Hosting a Special Olympics Ontario Competition

General

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hosting a Special Olympics Ontario (SOO) Competition

 

Thank you for helping to provide competitive opportunities for Special Olympics Ontario athletes. This host package contains all of the information you need to be able to successfully host a competition. If at any point you require any more information or clarification, please contact your sport specific Provincial Convener or District Developer.

Our goal is to provide the best possible competitions to our athletes and this guide should assist you in achieving that goal.

 

 

Table of Contents

 

STEP 1 – Choose your Competition    3

STEP 2 – Choose a Date & Location    3

STEP 3 – Organize your Committee    3

STEP 4 – Prepare a Competition Budget    5

STEP 5 – Determine Invitees    6

STEP 6 – Book your Officials    6

STEP 7 – Work through the Pre-Competition Checklist    7

STEP 8 – Work through the Day Of-Competition Checklist    9

STEP 9 – Post Competition Wrap Up    9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STEP 1 – Choose your Competition

 

Types of Competitions

At SOO, there are 5 different types of competition that are typically held. Each competition type addresses different objectives. Hosts are free to choose the type of competition they would like to hold, however, some competition types are dependent on the games cycle.

Descriptions for each type of competition can be found in the Competition section of the Resource Library.

 

STEP 2 – Choose a Date & Location

 

When determining which location or venue will work for your competition you will need to look into the facility’s capacity, accessibility, spectator viewing options and whether you will be able to bring in outside food.

When selecting which date to hold your competition consider other competitions or events being hosted in your community or nearby communities. If volunteers or athletes are already committed to another event, you may encounter a shortage of participants for your own competition. Please visit the Provincial Events Calendar to check for any potential conflicts. You can also speak to your District Developer for their insight on a date’s suitability.

Once a date and location has been determined submit the Event to the SOO Events Calendar.

 

STEP 3 – Organize your Committee

Running a competition is a team effort! Successfully hosting a competition means bringing together volunteers and representatives from various levels: the competition host from the local community, sport technical delegates, and staff from Special Olympics Ontario.

Roles may vary depending on the level of competition, ie. invitational versus Provincial Qualifier.

The Competition Host is responsible for bringing this team together. Depending on the size of your tournament, some individuals may take on more than one role, or you may enlist a subcommittee to handle a role. Following the below structure ensures that all bases of your competition are covered.

Roles for Hosting a Competition (Organizing Committee)
The following are brief descriptions of the possible roles or sub-committees included on the hosting committee.

 

 

 

 

 

STEP 4 – Prepare a Competition Budget

 

Four weeks prior to the completion, the competition host is expected to submit a Projected Budget for approval. For Invitationals / Conference Competitions, this is submitted to your Community Council; for Provincial Qualifiers, it is submitted to the Sport and Competition Developer.

The Competition Host, in conjunction with their community council, will receive and deposit all registration fees and donations associated with the competition. The competition host will also be responsible for paying all expenses related to the competition.

Budget Guidelines;

Revenues:

• Registration Fees:  Registration fees are meant to be cost recovery and not a fundraising opportunity.
  
  • $25 per athlete (maximum fee)
    
  • Golf Fees: $40 per athlete
    

     

• Fundraising Committee to secure cash and in-kind donations
  

Expenditures:

• Request the non-profit fee for all facility rentals or request in-kind donation of facility fees
  
• Obtain competition equipment from local generic sport club at no, or minimal, cost
  
• Request a reduced fee for officials’ fees
  
• If you are providing water, juice, fruit and/or snacks approach local grocery stores to receive gift-in-kind donations
  
• Northern Ontario participants may require overnight accommodations. Secure reduced-rate for all participants by booking blocks of rooms
  
• Lunches: It is recommended that all participants bring their own lunch to the competition unless the competition budget can accommodate lunches without experiencing a deficit.  Please ensure nutritious food is provided and that there is a sufficient amount of food for each participant
  
• If the competition is being hosted in a facility where outside food is not permitted, the competition host will need to provide lunch for all athletes and coaches.  Coaches should be charged for lunch, coaches should seek reimbursement from their community council for their lunch
  

SOO will not approve budgets if a deficit is expected and non-essential items are included. Non-essential items include:

• medals and trophies as ribbons can be obtained from SOO free of charge
  
• volunteer recognition as SOO will provide Volunteer Appreciation Certificates free of charge
  
• meals with the exception of Northern Ontario and the above guidelines regarding meals
  

 

 

SOO Grant Opportunities

Special Olympics Ontario provides grant opportunities to offset deficits experienced by communities hosting competitions. Grant deadlines are November 15, April 15, and June 15 of each year. Online grant application forms are available at the SOO website.

Please note: Competition Grants will be considered when competitions are expecting a deficit. Competition Grants may be awarded to communities that have access to limited funds. Funds will be electronically transferred into the community council account where applicable.

Sponsorship and Gift-in-Kind Donations

Competition Host committees are strongly encouraged to seek sponsors and gift-in-kind donations for the competition. Donations of any kind can enhance the competition experience for the athlete and will provide financial relief for the community. All donations should be recognized on site at the competition by signage, verbal announcements, etc.  Communities should also recognize sponsors on local websites, banquets etc.

Receipts for financial donations will be sent from SOO by means of the normal donation deposit process.

See Appendix A for a sample budget

 

STEP 5 – Determine Invitees

Determine who you would like to invite to your competition and which events you will be running. Your Conference Convener or Provincial Convener will be able to provide you with the contact information for the clubs you would like to invite. Try to send out the invitation as soon as possible, once your facilities have been booked and confirmed.

For Provincial Qualifiers, registration information needs to be distributed a minimum 6-8 weeks in advance of the competition.
Work with your District Developer to ensure all eligible athletes in the conference have been notified of and invited to the competition.

See Appendix D for invitation templates

 

STEP 6 – Book your Officials & Medical Personnel

Booking certified officials and medical personnel for your competitions is an important step in hosting a successful competition. This should be done well in advance of your competition to ensure availability. If you are having issues securing officials yourself, please connect with your Sport Conference Convener and they can assist you.

See Appendix F for sport specific official information

STEP 7 – Work through the Pre-Competition Checklist

There are many factors and steps that go into hosting a successful competition. Keeping in mind that every competition is different, and depending on the sport, there will be different moving parts. The following is a basic guideline to get your event started.

Please use this as a checklist in ensuring you have all the right pieces to move forward.

 

 

 

 

STEP 8 – Work through the Day Of-Competition Checklist

 

This checklist will help you prepare for the necessary items that you’ll need for the day-of the competition.

 

STEP 9 – Post Competition Wrap Up

Following your event, you will be responsible for submitting a final budget to your community council or the Sport & Competition Developer (for PQs).

If you didn’t have the ribbons and results ready for distribution prior to teams leaving you will need to mail these to the coaches of each participating club.

All results are to be sent to the Sport & Competition Developer within two weeks of the competition. If the competition is a PQ the following paperwork will need to be sent to the Sport & Competition Developer:

• Coach sign in sheet
  
• All Team sign in/scratch sheets
  
• Signed Rosters
  
• Tournament Schedule
  
• Referee in Chief’s notes
  
• Copy of the final results including Divisioning rounds
  
• Divisioning assessments from both Divisioning Committee and coaches
  
• Timing and disqualification chits