USATF COACHING EDUCATION
USATF CALENDAR OF SCHOOLS
https://www.usatf.org/programs/coaches/calendar-of-schools
- May 19-22 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-20 (Eastern Time)
- June 2-4/ Level 1 – Zoom #2023-22 (Pacific Time)
- June 9-12 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-23 (Central Time)
- June 12-16 / Emerging Elite Coaches Camp (In Person)
- June 16-17 / Cross Country Specialist Course #1 (Zoom)
- June 19-21 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-24 (Eastern Time)
- June 23-26 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-25 (Eastern Time)
- July 7-9 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-27 (Central Time)
- July 14-15 / Cross Country Specialist Course #2 (Zoom)
- July 18-22 / Level 2 (In Person)
- July 21-23 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-29 (Eastern Time)
- July 28-30 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-30 (Eastern Time)
- August 4-6 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-31 (Pacific Time)
- August 11-13 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-32 (Central Time)
- August 18-21 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-33 (Eastern Time)
- August 25-27 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-34 (Eastern Time)
- Oct 1-Nov 18 / Level 2 – Weekend (Online)
- October 20-22 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-42 (Pacific Time)
- October 27-29 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-43 (Central Time)
- November 10-12 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-45 (Eastern Time)
- November 17-19 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-46 (Eastern Time)
- November 24-26 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-47 (Pacific Time)
- December 1-3 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-48 (Eastern Time)
- December 8-10 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-49 (Central Time)
- December 15-18 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-50 (Eastern Time)
- December 27-29 / Level 1 – Zoom #2023-52 (Pacific Time)
SAVE THE DATE FOR TWO SUMMER SPECIALIST PROGRAMS, REGISTRATION OPENING SOON
The USATF Cross Country Specialist Course and Emerging Elite Coaches Camp will be open for registration soon on the Calendar of Schools.
USATF members will have two opportunities to complete the popular USATF Cross Country Specialist Course with courses dates being offered June 16-17 and July 14-15, 2023 – both will be hosted on Zoom.
The USATF Cross Country Specialist Course is based on the methodology of Legend Coach, Dr. Joe Vigil. The 12-hour course provides an opportunity to learn the theory and skills that have produced collegiate and world cross country medalists. The course features technical sessions, cross country specialty drills, periodization training for the cross country season, team building strategies, and long-term athlete development for the endurance runner. The course is open to all USATF members (minimum 18 years of age), regardless of previous training or certification.
The Emerging Elite Coaches Camp, a prestigious four-day camp at a designated High Performance Training Center, will be hosted in person, June 12-16, 2023. Serious-minded coaches seeking advanced information, strategies, and tactics with an eye towards elevating their coaching knowledge and developing national and international, medal-winning, capable athletes are invited to apply.
The camp provides immersion in an intensive science and technical based study. Participants learn from a team of USATF Master Coach educators, sport scientists, and guest lecturers.
Preferred qualifications include meeting at least one of the following requirements: Primary coach of qualifiers to state high school association, collegiate, or USATF Championships; Upper-level coaching education; Previous experience as an elite athlete or staff coach on a USATF international team.
USATF LEVEL 2 PROGRAM ADDS FIELD EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT FOR FIRST-TIME PARTICIPANTS
To enrich the learning experience and align with evolving National Committee for Accreditation of Coaching Education (NCACE) standards, a field experience requirement has been adopted as part of the Level 2 curriculum for all first-time participants. The field experience assignment was piloted during the 2022 USATF Level 2 Weekend Program and further refined following the program based on participant and instructor feedback. The assignment requires at least 50 hours of practical application outside of Level 2 classroom time via a combination of reflective journaling exercises and opportunities to interview, shadow, and connect with Level 2 instructors, peers, and experts you select to serve as mentors. The Sport Coaches Handbook and Successful Coaching textbooks are required textbooks and supplement the 21 assignments included in the field experience packet.
Coaches may begin the field experience assignment once enrolled in the Level 2 Sports Science course or at time of Level 2 Event Specific School acceptance. The field experience assignment must be completed in the calendar year you enroll in Level 2 and by the conclusion of the Level 2 Event Specific School attended. Out of season coaches may meet field experience hour and activity requirements through interfacing with other sport teams performing training activities also used in track and field (e.g., speed work, interval training, strength training, or plyometrics).
Applications for the next USATF Level 2 School, July 18-22, 2023, will open on the Calendar of Schools soon. Quarterly registration for first-time participants seeking to get a head start on the additionally required online Level 2 Sports Science course remains available on USATF Campus.
