Finish Line and Special Olympics Announce Multi-Year Partnership
"This partnership is a great fit for us," said Dr. Timothy P. Shriver, Chairman and CEO of Special Olympics. "We are a sports organization and Finish Line is a great sports brand with a passion to celebrate the achievements of athletes everywhere. Their mission is a testament to the power of what Special Olympics athletes have shown time and time again — that we are all true champions and each of us has the ability to reach our own personal best. Finish Line's commitment to supporting our athletes with intellectual disabilities will be a tremendous asset as we continue to work to promote acceptance and inclusion for all people."
TRAIN-Special Olympics' First National Effort to Collect and Track Data on Sports Skills among Those with Intellectual Disabilities
TRAIN (Testing Recreational Activities and Improving Nutrition) is a new sports assessment and nutrition education program developed by Special Olympics as one response to the fact that individuals with intellectual disabilities are more likely to develop a sedentary lifestyle, yet have the same fitness capacities and needs as those without a disability.
A TRAIN assessment takes place when Special Olympics athletes complete a variety of fun physical fitness challenges at designated stations, such as the 10-meter run, the vertical leap, and balance test. Each athlete's results are captured and entered into a specially-designed computer program, which produces a report highlighting the strongest skills and pinpointing which sports the athlete may be most successful pursuing as well as skills that could be improved through regular, at-home exercise. The program also tracks data on each athlete to illustrate progress over time.
TRAIN is the first comprehensive program Special Olympics has ever used to collect and track data on sports readiness skills among individuals with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics is using the data from TRAIN events to develop new scientific norms and better advice for Special Olympics athletes and coaches as they work toward being more successful in their sport as well as more fit and healthy overall.
