Slippery Rock University is more than just the annual home of the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Western Fall Sectional.

It has become the home of 40 certified coaches providing more than 400 volunteer hours to Butler County Special Olympics.

SRU is one of 10 universities nationwide to implement the Special Olympics North America curriculum to its adapted physical activity program this school year.

The benefits to both SRU and Special Olympics have been mutual.

"We're being handed 40 brand new, certified volunteer coaches," said Mary Pitzer, assistant county manager and volunteer coordinator of Butler County Special Olympics. "They come to practice already knowledgeable about sports disabilities.

"We don't have to invest any training time in them because they're already trained."

Robert Arnhold, the coordinator of SRU's adapted physical activity minor, said his students are gaining valuable experience through this initiative.

The SONA University curriculum also has resulted in a $161,000 grant to SRU, which has helped to establish and operate its new Center for Disability and Health.

SRU has hosted the SOPA Western Fall Sectional for 15 years.

"Our university's longtime association with Special Olympics helped us to become part of this pilot study nationwide," Arnhold said. "We're proud to be one of the 10 school involved."

SONA's curriculum is a three-credit course in which students in SRU's exercise science, physical education or special education programs can become certified Special Olympics coaches.

Arnhold said that nearly 60 students have participated in the program during the two semesters in 2004-05.

"Our students have gone on to coach Special Olympians in basketball and bowling," he said. "We've just recently begun a swimming program on campus for Special Olympians in the northern part of the county."

Pitzer sees that as another benefit: - more athletic participation.

"We've had a swimming program in place at the Butler YMCA for a few years now," she said. "But by starting one in Slippery Rock, we're getting more athletes to join from that area who haven't been able to make the trip to Butler."

SRU's association with this program has been such a success that the university will be one of four schools, joining Western Michigan, Jacksonville State and Norwich (Conn.), speaking on its behalf at the American Alliance for Health's national convention in Chicago April 12.

As part of the curriculum, each student must spend at least 10 volunteer hours with Butler County Special Olympics. There were 23 such students last semester and there are 17 more this semester.

"Most of these kids put in more than the 10 required hours," Pitzer said. "Once they start working with our athletes, they want to keep doing it."

The students have been involved in working with nine Special Olympics sports in Butler County: soccer, volleyball, power-lifting, skiing, floor hockey, basketball, track and field, swimming and bowling.

They have helped to develop the athletes' skills, assisted with sports equipment, played scrimmage games against them in practice, chaperoned athletes to overnight events and helped organize the local tournament.

Pitzer said the university already has decided to keep the curriculum next year.

"We'll be making a presentation at a leadership conference in Harrisburg in September to try to get more schools involved," she said.

"Once these students graduate and get into the work force across the country, they'll be certified to get jobs working in Special Olympics, or they can start a program themselves," Arnhold said.

"And, believe me, a lot of them will."