2023 Emerging Female Coaching Grants Available for USATF Level 1 and 2 Schools
The Emerging Female Grant is provided by USATF and provides a select number of minority women track and field coaches the opportunity to attend USATF Coaching Education Level 1 or 2 Schools (or an approved USATF specialty course). Grants are valued at the respective course tuition fee and room and board if school is hosted in person.
Interested applicants must be a minority female coach, USATF 3-Step Safe Sport Compliant, provide a resume of coaching background/experience, and position statement via an online application.
Applications for Emerging Female Grants are accepted on a rolling basis until funds are expended. Applications are reviewed on the first (business) day of each month and must be received a minimum of 30 days prior to the start date of the requested program/school. Grant recipients will be notified via email.
Apply at: https://www.usatf.org/programs/coaches/grants/emerging-female-coaching-grant
Apply Now to Shadow a USATF Master-Elite Coach at the 2023 USATF National Championships in Eugene, OR
The National Championships Mentorship Grant provides a unique up-close and personal experience of the strategies, meet prep, mental preparation, and “in-the-moment” coaching for an emerging elite coach in a chosen event. The grant recipient will shadow one of USATF’s Master-Elite coaches through the rounds and final of a chosen event in Eugene, OR at the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships, July 6-9. A group administrator will lead sessions after each round to discuss the grant recipients’ experiences. Up to eight grant experiences will be awarded and include a registered coach credential and reimbursement up to $1000 towards travel expenses.
Interested applicants cannot have an athlete competing during the designated dates of the mentorship. Applicants must be a current head or assistant coach with a minimum of five years’ experience, have coached an athlete at the USATF Outdoor Championships, U20 Championships, NCAA, NAIA, or NJCAA Championships or State High School Association Championships in the last five years, member of the USATF Coaches Registry, and provide a two-paragraph position statement on the value of attending the mentorship, submitted with online application. A USATF Level 2 Coaching Education certificate is also preferred.
Applications are due no later than May 21, 2023.
Apply at: https://www.usatf.org/programs/coaches/grants/national-championship-mentorship-grant
USOPC NAMES USATF’S BOBBY KERSEE OLYMPIC COACH OF THE YEAR AND DR. CHRISTINE BROOKS COACH EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR
Long regarded as one of the top track and field coaches in the world, Bobby Kersee has been named 2022 Olympic Coach of the Year by the USOPC after guiding Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Allyson Felix to historic achievements. Track and field is the only sport with two honorees, as Dr. Christine Brooks received acclaim as the Coach Educator of the Year, the USOPC announced.
Coach Educator of the Year — Dr. Christine Brooks
As a sports science instructor, Dr. Brooks taught more than 200 coaches entering the USATF Level 2 Program in 2022. Her students, some of whom have doctorate degrees and some of whom are Olympians, have praised the Level 2 Sports Science course she developed as the best online course available in human performance. In addition, she created a modernized USATF instructor training course, which ushered in 16 new USATF Level 1 instructors during 2022. Brooks authored an updated 20-hour hybrid curriculum in a matter of months, which included video lectures and multiple teaching assessments, including a culminating in-person practicum.
Olympic Coach of the Year — Bobby Kersee
Kersee guided 400m hurdler McLaughlin-Levrone to a World Athletics Championships gold medal last July in Eugene, where she ran a stunning 50.68 to smash her own world record. It was the second time McLaughlin-Levrone lowered the WR in 2022, following on the heels of a 51.41 to win the USATF Outdoor Championships a month earlier. In addition to her hurdling exploits, McLaughlin-Levrone anchored Team USATF’s women’s 4x400m relay to gold in 3:17.79 with a 47.9 split that was one of the fastest in history.
Closing out her career as the most successful American female track and field athlete at the Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships, Felix helped the U.S. to gold in the women’s 4x400m relay in Eugene by running in the heats, and then earned bronze in the mixed 4x400m relay to bring her career medal haul at the World Championships to 20.
Other award winners include:
Paralympic Coach of the Year – David Hoff (USA Hockey)
Developmental Coach of the Year – Mike Peplinski (USA Curling)
College Coach of the Year – Ryan Martin (National Wheelchair Basketball Association)
Volunteer Coach of the Year – Jacob Roberts (US Speedskating)
Service Provider of the Year – Jose Polanco (USA Boxing)
Doc Counsilman Science & Technology Award – Tom West (US Rowing)