be in touch!
Questions? Email us: jbtrew2016@gmail.com (Coordinator for Schools Program) or wayne@publictennis.org (Public Tennis Executive Director)