What is Sports Plus?
SPORTS PLUS is a Montgomery County Maryland based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that offers year-round, uniquely structured, co-ed sports and swimming programs for verbal children able to follow multi-step directions between the ages of 5 and 14 with mild to moderate autistic spectrum disorders, ADD/ADHD and other developmental disabilities. These children have capabilities that fit between existing mainstream sports programs and adaptive sports programs. SPORTS PLUS offers both indoor and outdoor programs that feature innovative techniques, highly trained coaches, the participation of neurotypical siblings and a comfortable, supportive and productive environment for all participants and their parents.
SPORTS PLUS was founded in fall 2005 and is directed by Tom and Natalie Liniak, the parents of two children, one of whom is on the autistic spectrum. SPORTS PLUS programs are specifically designed to create sports, recreation and social opportunities and fill a void for children and their families that were previously unable to meaningfully participate and enjoy soccer, baseball, basketball, volleyball, swimming, karate, fitness training, floor hockey and other sports related activities. All programs do this by focusing on the ability of the participants and providing a combination of challenge and help to allow each one to reach their individual potential.
In spring 2006, SPORTS PLUS became affiliated with the Soccer Association of Montgomery (SAM), the Discovery Sports Center and the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, MD making the professionally maintained fields of that facility its home base for soccer programs. Due to increasing interest, in summer 2006 SPORTS PLUS expanded its program offerings beyond soccer, to include baseball and basketball for the first time. Volleyball, floor hockey and gym programs were added in late 2006.
In September 2007, SPORTS PLUS began offering programs in Howard County, Maryland for the first time in association with the Soccer Association of Columbia/Howard County at the elite Northrop Fields at Covenant Park. SPORTS PLUS now offers year-round programs in Howard County. This past fall also marked the beginning of a swim program, in Montgomery County, Maryland, featuring multi-level instruction for skill levels from basic safety and comfort in the water all the way to stroke technique and improvement. The swim program has already almost tripled in size from its inception just a few short months ago, is now offered year-round.
This year also marked the beginning of the SPORTS PLUS EXTRA program. This innovative program provides a variety of customizable individual and small group programs such as bike riding, bowling, fitness and sport specific training and sports social groups that use the vehicle of sports and play to build fitness, social skills, connections and teamwork. CAMP SPORTS PLUS, our summer camp that combines core sports and fitness activities with music, art and other subjects will be held for the first time in summer 2008. This summer we will also start our SPORTS PLUS WEEKDAYS programs. WEEKDAYS offers a series of four week sessions that focus on introducing cutting edge fitness and sports techniques to participants and include visiting subject matter experts from mainstream programs as part of our coaching staff. WEEKDAYS will initially focus on Bosu and SPARQ training, martial arts, yoga, tai chi, tennis and boot camp training with the Sarge himself, Patrick Avon, of the nationally acclaimed Sergeant’s Program. SPORTS PLUS has received additional inquiries both from around the capital region and around the country to further expand its programs. Work is already underway to provide additional sports opportunities for children and to extend the age range of children that we serve.
SPORTS PLUS has been recognized and provided with funding by Autism Speaks, The Washington Capitals, The John & Maureen Hendricks Charitable Foundation, The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, JJ’s Tourney Inc., The Aris & Marianne Mardirossian Foundation, the employees of White & Case LLP as well as many Sports Plus families. In March of 2008, SPORTS PLUS was the beneficiary of the Washington Capitals third annual Amazing Auction held at the Acela Club in the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. SPORTS PLUS has also been named the children’s non-profit beneficiary for both the 2007 and 2008 DARCARS Young Run and a beneficiary of the July 4, 2008 Autism Speaks Run in Potomac. Maryland. Its founders were also nominated in 2007 and 2008 for the Nancy Dworkin Montgomery County Outstanding Service to Youth Award in recognition of their efforts and the high quality programs that SPORTS PLUS offers. A growing number of area therapists, doctors and educators regularly refer children to SPORTS PLUS programs as an adjunct to their ongoing treatments, therapies and classes. Participants currently travel from as many as fifty miles away from Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia to participate in Sports Plus programs.
What do the classes offer?
As the name implies, SPORTS PLUS classes offer not only what for many children is a first or first positive sports experience, but also much more. SPORTS PLUS classes are comfortable places for children and parents to learn sports and fitness skills that can last a lifetime. Just as importantly, SPORTS PLUS classes provide children an opportunity to utilize sports and play with role models and peers to help them develop social skills, confidence, self esteem, friendships, responsibility, the desire to try new things and last but not least have fun in a program that they can get excited about and call their own. SPORTS PLUS classes use a “reverse inclusion” model where typically developing siblings play in each class as player/role models or “assistant coaches”. This model provides a unique opportunity for brothers and sisters to play together that was not previously available. It also provides an opportunity for neurotypical siblings to meet, play, socialize and form important bonds with each other at the same time. SPORTS PLUS classes are a place where children can have role models. Even more importantly, SPORTS PLUS classes are a place where children can become role models and be encouraged and cheered on every step of the way.
