Coaches Handbook Ontario Teams

Special Olympics Ontario

2019

Invitational Youth Games

Coaches Handbook Ontario Teams

Toronto, CANADA May 14th-17th, 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Welcome Info...... 3 Coaches Corner...... 4 Participant Forms...... 4 Itinerary...... 7 Travel Information...... 8 Venue Details...... 9 Fan Information...... 10 Opening Ceremony...... 11 Details of Accommodation...... 12 Important Information...... 13 Next Steps...... 15 Contact Us...... 16

WELCOME INFO

Dear Coaches,

Congratulations on your team’s advancement to the Special Olympics Ontario 2019 Invitational Youth Games that will take place in Toronto, Ontario from May 14-17, 2019! The Games, proudly hosted by the Toronto Police Service and Special Olympics Ontario, will bring together athletes aged 13-21 from around the world to compete and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Special Olympics. PLEASE NOTE: The 2019 Invitational Youth Games will act as the 2019 School Championships. This means that qualifying at the School Qualifiers has earned you a spot at the Youth Games! A school can have multiple teams compete in different sports but one team can only compete in the sport they have qualified and accepted a position in. Ontario teams can continue to attend school qualifiers throughout the year, however, choosing to accept a position at the Youth Games means that the team can only compete in one sport. This year we are very excited to continue Unified Divisions at all of our regional qualifiers. Our Unified teams consist of both students with an intellectual disability and mainstream students playing side by side. Each of our sports will feature Unified Divisions at the Invitational Youth Games! Competing this year, we will have over 2,500 athletes and coaches coming from teams all over Canada and the world. The Games will feature the following team and individual events: o Basketball: 60 Teams o Bocce: 60 Teams o Floor Hockey: 40 Teams o Soccer: 32 Teams o Track & Field: 400 Athletes Important: Registration for this year’s Games is $50 per athlete (coaches do not pay). This registration fee includes: o Transportation to and from your hometown to the event (this is booked by Special Olympics). Two-weeks prior to the event, you will receive your travel itinerary. Some schools may need to meet their bus at a common location. Schools will travel by bus, train or will fly depending on their location from Toronto. o Transportation to and from competition venues during games. o Three nights accommodation at our athletes village (different for each sport). o Meals: o May 14th: Lunch and Dinner o May 15th: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner o May 16th: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner o May 17th: Breakfast

o Great competition and a lot of awesome swag! o Note: all teams outside of Ontario will arrive on the evening of the 13th. For these teams, accommodation on the 13th as well as dinner on the 13th and breakfast on the 14th will be provided. Please indicate this option on your team registration form.

COACHES CORNER

All forms, information and updates will be posted on the “Coaches Corner” website. Go to: http://youthgames2019.com/coaches-corner

o This will be your “one-stop-shop” for all games information. All news, information and updates on the 2019 Youth Games will be posted on the Coaches Corner. Please spend some time exploring this website and familiarize yourself with the information. New information will be continuously added and updated as we get closer to the games so please check back in periodically. o Begin by selecting the sport your team will be competing in and go to the “Team Registration” button in order to complete all required participant forms – please see below for more info on these forms.

PARTICIPANT FORMS

We understand there can be many hurdles to overcome in committing to participation in the Invitational Youth Games. All Team Registration will be completed online and can be found on the Coaches Corner website. We have added a feature (“Save and Continue Later”) in order to collect the information you will need to complete the form. Please use the list below to guide you through the registration process: 1) Team Registration Form: http://youthgames2019.com/coaches-corner/ Each team has a maximum number of participants and coaches allowed to attend. For team sports, coaches may substitute a maximum of 2 players from their original roster.

Should you be interested in having an additional coach attend, please complete the “Additional Educator Request Form” on the Coaches Corner website. This may be possible based on rooming availability and will come at an extra cost of $350 to the

school or educator. http://youthgames2019.com/forms/additional-educator-request- form/

Sport Number of Number of # of Coaches SO Athletes Unified Partners Traditional Basketball Max 5 Max 2 Unified Basketball Max 4 Max 2 Max 2 Traditional Bocce Max 5 Max 2 Unified Bocce Max 3 Max 2 Max 2 Traditional Floor Hockey Max 11 Max 3 Unified Floor Hockey May 8 Max 4 Max 3 Traditional Soccer Max 9 Max 3 Unified Soccer Max 6 Max 4 Max 3 Track & Field *no substitutions 1 coach for every 4 allowed* athletes

Information required to complete this form:

 school information  coach information  athlete information (athlete name, gender, DOB, dietary restrictions, roommate request, parent/guardian contact info, athlete headshot)  ceremonies form: This requires selecting an athlete from your school to carry in the school sign to Opening Ceremonies  school logo/mascot/social media  team photo Please complete the online Team Registration form that can be found on the Coaches Corner website. Your team is not officially registered for the Youth Games until your team information forms have been received, processed and approved. The deadline to submit registration is by sport:

Sport Registration Deadline Soccer Friday November 9th, 2018 Basketball Friday December 21st, 2018 Athletics Thursday January 31st, 2019 Bocce Thursday April 18th, 2019 Floor Hockey Thursday April 18th, 2019

2) Fees: The participation fee is $50/athlete.

