Sports Role Models Relay
A team relay where students collect cards of real athletes, women and men, and match them to their sport and achievement. Students run shuttle relays while discovering and valuing role models of all genders, including Paralympic athletes.
How to play
- Prepare 20 cards with an athlete's photo and name (half women, plus some Paralympians) and 20 with their sport and an achievement. Put each pile face down in a hoop 15 yards away, in different directions.
- Make five teams of 5 lined up behind a cone. Phase 1 (6 min): relay style, each student runs to the athlete hoop, takes one card, and runs back to high-five the next runner. Each team collects 4 cards.
- Phase 2 (6 min): relay style, teams look in the achievement hoop for each athlete's card, one at a time; a wrong card goes back on the next trip.
- When a team thinks it has all 4 matches, it raises a hand and the teacher checks. Each correct match is worth one point.
- Phase 3 (5 min): each team introduces one athlete by acting out the sport and sharing one sentence about the achievement; the class guesses the sport.
- Wrap-up (3 min): How many women athletes did you know before? Why do you think they get less TV time?
Rules
- Run on the right side of the cones to avoid collisions with returning runners.
- Take one card per trip and do not peek at the others.
- Put cards back face down and neatly.
Variations
Easier
Achievement cards include a picture of the sport to make matching easier.
Standard
Collection relay, matching, and acted-out presentations.
Harder
Add a third card per athlete with country or year and change the way students travel on each leg.
Adaptations
- A student with limited mobility can be the team reader or run a shorter distance marked by a cone.
- For a student with low vision, use large print on the cards and assign a running partner.
- For the fastest students, move the achievement hoop to 25 yards.
Learning goals
- Learn about athletes of all genders and their achievements.
- Value the effort of women athletes and Paralympic athletes.
- Cooperate in a relay by taking turns and following rules.
Equipment for a class of 25
- cards: 40
- cones: 10
- hoops: 2
Teacher tip
Pick current athletes students can relate to, including some from your state. Laminate the cards so you can reuse them.
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