SPORTS PLUS was founded on the premise that the children it serves need and deserve the best in innovative and multidisciplinary sports and recreation programs that are specifically tailored to both their strengths and weaknesses. SPORTS PLUS classes utilize a curriculum and approach derived from hundreds of hours of research and experience by a team of special educators, therapists, trainers, parents and coaches that is constantly reevaluated and updated. The classes take some of the best elements of existing typical and special needs sports programs and modify and combine them with SPORTS PLUS own unique skill and team development techniques, equipment and approaches. SPORTS PLUS classes are designed to give participants the traction they need to meaningfully navigate and enjoy the worlds of sports and fitness for today and for the future.
Every SPORTS PLUS program features a highly trained team of coaches that work as a unit drawing upon their many years of collective experience in special education teaching, speech, ABA and other therapies, personal training, coaching, children’s entertainment and sports and collegiate athletics to help each child flourish. Our coaches constantly seek to personally engage each child on their own terms while providing consistent encouragement and positive reinforcement. They recognize that success and progress for each child in the class is highly individual, but always seek to have each child make at least one step forward in each class. The coaches delight in being able to share in the smile, laughter or high five of a participant that serves as a measure of their success. For some children this means being able to participate for the entire class or doing so with little or no parental participation. For others this means discovering and developing physical and other skills to enable them to play a sport or swim. For some others it means learning to play with peers and developing “game” skills and teamwork. And for a few, it has already meant refining existing skills to a point that has enabled them to “graduate” to neurotypical sports programs. For most all, it has also meant developing social skills and connections that have flourished outside of the program as well.
In order to try to maximize the experience of our participants, each class has a player to coach ratio of no higher than four to one and often as low as three to one or less. Our swim class ratios are no higher than two to one. This permits extra help or additional challenges to be provided as needed to players with a wide variety of skills in a single class. The same coaches are present at each class during a session in order to provide consistency and encourage social connections. Parents are encouraged to participate with their child, offer verbal encouragement or just observe as they believe would best benefit their child during the classes.
While SPORTS PLUS classes utilize a wide variety of different techniques and games, they are structured within a common framework. Each class begins with whole group activities, often including an obstacle course with each segment specifically designed to teach a different sports skill. Every class also has a small group segment where groups of two to five children work closely with coaches on particular skills and activities. Each “land-based” class ends with a specially structured soccer, baseball, floor hockey, volleyball or basketball game designed to be enjoyable, successful and challenging for all participants. Teamwork, social skills, sportsmanship and most of all FUN are stressed at all classes. After all, our participants are no different than anyone else in that we are all most capable of achievement when we are engaged and having fun. The end result is a successful, rewarding and exciting physical and social experience for children and their families.
Each season of classes culminates with an award ceremony where every player is presented with a participation award as they are cheered on by their peers and families. A special sports or social opportunity is also a part of each season. Slapshot, the Washington Capitals mascot appeared, played and helped us hand out awards in the finale of all of our Winter 2007 sessions. Members of DC United, the Washington Major Indoor Soccer team appeared at the finale of our Spring 2007 classes to meet, greet and play with all of our players. Members of the Baltimore Blast and Washington Freedom and DC United’s mascot Talon, appeared and offered instruction and fun in our Fall 2007 classes.
Another unique aspect of SPORTS PLUS classes, Kids Learning from Kids, successfully premiered in our soccer classes this spring. This initiative provides a two-way learning and social opportunity between SPORTS PLUS participants and eleven to thirteen year old neurotypical players from elite soccer teams. The elite teams play-in with our participants in clinics directed by SPORTS PLUS to give them the valuable opportunity to learn from “non-adults”. The elite players not only help teach our participants but they also learn from them as well. They experience what it is like to face more than the usual challenges and gain valuable awareness and insight into the ability of our players that helps to bridge their respective worlds based on first hand contact and similarities. Visits this spring included the U11 MSC Elite girls team from Montgomery County, Maryland and the U13 Albertson Academy boys team all the way from Long Island, New York.
SPORTS PLUS classes offer sports, fitness and social opportunities as they should be. The classes provide a positive and fun environment to try new things, face and overcome challenges, increase self esteem and self confidence and develop sports, fitness and social skills that benefit our participants far beyond athletic fields, gyms and pools.
For More Information
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact SPORTS PLUS at sportsplus@comcast.net or (301)452-3781. Additional information can also be found on the SPORTS PLUS website at www.playsportsplus.org .