Registration fees are due same date as your sport registration deadline (see deadlines above). Payment options are PayPal – included on the online Team Registration form or by cheque. Note: if you choose to make your payment through PayPal there will be a 5% processing fee added to your order. This fee does not apply if paying by cheque. Please

make cheques payable to SPECIAL OLYMPICS ONTARIO. Payments will not be accepted on site at Games. *Please note: our hope is that this fee will be picked up by the school’s administration and/or through fundraising initiatives.

Mailing address: Attn: Marnie Myszko Invitational Youth Games Special Olympics Ontario 75 Eglinton Avenue West Toronto, ON M4R 2G9

3) Coach Registration Form: http://youthgames2019.com/forms/coaches-registration- form-page/ Every coach needs to be registered in order to attend the 2019 SOO Invitational Youth Games. The coach registration form is available on the Coaches Corner website (located right below the team registration form on each sport page). Please complete these forms by the same due date as your team registration:

4) Skills Assessment Tests: http://youthgames2019.com/forms/skills-assessment-test- results-online-submission/

All team sports must submit skills assessment test results. Full information can be found on the Coaches Corner website.

Due April 5th, 2019 for Soccer and Basketball. Due April 26th, 2019 for Bocce and Floor Hockey.

5) Student-Athlete Registration Forms: http://youthgames2019.com/forms/student- athlete-registration-page/

In order to participate in the Youth Games, students-athletes must be registered (this is separate from your team information form). These forms are required for all participants, regardless if they have competed in the past. Each attending athlete must submit a completed student-athlete form (link on the Coaches Corner) completed by a parent or guardian. Due dates are the same as the Team Registration form.

ITINERARY *Subject to Change*

Day 1 – Tuesday May 14th, 2019 11:30am: Athletes arrive at sporting venues for divisioning games 11:30am – 12:30pm: Lunch 12:30pm – 2:30pm: Divisioning games 2:30pm: Athletes depart to accommodation 2:30 – 4:30pm: Accommodation check-in open 3:30pm – 5:00pm: Athlete & Coach dinner 5:00pm: Depart for Opening Ceremonies 6:00pm – 7:00pm: Marshalling for Opening Ceremonies 7:30pm – 9:30pm: Opening Ceremonies at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre 10:00pm: Athletes depart to accommodation

Day 2 – Wednesday May 15th, 2019 7:00am – 9:00am: Athlete & Coach breakfast 9:00am – 9:30am: Athletes depart to sporting venues 10:00am – 12:00pm: Round Robin Games 12:00pm – 1:00pm: Lunch 1:00pm – 3:00pm: Round Robin Games 3:00pm: Depart for accommodations 4:00pm – 6:00pm: Athlete & Coach dinner 6:00pm: Tourism Toronto option 9:30pm: Return to accommodations

Day 3 – Thursday May 16th, 2019 7:00am – 9:00am: Athlete & Coach breakfast 9:00am – 9:30am: Athletes depart so sporting venues

10:00am – 12:00pm: Playoff Games 12:00pm – 1:00pm: Lunch 1:00pm – 2:00pm: Medal Ceremonies 2:30pm: Depart for accommodations 3:30pm – 5:00pm: Athlete & Coach dinner 5:30pm – 6:30pm: Depart for Closing Ceremonies 6:30pm – 7:30pm: Closing Ceremonies 7:30pm – 10:00pm: Athlete Dance 9:00pm: Departures for accommodations 10:15pm: Departures for accommodations

Day 4: Friday May 17th, 2019 7:00am – 9:00am: Athlete & Coach breakfast 9:00am: Teams depart for hometowns

TRAVEL INFORMATION

All teams will travel by bus, train or plane to the event. Out of province teams will fly to Toronto the day before the games and there will be a bus waiting for them there. All other teams will be on a bus or train to Toronto. Please note, transportation from one’s school to station/airport/bus meeting place is not provided. Teams will be notified individually of travel plans. Depending on your team’s locations, departure and arrival times will most likely take place outside of school hours. Travel Itineraries will be sent to you two weeks prior to Games.

