Their combined love for teaching and supporting others made them the perfect fit to take part in the brand-new Special Olympics online fitness campaign, Escuela de Fuerza, which translates as School of Strength. Building off the success of the original School of Strength fitness campaign launched last spring, Special Olympics saw the need to provide a similar fitness resource targeted to an entirely new audience, Spanishspeaking individuals with intellectual disabilities across the U.S. Data shows that the Hispanic population is the second largest demographic in the United States and makes up one of the largest populations worldwide. The goal of the campaign is to provide a resource to keep Hispanic Special Olympic athletes fit and healthy and encourage them to commit to a lifetime of fitness habits.

Escuela de Fuerza, a free and fun fitness resource, targets Hispanic Special Olympics athletes in their late teens and 20s and lives on specialolympics.org/escuela- de-fuerza-espanol. Major League Baseball players Gleyber Torres (New York) and Willson Contreras (Chicago) – who are both native Spanish speakers – are commentators and hosts of the series. The videos are accompanied by a downloadable interactive toolkit for coaches, fun games, and a healthy cookbook made up of traditional Hispanic recipes. The campaign, developed in an interactive style, encourages athletes to work out and exercise on a regular basis.

Five Special Olympics athletes help lead each video by demonstrating the various exercises in the four-part series. For Ramón, that meant stepping up as an athlete leader, which he did with ease and confidence. When asked about his experience starring in the campaign he said, "Being in the videos was so fun. I loved getting to meet the other athletes and production crew. I'm glad that I'll be able to give fitness advice and motivate other Hispanic athletes, like me."

Ramón and Belem, along with other Special Olympics athletes, helped instruct four types of workouts in the series, including a quick warmup, strength exercises, balance exercises, and an endurance section.

"I'm excited to have worked on this series of workouts alongside baseball catcher Willson Contreras, representing my

own city of Chicago. I already let my other teammates know to get ready, because this workout is going to burn!" exclaimed Belem Chavez.

Special Olympics fitness programs focus on physical activity, hydration and nutrition and offer year-round fitness clubs, fitness challenges for friends and families, as well as wellness classes. The impacts of Special Olympics fitness programming have demonstrated increased health behaviors and health outcomes for athletes. To date, over 150,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities have taken part in Special Olympics fitness programming worldwide, and data collected by Special Olympics reveals that over 60% of Special Olympics athletes are overweight or obese, and one in five lower their

blood pressure from high to normal after taking part in Special Olympics fitness programming.

"Our athletes are fierce competitors who should have the same opportunities as everyone else to be active, work out, and be healthy. We are changing the face of inclusive health by giving our athletes opportunities to enhance their fitness," said Special Olympics Chief Health Officer Dr. Alicia Bazzano. "People with intellectual disabilities die on average 16 to 20 years earlier than those without intellectual disability often due to preventable causes. Becoming and staying fit can reduce those gaps. Escuela de Fuerza is a fantastic series of videos and materials to encourage our Hispanic community of athletes to not only stretch their fitness goals, but stay committed to their health journeys." •

IT'S A HIT: (Above) Escuela de Fuerza, the brand-new fitness campaign created by Special Olympics, targets Hispanic athletes across the U.S. and aims to encourage individuals with intellectual disabilities to commit to a lifetime of fitness habits. (Below) Belem, Tamara, and Ramón lead a warmup in the first video of the Escuela de Fuerza campaign.