The November 2019 Special Olympics BC Club Fit Summit featured a great gathering of about 20 Club Fit instructors from all over the province, who came together to collaborate on ideas and best practices. Their valuable Club Fit programs help athletes enhance their overall fitness and health through fun workouts, benefitting them in sports and in life.
Working in a very collaborative atmosphere, the instructors talked about new ways to continue the progress of their programs, and new ways to engage athletes. They learned about available resources such as the Special Olympics International Fit 5 tools, which are workout demonstration videos, cards, and guides that feature Special Olympics athletes performing the movements. The Fit 5 links were well received and can be found on the SOBC Club Fit resources page.
The coaches also participated in sessions to add more tools to offer athletes, such as the yoga for health session led by Erin Moon of the World Spine Care Yoga Project. Moon trains yoga teachers to support individuals who experience low mobility using chair/wall poses, mindfulness, and breath for back care and pain management.
Special Olympics BC Locals and instructors are doing an amazing job of running Club Fit programs around the province, helping athletes of a wide range of skill levels improve their health and fitness. Athletes are encouraged to come out to join their local programs where available! Some Locals are now looking at offering additional Club Fit programs to offer both developmental and sport-enhancing training.
Club Fit programs also offer functional testing to help athletes track and motivate progress. The Club Fit Summit saw the introduction of functional testing report cards for programs, which can be shared with a Club Fit team to help everyone see where they have collectively improved and areas they can focus on to continue improving.
Any Locals seeking resources or support for Club Fit, or who would like to submit their functional testing data to receive motivational report cards, can contact SOBC Sport Coordinator Marlow de Paul by email or by phone at 604-737-3081 / 1-888-854-2276 toll-free.