Achilles International-Nashville

Member Athlete, Member Volunteer Guide, and Volunteer Handbook

Handbook

Out on the road there is fitness and self-discovery and the persons we were destined to be. George Sheehan

Welcome to Achilles International-Nashville. We are glad you are here!

Go Achilles and Go You!

Please take a few minutes to read this handbook, as it will give you an overview of Achilles Nashville and what to expect. Our primary communication mode is email; achillesnashville@gmail.com Once you become a member, please check your spam settings and accept Achilles Nashville emails. You can also stay up-to-date with Achilles events and races through our:

Website achillesnashville.org

Twitter handle @AchillesNash

Facebook page www.facebook.com/AchillesInternationalNashville.

Mission

Our mission is to enable people with disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics in order to promote personal achievement, enhance self-esteem, and lower barriers to living a fulfilling life.

Sportsmanship

An important mission of our athletics program is to reinforce values relating to sportsmanship, competition, and fair play. It is expected that athletes, guides/volunteers, and spectators respect this mission by exhibiting appropriate behavior at Achilles workouts and events. Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated and is subject to your Achilles membership being revoked.

About Achilles

Achilles International is a large non-profit organization, that welcomes all people with disabilities who want to participate in mainstream athletics. Achilles International is best known for their running programs offered by local Achilles Chapters throughout the world, and their participation in races and marathons. There are over 65 national and international chapters around the world. Achilles International-Nashville is our local chapter organization.

In addition to our Leadership Team (Executive Director, Co-Directors) and our Board Members, our Nashville chapter is run by Achilles members and volunteers. All of these people generously give their time and energy to recruit participants, organize workouts, and secure funding. They work together to make our organization possible.

Regular running programs can be an important factor in improving health, energy, and self-esteem. In Achilles language, running means many things. It means conventional running, of course. But it also refers to walking, wheeling, or utilizing orthotic or prosthetic devices. In other words, its any form of locomotion that gets you through the route.

While our program focuses on running, in fact, running is simply the tool for accomplishing one of our main objectives, which is to bring hope, inspiration, and the joys of achievement to all. Its not unusual for members and volunteers to forge strong friendships and volunteers are often surprised at how inspiring it is to watch an athlete with a disability become simply, an athlete.

A Brief History

In 1976, Dick Traum, an above-the-knee amputee, found himself approaching middle age and out of shape. After joining a local YMCA, Dick began running small distances at first and then, eventually several miles. Within a year, Dick became the first amputee to run the New York City Marathon. The experience was life-changing, bringing a powerful sense of achievement and self-esteem. In 1983, seeking to provide that same opportunity to other people with disabilities, Dick created the Achilles Track Club, now called Achilles International.

Today, Achilles non-profit organization has chapters and members in over 65 locations within the United States and abroad. Every day, in parks, gyms, and tracks all over the world, Achilles provides athletes with disabilities with a community of support. Within this community, runners gain measurable physical strength and build confidence through their sense of accomplishment, which often transfers to other parts of their lives.

Pic: Dick Traum joins the Nashville chapter for the

2013Country Music Marathon

Why Run with Achilles?

People join Achilles for many reasons and with many goals: to improve physical strength, to build confidence, to have fun, or to help someone achieve their dream, and all of our members and volunteers work hard to achieve them.

But something else happens at Achilles that few expect, but everyone cherishes. It is the sense of friendship, encouragement, and community that people find with Achilles. In training and racing together, athletes with and without disabilities learn to support each other and focus on what brings them together, their similarities, rather than what might keep them apart.

Achilles Membership

Achilles International Nashville is comprised of athlete members and volunteer guides. Membership in Achilles International Nashville is free and includes coaching, workouts, chapter tee-shirts, and the Achilles International Achilles (NYC is headquarters) quarterly newsletter, The Achilles Heel. Once you have joined, you will also be placed on the Achilles Nashville email list to receive weekly notices about practices, events, and other relevant activities.

To join online, click on one of the membership applications here:

Achilles Nashville Member Form Application (for athlete members with disabilities);

Achilles Nashville Volunteer Form Application (for volunteer guide members)

These forms are available at the end of this manual and can be printed to complete off line and bring to your first practice. Forms are also available on the Website. And there are always forms available at weekly practices.

Your Achilles membership form is processed by Achilles International headquarters in New York City and by the Achilles Nashville Chapter. You will be entered into a database and connected with other athletes with disabilities and Achilles guides/volunteers in your local community. There will be opportunities for local workouts, training groups, and social events organized by the Chapter Leadership Team.

Additionally, there are opportunities for those who wish participate in races of all distances...from fitness walks and 5Ks up to half and full marathons. Membership in Achilles is FREE...and the possibilities are endless!

FYI

If you are looking for a chapter outside of the Nashville area, you can email achillesnashville@gmail.com , or check the list located in the Chapter section of this Website.

Member Athletes

Whether you are just starting out, or are a lifetime exercise enthusiast, we welcome you to our Achilles Nashville Team! Our goals are to be active, improve health and fitness, and build a community of individuals with differing abilities who want to challenge themselves in new ways! To quote Achilles International Founder and CEO Dick Traum, Theres nothing more fun than doing something that is impossible!

Achilles International encourages everyone with a physical challenge or disability to run, walk, or roll! Many of our athletes come to Achilles thinking that they cant run, but Achilles shows them that they can, no matter what their mode of running or speed might be. With the help of their guide, Achilles athletes participate in training runs, both at Achilles weekly workouts and other times during the week as races approach, and participate in mainstream races.

Achilles athletes might face challenges related to such things as having cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, paraplegia, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment, and blindness along with other rare disorders. Everyone is accepted just as they are in Achilles. Guides help each athlete reach his or her own distance and pace goals, regardless of what they might be.

Achilles works with members in-need to provide access to specialized services and equipment. As part of the Achilles community, Achilles will:

Help athletes acquire the special equipment he or she might need for races and marathons

Provide athletes with an Achilles guide for workouts and for running events (e.g., 5k, 10k, half or full marathons)

Send notifications for special racing events both locally and nationally based on individual needs of athletes

Athlete Eligibility Requirements

Athletes must meet the following requirements to be eligible to participate:

Athletes must have a diagnosed physical, developmental, or emotional disability and/or medical condition (including but not limited to paralysis, spina bifida, limb amputation, TBI, visual impairment, hearing impairment, joint replacement, rheumatoid arthritis, autism, Downs Syndrome, PTSD, , multiple sclerosis, etc.)

Athletes must be registered with Achilles International Nashville, by completing the application form.

All participants are required to have a physicians medical clearance to complete physical activity required to meet individualized goals. Participants might be asked to show proof of a physical or provide a doctors note.

Athletes under the age of 18 must have parent or guardian consent. Parents and/or guardians must be present at Achilles events at all times.

Athlete Participation in Race Events

The Achilles Nashville -Chapter selects races each year for participation of the Chapter. Typically, the Chapter will pay registration fees for these races, so long as the athlete has not exceeded (or expected to exceed during calendar year) his or her allotted amount for the year. Achilles Nashville has an annual amount allocated for each athlete for such things as races, equipment, travel. Achilles funds these events through fundraising, grants, and/or sponsorships. The Chapter Leadership Team works behind the sce