VENUE DETAILS

Basketball Competition: Traditional & Unified

 University of Toronto Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport o Kimel Family Field House o 100 Devonshire Place, Toronto ON M5S 2C9 o https://kpe.utoronto.ca/node/402  University of Toronto Athletic Centre o Sports Gym & Field House o 55 Harbord St., Toronto, ON M5S 2W6 o https://kpe.utoronto.ca/node/360  These are indoor, hardwood and Mondo floor Gymnasiums

Bocce Competition: Traditional & Unified

 University of Toronto Back Campus Fields o 1 Devonshire Pl, Toronto, ON M5S 3K7 (Across the street) / Tower Rd. Toronto, ON o https://kpe.utoronto.ca/facility/back-campus- fields  The fields are comprised of two synthetic turf fields

Floor Hockey Competition: Traditional & Unified

 The International Centre o 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L4V 1E8  Concrete floor hockey pads  Hall 5: http://www.internationalcentre.com/facility/exhibit- space

Soccer Competition: Traditional & Unified

 Seneca College Newnham Campus Turf Field o 1750 Finch Ave E, North York, ON M2J 2X5 o http://senecasting.ca/landing/index  McNicoll Park o 215 McNicoll Ave, North York, ON  Comprised of turf field located behind the Sports Centre

Track & Field Competition:

 University of Toronto Varsity Centre o 299 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1W2 o https://kpe.utoronto.ca/facility/varsity-centre  A 5000 seat stadium with a 400m eight-lane international class track and state-of-the-art artificial playing field.

*Damage Disclaimer: Please do not stick any stakes from tents into the turf grounds or tape/tack signs to walls or fences. We will have adequate shade and signage at all venues. We request that only water be brought onto turf fields (no sports drinks, food, etc.). Teams are liable for any damages caused to sporting venues and/or accommodation residences.

FAN INFORMATION

Information for fans coming to watch and follow along from home can be found on our website at: http://youthgames2019.com/ or email [email protected] Information on our host hotels is also available on the Youth Games website. Note: fans may not visit with athletes in between competition time or at night.

OPENING CEREMONIES

Metro Toronto Convention Centre 255 Front St. W. Toronto, ON M5V 2W6 Tuesday May 14th, 2019 7:30-9:30pm* *Times subject to change

Open to the public, free of charge. o Athletes and Coaches are asked to wear clothing that represents your school’s colours and logo. o Each school has been asked to name one student to carry your school sign into the opening ceremony. Information can be completed on the Ceremonies section of the Team Registration Form found on the Coaches Corner website. o The Invitational Youth Games will provide all signs. o Loud noises and flashing lights will be part of the Opening Ceremonies. We are working to produce live streaming for the event and full TV coverage. More information will be provided closer to the date. o *All Athletes & Coaches are required to attend Opening and Closing Ceremonies* NOTE FOR FANS & FAMILIES: As there are a limited number of seats available, fans wishing to attend the ceremonies must pre-register to secure a free ticket. Registering for our Friends & Family Program will give attendees access to the Opening Ceremony, all sporting venues and many other perks. More info can be found on the Youth Games website.

DETAILS OF ACCOMMODATION

*Important*: Accommodation buildings will be divided by sport (one building for each sport), not by school. If your school is bringing more than one team you will NOT be in the same residence. Please plan for supervision accordingly. Please see the Accommodation Information page on the Coaches Corner website for more information on each residence and type of room. o Basketball: University of Toronto Victoria College Residence o Bocce: Ryerson University Pitman Hall Residence o Floor Hockey: Humber College North Residence o Soccer: Seneca College Newnham College o Track & Field: University of Toronto CampusOne Residence Athlete & Coach Rooms: As each residence is different, the following are examples of what your room could look like and requirements of rooming. Final information on residence assignments will be sent to you two weeks prior to the Games. More information on the specific room types of each residence can be found on the Coaches Corner website. o Single and double rooms. o Athletes and coaches cannot share a room unless approved by SOO and with written approval from your school administration. o Occupants of each room will be single gender only, unless approved by SOO and with written approval from your school administration. o Floors will be multi-gender or single-gendered depending on the residence type. o Rooms will either have in-suite washrooms shared with a roommate or a bank of washrooms per floor shared with other floor occupants (all Youth Games participants). For multi-gendered floors, washrooms will be marked by gender.

