Special Olympics
Healthy Athletes
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Objectives of Workshop
Why are we here today?
We are here today to:
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Learn about Athlete Leadership
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Review the SO Mission
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Discuss Healthy Choices
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Learn about Healthy Athlete screenings
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Have participants understand why it is important to get
screened for the issues involved
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Make a plan to experience the screenings
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Practice sharing this information with fellow athletes and
helping as peer ambassadors at Games and events
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Athlete Leadership Programs
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Athlete Leadership Programs
Athlete Leaders (including ALPs) Definition
An Athlete or Participant who serves in at least one Athlete
Leadership role listed below:
Athlete Leadership Examples:
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Athletes as Volunteers (games or events)
Athletes as Coaches or Assistant Coaches
Athletes as Sport Officials
Athletes as Public Speakers (Global Messengers)
Athletes on Boards, Committees or Input Councils
Athletes assisting with Fund Raising
Athletes assisting with technology or other office work
Athletes serving as peer mentors or team captains
Athletes attending regional or national meeting about ID
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The Mission of
Special Olympics
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The Mission of Special Olympics
The mission of Special Olympics is to
provide year-round sports training and
athletic competition in a variety of
Olympic-type sports for children and
adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them
continuing opportunities to develop physical
fitness, demonstrate courage, experience
joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills,
and friendship with their families, other
Special Olympics athletes and the community.
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Healthy Athletes Screenings
Healthy Athletes Screenings
 Dental Health
 Healthy Promotion
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Sun Safety; Washing Hands; Strong Bones; Diet and Exercise
 Visual Health - Opening Eyes
 Fit Feet
 Fun Fitness
 Auditory (Hearing) Health
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Special Smiles
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Special Smiles
 The health of your mouth mirrors the condition of
your body as a whole.
 When your mouth is healthy, chances are your
overall health is good, too.
 If you have poor oral health, you may have other
health problems.
 We need our teeth so we can eat, chew and digest
our food.
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Special Smiles
At home, practice good oral hygiene:
• Brush for two to three minutes, at least twice a day
• Floss daily
• Eat a healthy diet to provide the nutrients necessary
(vitamins A and C, in particular)
• Avoid cigarettes and smokeless tobacco
• Schedule regular dental checkups
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Special Smiles
All About YOU!
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Special Smiles
All About YOU!
 Rock that Smile!
 Develop a rap using your Rock that Smile theme or
slogan.
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Health Promotion
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Health Promotion
Sun Safety Messages
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Overexposure to the sun’s rays damages
skin and eyes
Prevent sun burns with healthy sun
protection habits
Use sun screen at practice, events and
whenever you are in the sun
Seek shade or cover up
Wear a hat & sunglasses
Health Promotion
Drinking water
 Drink often and every day
 Know where to get water at practices and
events
 Know when you need more water
 If you are thirsty, you’ve waited too long
A list of symptoms of not enough water
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Thirsty
Headache
Dizziness
Tired or weak feeling
Lack of energy
Grumpiness
Trouble concentrating
Nausea
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Health Promotion
Germs
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Health Promotion
Hand Washing
 When we come into contact with germs we
can become infected simply by touching our
eyes, nose, or mouth.
 Good hand washing is the first line of defense
against the spread of many illnesses, from the
common cold to more serious illnesses
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Health Promotion
Glitter Hand Exercise
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Health Promotion
Hand Washing
When should you wash your hands?
 Before, during, and after preparing food
 Before eating food
 Before and after caring for someone who is sick
 Before and after treating a cut or wound
 After using the toilet
 After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
 After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
 After touching garbage
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Health Promotion
Hand Washing
• Teach hand-washing without running water?
• No problem — use a basin!
Health Promotion
Strong Bones
 You have 206 bones in your body.
 Strong bones are important to be a Healthy Athlete
and do your best at Special Olympics events.
 It’s hard to tell if you have strong bones or not with
your eyes
 That’s why there is a screen for bone strength.
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Health Promotion
Strong Bones
Four Steps for Strong Bones
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Exercise
Eat 4 or more bone building things every day
DON’T Smoke
Take a vitamin with Calcium and vitamin D
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Health Promotion
Healthy Food
Divide Athletes into Groups
• You are responsible for deciding what athletes
are going to eat at summer games/winter
games.
• Design a healthy menu for the athletes.
