Overall Points of Interest

Please be sure to read over the following safety and security points. As always, the safety of all Special Olympics participants is the utmost priority. As a coach, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of the athletes in your care.

• Be sure all athletes and coaches always wear their credentials.
• Be generally aware of your surroundings. Seek out a SOPA security volunteer, staff member, or hotel staff if anything seems suspicious to you.
• Carry a copy of all athlete applications (medical forms) and coach volunteer forms (updated ones listing medical concerns and insurance information) with you at all times.
• Carry emergency phone numbers (in this handbook) with you at all times.
• Meet and get to know any “day of” volunteers who are assigned to your group.
• Be sure athletes know not to go off alone with unknown persons or to carry anything for anyone.
• Carry a cell phone if you have one and write down/carry cell phone numbers of other coaches in your delegation. If you are an HOD, make sure that the Games Committee has your number.
• Remember that there is a zero tolerance policy in effect for any pranks concerning safety issues by athletes, coaches or volunteers. Anyone violating that policy will be asked to leave the event with potential for further action.
• Set up (if not already in place) a phone chain with parents and families back home so that they can be notified of an early arrival or a change/cancellation in the schedule which may happen before, during, or at the end of the Fall Festival.
• Carry a flashlight in your backpack.

Extra Precautions at the Hotels

• Write down the names and hotel room numbers of all athletes. Make sure that the Games Committee has your most updated list of all delegates’ room numbers.
• Write down the coaches’ room numbers for the athletes so they can call if they need help.
• Give each coach a specific set of rooms (and keys) to notify and account for athletes in the event of an emergency.
• Confer with all coaches to confirm meeting point for your hotel in case of emergency.
• Write down the room number of the medical/security room in your hotel.
• Do a final room check before going to bed to ensure all athletes are in rooms.
• Have athletes leave their shoes and coats in a place near the door so they can quickly put these on before leaving the hotel in the event of a fire.
• Keep a backpack or bag with the following items in it near the door so that you can quickly grab it on your way out: car/van keys, cell phone, emergency numbers, athlete medicals, wallet, shoes, coat.

Meeting Points in the Event of Emergency
Once on site at the Games, coaches will receive the most up-to-date meeting points for the hotels and the venues, along with the room number for the SOPA staff person in their hotels, and the room number for the medical/security room in their hotels.

Venues

Be sure coaches have accounted for all their athletes and fellow coaches. When leaving the building, use the nearest exit door and follow instructions of security. In the event that we need to transport from this venue, gather your delegation and head to the following meeting points:

At Villanova:

• Opening/Closing Ceremonies Lower Bartley Parking Garage
• Long Distance Running Sidewalk in front of the St. Thomas of Villanova Church
• Powerlifting Sidewalk in front of the Connelly Center
• Soccer (Austin/Mendel) Sheehan Field
• Volleyball (Team) Lower Bartley Parking Garage
• Volleyball (Skills) Parking lots behind St. Mary’s Hall
• Dougherty Dining Hall Sheehan Field

Off Campus:

• Skate 309 Parking lot of rink
• Shipley School Parking lot in front of gym

Hotels

Be sure coaches have accounted for all their athletes and fellow coaches. When leaving the building, use nearest exit door and follow instructions of hotel staff. Stay where instructed by hotel staff. In the event that we need to transport from this venue, gather delegation and head to the following meeting points:

• Hilton Valley Forge - Back parking lots; go right from the front doors and walk around the sidewalk to the right and follow out to back of parking lot; most emergency exit doors will lead to this side of building
• Doubletree Plymouth Meeting - Meet in the front parking lot
• Holiday Inn Express - Meet in the front parking lot
• Sleep Inn - Meet in the front parking lot
• Crowne Plaza - Meet in the front parking lot
• Wyndham Valley Forge - Exit front doors to the right and follow out to far end of parking lot near the paths that lead to the neighboring corporate park
• Comfort Inn Valley Forge - Exit front doors and meet in side parking lot (to the left of building)
• In the event of evacuation, the Head of Delegation should assemble and account for all members of his/her delegation and report accountability status to SOPA as soon as possible after the evacuation.

Procedures for Total Evacuation From Area

If SOPA has to ask delegations to evacuate from the Games completely, the following procedures will be followed:

1. SOPA will notify each HOD by phone or through a meeting (if time permits) of need to evacuate. We have a master list to ensure we contact everyone.
2. If leaving the vicinity and not the Games entirely, we will provide a meeting point and directions.
3. If the Games have been cancelled and we are sending delegations home, we will give you any time constraints and any evacuation routes to follow if appropriate.
4. Heads of Delegation will account for all coaches and athletes and their belongings.
5. HOD will secure transportation for trip out of area; if transportation is needed contact SOPA at 610-329-8590. If this cell phone number is out of service, then telephone 1-800-241-4861.

Once everyone is accounted for, HOD will call 610-554-7930 and either talk to Kelly Stratton, SOPA Associate Director of Public Relations, or leave a message on voice mail with the following information:

1. Your name
2. Delegation/County
3. Time of Departure
4. Final Destination
5. If possible, phone number where delegation can be reached (cell phone of HOD, coach, or bus company if available)
6. If an athlete is missing and delegation is ready to depart, contact a staff person at your hotel or a staff person at the venue you may be leaving from. If time is crucial and you need to leave the area, one staff person and one coach/volunteer from your delegation will stay behind to look for the missing athlete and rest of delegation will depart. Once athlete is found, the coach and staff person will make plans to either meet up with the delegation if nearby or staff person will arrange to take all parties back to home program.

Inclement Weather Plan

In the event of rain or other inclement weather, all indoor events will continue as scheduled. Outdoor competitions will continue until officials determine competition is unsafe. At that point, competition will stop and an announcement will be made at all venues. If there is inclement weather prior to competition beginning, the plan will be to wait it out for the time being.

In the event of a rain delay, when declared by officials at that venue, athletes and coaches should proceed to any indoor competition venue for shelter. An announcement will be made at all competition sites and Olympic Town as to the status of the rain delay. Official Inclement Weather Delay updates will be posted at the Operations Center, located in the West Lounge of Dougherty Hall. When rain subsides, it will be announced as to what time competition will resume and the schedule that will be followed for each sport.

The Management Team will make every effort to conduct all events at the Fall Festival. The Games Officials, though, have the authority to suspend or even cancel some events for the health and safety of participants. Thank you for your cooperation.