This page provides information for leadership volunteers across North Carolina to keep them informed of new resources and opportunities from SONC while also sharing regular reminders on practices and policies. Visit it regularly to stay informed!
Protective Behaviors training looks a bit different!
Updated 9/27/19
As we head into the registration period for a large state-level event, we realize many people will access the required online Protective Behaviors training. Please note that Special Olympics Inc. is using a new system to administer this roughly 15-minute training. It is now part of a larger SO Learning Portal which is designed to house several trainings in one location. This longer-term goal is the primary reason that users are being pushed to create an account with the system.
A how-to document is now available here to help a new user navigate this new system.
With the new system, an email is automatically sent to the SONC office. For this reason, no one needs to send a copy of the training verification to SONC. It is always best to keep a copy for your own records just in case but there is no need to submit to us.
Thank you for working with us as we adapt to this new system!
2020 Local Program Plunge Call for Information
Updated 10/4/19
Are you planning a Polar Plunge in 2020? Are you interested in learning more about hosting one? Please fill out this form to let us know. SONC staff can help you plan, promote, and execute your event. Please contact Lauren Bruce with any Polar Plunge fundraising questions.
2019 SONC Fall Tournament
Updated 10/10/2019
Click here to view the recording of the Fall Tournament Preview webinar. Listen as Kelly and Andrea dazzle you with the most recent information about registration, venues, overall schedule, etc. If you are planning on bringing athletes to Charlotte for the event, don’t miss it!
All registration forms and important season updates can now be found on the individual sport webpages.
Special Olympics Gaston County Basketball Invitational Registration Extended
Updated 10/14/2019
Gaston County is hosting a basketball invitational competition on October 26 and is looking for additional 5-v-5 teams to participate. The registration deadline has been extended to this Thursday, October 17. Please reach out to Ashley Anderson for registration or more information.
Social Media Policy
Updated 8/26/2019
Ensure that your program is in compliance with SONC’s Social Media Policy! Here’s how:
Accredited sub-programs may have and maintain their own social media profiles, provided said social media profiles meet minimum brand guidelines as outlined below:
-Use the official accredited sub-program logo as the profile image.
-Follow Special Olympics naming conventions: “Special Olympics _____ County”
-Follow all Special Olympics language guidelines and graphics standards.
All sub-program social media profiles must have a Special Olympics North Carolina staff member with administrator access at all times. This policy will be applied retroactively to pre-existing pages. Learn how to add SONC as a Facebook administrator here.
Social media profiles include but are not limited to Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and Instagram accounts. All programs must be in compliance by Jan. 1, 2020. If you have any questions, please email Katie McGhee.
New Sport Staff Announced!
Updated 10/4/2019
Doug Perry joined the sport staff as sport director on September 25, and has hit the ground running! While Doug will be involved with several statewide endeavors, he will serve as the primary sports liaison for local programs in the western part of the state. You will see him hanging around the basketball individual skills, roller skating, and soccer venues for Fall Tournament, and some of you have already had the chance to speak to him or see him in action at the Equestrian Tournament. Doug comes to us from the Boys and Girls Club of Durham and Orange counties, and he can be reached at dperry@sonc.net and 919-719-7662 x 113.
Please join us in welcoming Doug to the Special Olympics North Carolina family!
Coaching Course: Introduction to Autism and Instructional Strategies for Coaching
Updated 10/10/19
Special Olympics Virginia has an informative online coaching course about coaching athletes who have Autism Spectrum Disorders, which would be a great resource to SONC coaches. This course is free and only takes an hour to complete. It contains very useful coaching techniques and video models that will be helpful when coaching athletes with autism. You can take this course online and send the certificate you receive upon completion of the course to sports@sonc.net. This is not a required training to be a certified coach, but we will track this training for your certification records.
Local Invitational Updates
Updated 10/7/19
Local programs across the state are planning to host invitationals in several sports offered at SONC. Please see below a few local program invitational updates:
- Guilford/High Point is hosting a Roller Skating Invitational on Sunday, October 20! For more information, please visit the Roller Skating sport webpage.
- Cabarrus County is hosting a Basketball Invitational on Saturday, November 16! For more information, please visit the Basketball sport webpage.
- Buncombe County is no longer able to host their Bocce and Soccer Invitational previously schedule for Saturday, October 19.
You can view our master calendar to see what local program near you is hosting an invitational! Interested in hosting or attending an invitational? Contact sports@sonc.net for more information!
2020 SONC Cheerleading Tournament Date
Updated 10/1/19
The date has been set for the 2020 SONC Cheerleading Tournament. This tournament will be held on Saturday, March 21, in Mocksville! Please click here to view the registration timeline.
2020 Special Olympics Southeast U.S. Regional Swimming Invitational
Updated 10/1/19
The date has been set for the 2020 Special Olympics Southeast U.S. Swimming Invitational! The event will be held on Sunday, April 26, in Greensboro, NC.
2019 NIRSA Flag Football Regional at UNCW
Updated 8/12/2019
The University of North Carolina at Wilmington will be the host site for the 2019 NIRSA Region II 28th Annual Southern Atlantic Flag Football Championships on Saturday, November 23! This year, Special Olympics Unified Campus Recreation teams and Traditional (all Special Olympics athletes) teams are invited to compete in their respective divisions in this tournament! Special Olympics North Carolina teams (Unified Campus Rec and Traditional) will not have a registration fee! Registration will be posted once available, but please feel free to contact sports@sonc.net for more information!
Get Your Surveys Done by November 1!
Updated 8/7/2019
Don’t forget: the newest SONC Impact Survey can now be found online here. These surveys are a great way for SONC to capture feedback, report program information to Special Olympics International and grant funders, and recognize the great work happening in your program. It is important to survey your athletes, students, and volunteers on a regular basis and the newest version will only take a few minutes to complete. It is also an easy way to engage volunteers at your Spring Games or other events, or include in your post-Games wrap-up or social media! If you have any questions or would like to request paper copies of these surveys, please email Lauren Bruce.
New in 2019, programs that submit 20 or more survey answers by November 1 will be entered into a drawing to win a $100 gift card of your choice!
Kohl’s Stores Offering Volunteer Support and Donation
Updated 4/24/2019
Here is an opportunity to recruit volunteers and raise money!
For a 3 hour shift, local Kohl’s employees can help at your event (with set-up/take-down, check in, event assistance) or practices (set-up/take-down, greet athletes, assist with coaches). If you are able to get 5 Kohl’s volunteers to come out your program can receive a $500 donation. If you are interested please complete this Kohl’s Volunteer request form. We will post the event on the appropriate site and make the first call to the local store. We will provide contact information for you to follow-up. If you have any questions, contact volunteers@sonc.net.
