2021 Special Olympics Bowling

I am excited to announce our Special Olympics bowling season for bowlers ages 8 and up. Please read through the following information carefully as there are several changes from previous years.    

Special Olympics bowling practice will take place on Tuesday evenings at 5:00pm starting July 6th at Echo Lanes in Morris. Kelly will be hosting fun bowling on Thursday nights on dates yet to be determined. All participants who are interested in bowling will need to decide if they want to bowl in the Special Olympics competitions, practice every Tuesday, and commit to the entire season, OR bowl just for fun with Kelly on some Thursdays. (Kelly will send out information about fun bowling at a later date)  

Participants will not be able to do both during Special Olympics season.  

The rest of the information below is only about Special Olympics competitive bowling.  Athletes will choose either Ramp, Singles, or Doubles. Per Special Olympics Illinois, there will be NO 4-athlete teams this year. Only 3 athletes will be assigned to each lane at practice, and will bowl 2 games. 2 or 3 weeks before Regional Competition, athletes will bowl 3 games at practice to better prepare for the competition. There isn't a date set yet for Regional Competition, however I have been told it should be about mid-August as always. I expect to know the date and place by the time we start practicing. I am setting a maximum of 30 bowlers on the roster for Special Olympics bowling, and a waiting list will be created if more than 30 athletes register.  

At this point, Special Connections still requires masks to be worn during practice. Also, spectators will not be allowed to watch the athletes bowl at practice or competitions. Per Special Olympics Illinois, only a limited number of Class A registered coaches who have completed the necessary paperwork will be allowed to be present and help at practices and competitions. If someone drives you that is not a coach cleared to help, then that person will have to wait in their car or come back to pick you up when you are done practicing or competing. Special Connections will not provide transportation for practices or competitions. Athletes will be responsible for providing their own transportation. I encourage athletes to eat their dinner either before coming to or after leaving practice. However, if you need to keep a dietary schedule, then food and drink will be available for purchase at the bowling alley.  

Special Olympics Illinois has decided to start bringing back some state level competitions. Bowlers who earn a gold medal at Regional will qualify to advance to State on December 4th or 5th in Peoria. State is scheduled for 2 days this year, and as soon as I receive more information on that I will pass it along. There will be no Sectional level tournament this year. Frequency of practices for State qualifiers will be determined at a later date, however the day of the week, Tuesday and time, 5:00 will remain the same. There is no cost to participate, as Special Connections is covering the cost for bowling this year.  

Medical applications to Special Olympics must be valid through December 5th. I have not been given a due date yet for med apps, but plan on getting it turned in to me as soon as possible. If you need to know your med app expiration date, let me know and I can get that information for you. There is a new medical form from Special Olympics that must be used going forward. If you have recently gotten a completed med app on the old, 1-page form, I can only accept those until June 30th NO EXCEPTIONS! I have attached all the forms to the email that went out with lists below of what you will need as a new athlete, returning athlete, or coach.    

To register, go to specialconnections.org, call 815-545-3397, or respond to the email and let me know if you are registering as a ramp, single, or doubles athlete. If registering for doubles, please indicate your teammate if you have one. If you'd like to do doubles but do not have a teammate yet, please indicate that as well and I will help set you up with someone if available. REGISTERING ON FACEBOOK WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR THIS SPORT. Athletes returning from 2019 will be given precedence on the roster. I will host a zoom meeting on Wednesday, June 16th to go over details and paperwork, and to answer questions. Registration will close on June 23rd.

Here is the link for the zoom meeting. If you're not able to click on it, then highlight, copy, and paste into your browser.

Tina Nall is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: 2021 Special Olympics Bowling meeting

Time: Jun 16, 2021 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85006886046?pwd=NkN6ZWxnMWN6eFBKaW5wOHEzRkM2Zz09

Meeting ID: 850 0688 6046

Passcode: 408565

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Meeting ID: 850 0688 6046

Passcode: 408565

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keuFwoTzj7

Below are the lists of paperwork needed. All paperwork must be turned in to me by June 29th to be considered for the roster. The only exception is the Medical Application, which will be on a case by case situation. Please print at home from the email if you are able to. Let me know if you need paper copies, and I will get them to you. If a form is a one-time form, and you have already turned it in this year, then you will not need to fill it out again. Any questions, please reach out to me.  

The following forms are required for athletes new to Special Connections:

SC Annual Information Sheet LONG form

SC Code of Conduct

SC Covid Waiver

SC Wellness Screening

SC Bowling Informed Consent

SOILL Medical Application completed and signed by you or your parent/guardian, and your doctor (must use the new Medical form attached, and turn in asap)

SOILL Consent form

SOILL Covid-19 Code of Conduct

The following forms are required for athletes returning to SC:

*SC Annual Information Sheet SHORT form

*SC Code of Conduct

*SC Covid Waiver

*SC Wellness Screening

SC Bowling Informed Consent

SOILL Medical Application (only if yours will expire before 12/5/2021) completed and signed by you or your parent/guardian, and your doctor (must use the new Medical form attached, and turn in asap)

SOILL Consent form

*SOILL Covid-19 Code of Conduct

*denotes one-time form

The following forms are required for Assistant Coaches:

*SC Code of Conduct

*SC Volunteer Application & license

*SC Covid Waiver

*SC Wellness Screening

Current SOILL Class A Coach certification (I can check for you if you're not sure when your certification expires)

SOILL Communicable Disease Waiver and Code of Conduct (this is a new form that all coaches must turn in even if you already filled out the SOILL Covid-19 Code of Conduct)

*denotes one-time form

I realize this is a lot of paperwork, and some of it may seem like duplicate information. However, it is necessary for both Special Connections and Special Olympics to be completed and turned in by the deadline to be able to participate. Thank you for your understanding.