Important notes: o Each room will come with linens, pillows and towels. All participants must bring their own soap, shampoo, toothbrush, etc. o Each residence will have a front desk employee working 24/7. o Each residence will have a minimum of one security member on site 24/7. o Each campus will have one nurse on call 24/7. o Each residence will have Special Olympics staff dispersed throughout the residence o An SOO staff member with a master key to all rooms will be available 24 hrs/day.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Wednesday-night Tourism Option: On Wednesday May 15th, 2019 athletes and coaches will have the option to partake in a tourism night in downtown Toronto. There will be multiple options to choose from and will come at an additional cost to participants. More information will be released closer to the Games. Healthy Athletes: Once again this year, we are happy to announce that we will be hosting a Healthy Athletes expo open to all competing athletes. These free health and nutrition booths and sessions will be set up at each competition venue, and built into your competition schedule. Each athlete will need a release form signed by a parent/guardian to participate (found in the student-athlete form). Want to leave early? Not stay overnight? We recognize that three overnights away from home can be very hard for some teams. Although we strongly encourage all athletes to stay in the Athletes Village for three nights to gain the full Games experience, this is ultimately not mandatory. Should you wish to stray from the transportation or accommodation plan, please let us know immediately. Note: regardless of your school plan, the registration of $50/athlete remains the same, and all schools are required to cover the cost of any transportation that strays from the plan. One-Way Texting Platform: During the Games we will be using a one-way texting platform to communicate with all coaches. This will allow us to send out real-time updates on and unforeseen changes or updates. It is required that each coach provide consent for phone numbers to be used for this platform. Please see the Coach Registration Form to affirm consent. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Media Requests: Leading up to the Games, our marketing department will be alerting local media of your team’s advancement. As a result, there may be media requests that come to us to cover your team either at the event, at a practice, or to partake in an interview leading up to the event. Should this occur you will be contacted directly by Marnie (Internal Communications) or Jas (Marketing and Communications) to facilitate this request. If you wish to alert any contacts you may have in the local media please feel free to pass along the coverage so we can share it! Additional Educators: We recognize that some teams and athletes may need extra support at the Games. Requests for an extra educator/coach can be submitted online through the Coaches Corner website ( http://youthgames2019.com/forms/additional-educator-request-form/). Approvals will be made

on a first come, first served basis as we have limited accommodation space. The costs of an additional educator is $350 which must be picked up by the participating school or individual. Event Swag: Custom event clothing will be available for purchase online prior to the event and on site throughout the event. Details and pricing will be released closer to the event. Closest Hospitals: As each sport venue is dispersed across Toronto, please see the list below for the closest hospital to each competition venue.

SPORT COMPETITION VENUE CLOSEST HOSPITAL Basketball 1. Goldring Centre for High Toronto General Hospital Performance Sport – Kimel 200 Elizabeth St. Family Field House Toronto, ON University of Toronto M5G 2C4 100 Devonshire Place Toronto, ON M5S 2C9 2. University of Toronto Athletic Centre – Sports Gym & Field House 55 Harbord St. Toronto, ON M5S 2W6 Bocce Back Campus Fields Toronto General Hospital University of Toronto 200 Elizabeth St. 1 Devonshire Pl Toronto, ON Toronto, ON M5S 3K7 M5G 2C4 (Across the street) / Tower Rd. Track & Field Varsity Centre Toronto General Hospital University of Toronto 200 Elizabeth St. 299 Bloor St W Toronto, ON Toronto, ON M5S 1W2 M5G 2C4 Soccer 1. Turf and Soccer Fields North York General Hospital Seneca College Newnham Campus 4001 Leslie St. 1760 Finch Avenue East North York, ON Toronto, ON M2J 5G3 M2K 1E1 2. McNicoll Park 215 McNicoll Ave, North York, ON Floor Hockey The International Centre William Osler Health System 6900 Airport Rd Etobicoke General Hospital Mississauga, ON L4V 1E8 101 Humber College Blvd Etobicoke, ON M9V 1R8

NEXT STEPS

Action Link Due Date Gain approval from your ASAP administration Send information home to http://youthgames2019.com/forms/student- See dates below parents (i.e. fill out student- athlete-registration-page/ athlete forms) Complete Team Registration Soccer See dates below form online Basketball Athletics Bocce Floor Hockey Submit skills assessment test http://youthgames2019.com/forms/skills- Due April 5th, 2019 results online assessment-test-results-online-submission/ for Soccer and Basketball. Due April 26th, 2019 for Bocce and Floor Hockey. Submit registration payment (by See Team Registration Forms for PayPal (5% See dates below cheque or PayPal on team processing fee added) registration form) Cheque Mailing Address: Attn: Marnie Myszko Invitational Youth Games Special Olympics Ontario 75 Eglinton Avenue West Toronto, ON M4R 2G9

Submit requests for additional http://youthgames2019.com/forms/additional- Ongoing – based on educators educator-request-form/ accommodation availability Alert us of any special requests ASAP

All Registration Forms Due: Sport Registration Deadline Soccer Friday November 9th, 2018 Basketball Friday December 21st, 2018 Athletics Thursday January 31st, 2019 Bocce Thursday April 18th, 2019 Floor Hockey Thursday April 18th, 2019

Let us know about any media coverage of your team or any events occurring at your school to support your team so that we can share it on social media!

Spread the word to your school, families & fans! Practice and enjoy the moment!

All information and links can be found on our website: http://youthgames2019.com/ And on Coaches Corner: http://youthgames2019.com/coaches-corner

Congratulations and see you in May!

Marnie Myszko Internal Communications Coordinator Tel: 416-808-5055 [email protected] http://youthgames2019.com/