SOFIT
About the Program
Special Olympics District of Columbia created the Special Olympics Fitness or SOFIT program to give independent athletes an opportunity to stay involved in sports opportunities throughout the year. Many of these athletes graduated out of their own Special Olympics programs and without SOFIT, would not have a means to stay involved.
Participants possess a wide range of skills and abilities. Presently the SOFIT program offers its athletes training and competition in 7 different sports. All sports have volunteer coaches who train the athletes on a weekly basis during each specific sport season. Athletes must attend the training sessions in order to be included in any culminating competition.
Training and competitions are offered in (1) Unified Sports®, in which a proportionate number of similar age Special Olympics athletes and individuals without intellectual disabilities train and compete together on the same teams, and (2) Traditional Special Olympics programs in which all of the participants are individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Sport Program Details
Aquatics
Athletes train independently. Each athlete must train a minimum of 8 weeks prior to the qualifying event. Swimmers must notify and register with Special Olympics D.C. to be eligible. The aquatics qualifying event will take place at Catholic University the week prior to Summer Games. The Championship event also is held at Catholic University as part of Summer Games. Any athlete that participates in aquatics is not allowed to participate in Unified Volleyball at Summer Games.
Unified Basketball
Training begins in October and runs through December. All practices are at Sidwell Friends School (Kenworthy Gym) every Thursday from 7–8:30 pm. These athletes have the opportunity to train with other Special Olympics athletes under the direction of certified volunteer coaches. Following the two months of practice, the athletes are placed on Unified Basketball teams.
The Unified Basketball season begins in January and there are two leagues—one for higher skilled players and one for average to lower ability players. Prior to the start of competition, each participant’s skills are formally assessed so he or she is placed in the appropriate league and on a team with other players of similar abilities. The intention is to create fair and balanced league play.
League games are played at St. Coletta School from January to March on either Tuesday or Thursday evenings from 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm. The Special Olympics D.C. Unified Basketball Championship Tournament is scheduled in mid-March at Howard University.
Unified Bocce
The Unified Bocce League is held once a week from 6:30 pm – 8:45 pm starting in early September and ending in late October with the culminating championship event. Playing on five bocce courts at Turkey Thicket Recreation Center, the Unified Bocce teams each have 7–8 players on a roster. Half of the team is Special Olympics athletes and half are Unified Partners.
During the first two weeks of practice, all of the players are assessed and then balanced teams are created to ensure fair and equitable competition divisions for league play.
Singles Bowling & Unified Doubles Bowling
SOFIT athletes have their choice to bowl in singles or to be part of a Unified doubles team. The bowling season starts in December and concludes in February with all training and competition taking place at AMF Capital Plaza Lanes each Saturday.
In singles, the athlete must bowl a minimum number of games to progress to the championship event. In Unified doubles, a Special Olympics athlete is paired with an adult without an intellectual disability (Partner) to form a doubles team. These teams play together and must also meet the minimum training standards established to progress to the championship event.
Tennis
A tennis professional holds weekly instructional sessions every Saturday throughout April and May for adult Special Olympics players. These sessions are a combination of practice and scrimmage match play.
Athletes participating in this program can register for singles, doubles, or both for the championships at the Summer Games.
Unified Tennis is offered in doubles and matches a Special Olympics athlete and Unified partner of similar abilities on the same team.
Track & Field
Training begins immediately after the conclusion of the basketball season. The exact starting date for track and field practices will be determined by Blair Johnson (Head Track Coach). Practices usually are held every Thursday from 7–8:30 pm. All members of the SOFIT track and field team qualify for the Summer Games at a qualifying meet at Archbishop Carroll H.S. on a Saturday morning.
Unified Volleyball
Unified Volleyball training and league play is conducted from mid-March to mid-May at Gonzaga College High School one weekday evening each week from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. All participants are assessed during the first two weeks of practice and placed on balanced Unified teams.
Once the teams are created, they practice and play league games once a week. The culminating Unified Volleyball Championships are held at the Summer Games in the end of May at Catholic University.
