PARA ATHLETICS 101

Richard Robert, Chair, USATF Para Athletics Committee

Adapted by Tom Southall, Chair, USATF - Colorado Association Para Athletics Committee

USATF.ORG 1/24/2020 1 Para Athletics

• Track & Field adaptations for athletes with physical, vision, or intellectual impairments.

• Intellectual impairment eligibility is determined by an IQ of 75 or lower, among other criteria.

• The hearing impaired chose to have separate sports programming and global games, “Deaflympics.”

1/24/2020 CTFOA Officials Clinic ||| Officiating Opportunities & Para Athletics 2 PARALLEL PEER TERMINOLOGY • Paralympic = Olympic • Paralympian = Olympian • Para Athlete = Able-Bodied • II or ID Athlete = Traditional (intellectually impaired peers)

1/24/2020 CTFOA Officials Clinic ||| Officiating Opportunities & Para Athletics 3 PARA SPORT TERMINOLOGY Appropriate Inappropriate

• Special Olympian • Ambulatory (can walk, run, jump) • “Normal” (reference to able-bodied peers) • Seated (wheelchair racer, seated thrower) • Special Athlete • Wheelie (Wheelchair racer) • Handicapped • Arm or leg Amp (Arm or leg amputee) • Crippled • Gimp • Sound (reference to non-impaired limb) • Midget (used in entertainment industry) • Quad (Quadriplegic athlete) • Physically Challenged • Dwarf, Little Person or LP • Differently Abled – Average height peer is “Average” • Special Needs • VI or Blind Athlete (Visually Impaired) • Wheelchair Bound • CP Athlete (Athlete with Cerebral Palsy) • Invalid • “Para-Olympics” (Correct spelling – Paralympics)

1/24/2020 CTFOA Officials Clinic ||| Officiating Opportunities & Para Athletics 4 PARALLEL ATHLETICS GOVERNANCE

Para Athletics Athletics • World Para Athletics (WPA) • World Athletics (WA) – Rules apply to 14+ y/o (formerly IAAF) • US Paralympics (USOPC) • USA Track & Field (USATF) – US National Paralympic – National Governing Body Committee (NPC) (NGB) • Adaptive Track & Field USA (U14) and younger

1/24/2020 CTFOA Officials Clinic ||| Officiating Opportunities & Para Athletics 5 PARALLEL SPORT GOVERNANCE

PARA SPORT ABLE-BODIED SPORT • International Paralympic • International Olympic Committee Committee – Bonn, Germany – Lausanne, Switzerland

1/24/2020 CTFOA Officials Clinic ||| Officiating Opportunities & Para Athletics 6 Para Athletics Events

TRACK FIELD • • 100m • 200m • • 400m • • 800m • • 1,500m • Javelin • 5,000m • Discus • 10,000m • • Club Throw • Relays (4x100 and 4x400)

• Universal Relay , Hurdles, Hammer,

1/24/2020 CTFOA Officials Clinic ||| Officiating Opportunities & Para Athletics 7 CLASSIFICATION

• The purpose of classification is to: – group athletes with the same activity limitations and to equal the playing field – determine eligibility to compete in a para athletics competition • The classification process is just as important as age verification in age-group athletics • The classification process is conducted by a “panel” of two certified classifiers, a Medical Classifier and a Technical Classifier • The panel conducts a physical assessment of the athletes impairments and reviewed medical records – Part of that assessment is observation during the athlete's “first appearance” in competition • Classification is allocated at the national and international level (WPA) • WPA has 52 sport classifications

1/24/2020 CTFOA Officials Clinic ||| Officiating Opportunities & Para Athletics 8 WPA SPORT CLASSIFICATIONS

