Become An Athlete

Are you interested in participating in an upcoming or existing sport with Special Olympics Maryland Baltimore County?

Eligibility

Eligible athletes are all children and adults, at least eight-years-old, with an intellectual disability, a cognitive delay, or a closely related developmental disability. There is no maximum age limit.Children ages six and seven may participate in Special Olympics training, but may not compete. For children ages 2 to 7, there is a program called Young Athletes (see below) Also, all Special Olympics programs are offered at no cost to our athletes.

Eligible athletes have functional limitations in both general learning and in adaptive skills. This typically includes all individuals with intellectual disabilities, combination deaf-blindness, autism, traumatic brain injury, and most individuals with cerebral palsy and specific learning disabilities.

Procedure

All persons who meet the above eligibility requirements must register to participate by submitting:

1) A completed Athlete Participation Form, which contains medical information, certification, permissions concerning publicity. All forms must be signed by adult athlete, parent or guardian and by a medical professional.

2) If applicable, a special release form for athletes or parents concerning the potential risks of Atlanto-axial instability in athletes with Down syndrome.

Download The Athlete Participation Form

3) Return the Athlete Participation form to Clarence Rowell, Medical Director, 9 Weyburn Court, Baltimore, MD 21237

4) All athletes must abide by the Athlete Code of Conduct.

Read The Athlete Code Of Conduct

5) Complete the on-line athlete registration form for the sport you would like to participate in by visiting http://somdba.org/athlete-registration/, or contact the coach in charge of the sport directly. For a list of sports that Special Olympics Maryland Baltimore County offers, click here to visit the sports page.

Click to visit the Athlete Registration Page.

If you have additional questions, click here to contact us.

Young Athletes

In order to allow children younger than eight years of age (the age one must be to officially compete in any Special Olympics program), Special Olympics has launched an initiative for children with intellectual disabilities ages 2 to 7. Essentially, Young Athletes is a developmentally appropriate play program for young children – one that includes physical activities focused on developing fundamental motor tracking and hand-eye coordination, as well as the eventual application of these physical activities through a sports skills program that aims to develop skills consistent with Special Olympics training and competition standards.

For more information about the program, or to volunteer, contact Nate Garland at ngarland@somd.org.

Download The Registration Form

Where: Towson University
The Towson Center (Athletic Building next to stadium)
Room 350 (Parking in Lot 21)
When: TBD
Time: TBD