Nearly 50 West Virginia University students will help some special athletes achieve their goals by applying the skills they learned in a distinctive athletic coaching class.
The students will be active volunteer assistants at the 2003 Special Olympics West Virginia Summer Games, Friday, June 6, through Sunday, June 8, on WVU ’s Evansdale Campus.
The class,”Athletic Coaching Education 103: Coaching Special Olympics,”teaches students how to effectively encourage the special athletes in various sports, identify ways to enhance athletic performance by developing self-confidence, and apply strength and endurance training principles to the Special Olympics athlete.
Nearly 700 athletes are expected to compete in sports including track and field, cycling, bocce, soccer, golf, kayaking, swimming and tennis. Activities will be held at the WVU Coliseum, Natatorium, Shell Building, WVU Track, and off-campus facilities including Mylan Park. It is the sixth consecutive year that WVU has hosted the Special Olympics Summer Games.
As a service learning initiative, the coaching class has received $33,000 over the past four years through a W.K. Kellogg-Expanding Community Partnerships grant administered through the WVU Office of Service Learning Programs. The grant funding provided for student stipends, travel expenses, and related program expenses.
The course, which has been taught for eight years, requires 30 hours of volunteer service, a paper that describes the students’experience with the athletes, classroom lectures, and special videos.
The students, including several WVU athletes, learn about the special athletes with whom they are working and about themselves. The course’s enrollment and student interest have grown steadily over the last few years.
“It teaches the students how to work with athletes with special needs,”said Dr. Daniel Ziatz, WVU associate professor and program coordinator of athletic coaching education.”The students see that the Special Olympic athletes have really great attitudes no matter how they perform in competition.”
The students work with the athletes during the fall, spring, and summer terms in various sports, which allow close relationships to develop. Those relationships result in positive outcomes for the athletes at local and statewide competitions throughout the year.
“It is a big thrill for these special athletes to receive their awards from WVU ’s student athletes because the Special Olympians really look up to them,”said Ziatz.”The Special Olympians know a lot about the WVU athletes and follow them in whatever sport they compete.”
Students who have taken the coaching course and participated in previous Summer Games come back regularly to volunteer their time with the special athletes. Others have changed their career path because of their experience of working with the athletes.
“At least five students a year come back and volunteer at the Summer Games because they really enjoy working with the athletes,”said Ziatz.”One student I recently had in class changed his degree path from a master’s in journalism to a master’s in athletic coaching education largely because of his experience in working with these athletes. Other students, with non-physical education majors, have said it should be required class for their respective subject areas.”