• You need to have breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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Health Promotion
Healthy Food
Breakfast
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Menu
Health Promotion
Healthy Food
Lunch
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Menu
Health Promotion
Healthy Food
Dinner/Supper
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Menu
Health Promotion
Healthy Food
What happens if we don’t eat healthy meals?
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Health Promotion
What’s on Our Plate/in our Bowl?
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Health Promotion
Medical Release Form
1. Do you know what’s on your own Medical Release
form. Do you understand what is on it?
2. Do you know what medications you are on?
3. Why is it important for you to know what
medications you are taking and what they are for?
4. You may take medication that make it dangerous
for you to be in the sun without protection
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Health Promotion
Medical Release Form
Medication
Name
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Dosage
Date
Prescribed
Times per Day
Why you need it
Opening Eyes
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Opening Eyes
Look around the room and
find one item that you like.
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Opening Eyes
 An eye test can often pick up on eye diseases
that can cause blindness which can be
prevented.
 It can also spot diseases such as diabetes and
high blood pressure.
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Opening Eyes
• Provide for the vision and eye health needs of
athletes
• Each participating athlete completes a comprehensive
screening that takes about 45 minutes
• Athletes may require glasses, sunglasses or sport
goggles
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Fit Feet
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Fit Feet
 Screen athletes’ feet for any problems
 Skin and nail problems
 Check for proper shoes and socks
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Fit Feet
 A Fit Feet screening takes approximately 10-15
minutes
 After the screening, the clinicians will discuss the
check up with the athletes, their coach, and a parent
or sponsor
 The athletes' will also receive their shoe size, any
recommendations or referrals, and literature
regarding common foot problems and foot care.
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Fit Feet
Healthy Tips
 Wash your feet with soap and water
 Dry your feet
 Moisturize your feet
 Keep your toe nails trimmed
 Inspect your feet
 Wear shoes or sandals to protect your feet
 Wear clean socks
 Wear the right shoe size (you should be able to wiggle
your feet in your shoes)
FUN Fitness
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Fun Fitness
• Do you play a sport?
• Do you have to play a sport to get exercise?
• How can you get exercise if you don’t play a sport?
• If you think you’re not very good at a sport or it’s too
hard for you, should you keep playing?
• Why or why not?
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Fun Fitness
Stand up and touch your toes
Swivel from side to side
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Fun Fitness
• Regular exercise keeps weight under control
• Regular exercise builds strong bones
• Exercising 3 times a week, 30 minutes can help keep
us in shape
Think of one way that you could get more exercise.
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Fun Fitness
Physical Therapy
 Provides free screenings to measure
athletes' flexibility, strength, balance, and
aerobic fitness
 Provides instruction to Athletes about how to
stretch, strengthen and improve balance and
fitness.
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Train
DK6L0N
Healthy Hearing
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Healthy Hearing
 Have you ever wondered to yourself “why is
hearing so important”?
 Hearing helps us to work, socialize, interact,
communicate and relax.
 Hearing also keeps us safe and alert to the
world around us.
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Healthy Hearing
The purpose of Healthy Hearing Screening
is to take care of our hearing.
• Screen the hearing of athletes and notify
athletes and their coaches if follow-up care
is needed
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Getting Screened
How many of you have gone through Healthy Athlete screenings?
When?
Where?
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PEER Health Ambassador
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Healthy Athletes
1. What do you need to know about your own health?
2. How do you make sure you are staying healthy?
3. What can you do to help others around you to know
about their health?
What are some things you can do to help other
athletes know about and take care of their health?
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Healthy Athletes Screenings
Behavior
Smoking
Exercise 30 minutes 3 x a week or more
Use sunscreen
Wear a hat in the sun
Seek shade in the sun
Drink clean drinking water throughout the day
Eat balanced meals and healthy snacks
Get screenings done
Yes / No
Healthy Athletes
Volunteer
Role Play
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Objectives of Workshop
Did we…?
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Learn about Athlete Leadership
Review the SO Mission
Discuss Healthy Choices
Learn about Healthy Athlete screenings
Have participants understand why it is important
to get screened for the issues involved.
Practice sharing this information with fellow
athletes
Make a plan to experience the screenings
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Thank you.
Now get out of this classroom and make sure you take
care of yourself so you can continue to be a strong and
healthy Athlete Leader
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