What is Young Athletes?

Special Olympics Young Athletes is an early childhood sports play program for children aged two to seven years old.  Our young athletes learn basic sports skills like kicking and throwing a ball and playing with others. Children with and without intellectual disabilities play together. Families also have the opportunity to get involved in the fun and connect with the Special Olympics community of support.

While young athletes play, they gain motor skills like balance, flexibility, strength and coordination. In fact, in a recent study, children with developmental delays who participated in a structured ten-week Young Athletes program showed significantly more motor development than those who did not participate. Not only that, but their teachers and parents also reported improved confidence, language skills and social skills. Another benefit was families played more together at home and in the community.

Manchester Young Athletes hold eight-week sessions with one session each in the fall, winter, and spring. Manchester Young Athletes is offered free of charge and will be limited to 15 registered athletes per season. We will maintain a waiting list if necessary. We take a short break in between each term and follow the Manchester School District calendar for holidays and vacation weeks. All our assistant coaches are generous volunteers from Bill’s church and SNHU.

Sessions are typically held at the Manchester Community Music School (MCMS) Gym on Mondays. Do you have a Young Athlete who is turning eight? We welcome our Young Athletes to continue on with us as Special Olympics athletes!

About our head coach:

Bill Jones

Bill is the Coach of the Young Athletes Program (YAP) in Manchester. He has a long relationship with Special Olympics covering 30 + years, including over 20 years as Captain Plunger, his alter ego during the annual Penguin Plunge. Bill is the manager of the mini-javelin competition every year at the State Summer Games, and was nominated for the Granite Award as the Volunteer of the Year through Knights of Columbus in 2020. He served on the Board of Directors for several years, and served as the volunteer state wide Coordinator for Young Athletes. He opened the Young Athletes program in Manchester in 2018. Bill welcomes any interested parents to contact him for more information.

2024 schedule:

Winter Term – 2024

January 8, 2024                                    Week One                               Foundational Skills Lesson

January 15, 2024                                  MLK HOLIDAY                      No practice

January 22, 2024                                  Week Two                               Walking and Running

January 29, 2024                                  Week Three                            Jumping and Balancing

February 5, 2024                                   Week Four                             Trapping and Catching

February 12, 2024                                 Week Five                               Throwing

February 19, 2024                                 PRESIDENTS DAY               No practice

February 26, 2024                                 VACATION WEEK               No practice

March 4, 2024                                       Week Six                                  Striking & Kicking

March 11, 2024                                     Week Seven                             Review of skills and Awards

Spring Term – 2024

March 25, 2024                                     Week One                                Foundational Skills Lesson

April 1, 2024                                         Week Two                                Walking and Running

April 8, 2024                                         Week Three                              Jumping and Balancing

April 15, 2024                                        Week Four                                Trapping and Catching

April 22, 2024                                        VACATION WEEK                No practice

April 29, 2024                                        Week Five                                Throwing

May 6, 2024                                          Week Six                                  Striking

May 13, 2024                                        Week Seven                             Kicking

May 20, 2024                                        Week Eight                             Review of skills and Awards