T = Track (Track and Jumps) F = Field (Throws) Amputees and Dwarves Visual Impairment • Classes F40 and 41 – Dwarfism (Throws only) • Classes T/F11, 12, 13 • Classes T/F42-44 – Above and below knee leg impairments (do NOT use prosthesis) • Classes T/F45-47 – Above and below elbow arm Intellectual Impairment Impairments • Class T/F20 Paraplegia and Tetraplegia (Spinal Cord Impairments) • Classes T51, 52, 53, 54 (Wheelchair ) Cerebral Palsy and like impairments • Classes F51-57 (Throws) • Classes T/F31-34 (Seated) • Classes T/F35-38 (Ambulatory) Lower Limb Impairments • Classes T/F61-64 - (use of Prosthesis) 1/24/2020 CTFOA Officials Clinic ||| Officiating Opportunities & Para Athletics 9 VI Long and Triple Jumps T11 & T12

Because of the running component to the Long, Triple, and High Jump, they use Track classification and not Field classification. VI = Visually Impaired Take off in the powder: Measure from the takeoff Sand or powder board point in the 1-meter powder area

Take off in front of the powder: Measure from the far edge of the powder Acoustic orientation from guide 1/24/2020 10 FIELD EVENTS: SEATED THROWS

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1/24/2020 CTFOA Officials Clinic ||| Officiating Opportunities & Para Athletics 11 AMBULATORY & SEATED THROWS

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CLUB

CTFOA Officials Clinic ||| Officiating 1/24/2020 12 Opportunities & Para Athletics MAJOR US PARA ATHLETICS EVENTS The Desert Challenge (Grand Prix) Great Lakes (GLASA) Games Tempe, AZ // April 1-5, 2020 Lake Forest, IL // June 11-14, 2020 www.arizonadisabledsports.com/dcgames www.glasa.org

Texas Regional Games Colorado Events: San Antonio, TX // April 16-19, 2020 www.texasregionalparasport.org 5280 Challenge Aurora, CO // May 30, 2020 Legacy Stadium The Endeavor Games 5280challenge.com Fort Wayne, IN // April 24-26, 2020 Cherokee Trail HS Edmond, OK // June 4-8, 2020 www.endeavorgames.com Adaptive Sports USA Junior Nationals “Para JOs” Dixie Games Denver, CO // July 19-24, 2020 All City Stadium Tampa, FL // May 2020 Field: Wed., July 22, 2020 Denver South HS www.dixiegames.com Track: Thurs., July 23 – Fri. July 24, 2020 www.asusa.org 1/24/2020 CTFOA Officials Clinic ||| Officiating Opportunities & Para Athletics 13 INFORMATION RESOURCES

US Paralympics Track & Field Adaptive Track & Field USA www.teamusa.org/US- www.atfusa.org Paralympics/Sports/Track-and-Field Best Practices for High School Para World Para Athletics (WPA) Athletics www.paralympic.org/athletics www.nfhs.org/media/1018285/best- practices-for-para-track-and-field.pdfS Tom Southall Chair, Colorado Para Athletics Committee [email protected] Adaptive Sports Organizations (CAF) www.challengedathletes.org/adaptive- sport-organizations

1/24/2020 CTFOA Officials Clinic ||| Officiating Opportunities & Para Athletics 14 PARA OFFICIALS

HOW TO BECOME A PARA OFFICIAL: 1. Join USATF and become a certified official 2. Be at least an Association level official • Complete Apprentice level if necessary 3. Be current with your SafeSport training, background check and USATF membership 4. Complete the Officials Course • Link to course on the ATFUSA website • https://www.atfusa.org/OFFICIALS/Officials.htm 5. Take Officials Test • A hyperlink to the test is located at the end of the Officials Course

 If you want to officiate at a meet and not join USATF, you can take the Para Officials Training course and take the test  You will not be able to be a lead official  You can volunteer at the meet

1/24/2020 CTFOA Officials Clinic ||| Officiating Opportunities & Para Athletics 15 PARA OFFICIALS

Overview • The course will present the World Para Athletics rules and Adaptive Track & Field USA (ATFUSA) exceptions to the IAAF rules for Track & Field. • Following the course you will have the opportunity to take the certification test to become a USA PARA Official. • To be a USATF certified Para Official you must pass the certification test and be at least an Association level official.

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