USATF COACHING EDUCATION
USATF CALENDAR OF SCHOOLS
https://www.usatf.org/programs/coaches/calendar-of-schools
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July 9-13 USATF Level 2 School, Indianapolis, IN
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July 13-14 USATF Level 1 Event Specific Training – Zoom (Pacific Time)*
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July 19-20 USATF Cross Country Specialist Course – Zoom
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Aug 2-3 USATF Cross Country Specialist Course – Zoom
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Aug 17-18 USATF Level 1 Event Specific Training – Zoom (Eastern Time)*
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Sept 13-15 USATF Marathon Specialist Course – Zoom
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Sept 21-22 USATF Level 1 Event Specific Training – Zoom (Pacific Time)*
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Oct 18-20 USATF Level 1 Event Specific Training – Zoom (Eastern Time)*
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Nov 16-17 USATF Level 1 Event Specific Training – Zoom (Pacific Time)*
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Dec 7-8 USATF Level 1 Event Specific Training – Zoom (Eastern Time)*
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December 27-29 USATF Level 1 Event Specific Training – Zoom (Pacific Time)*
*USATF members may only sign up for a USATF Level 1 Event Specific Training after purchasing the USATF Level 1 Program and completing the self-paced learning modules.
USATF COACHING EDUCATION ANNOUNCEMENTS
- The USATF Level 1 Program launched in a new blended learning format May 2024. The new experience features updated self-paced lessons on sport science, athlete development models, instructional strategies, nutrition, and insights from USATF National Team Coaches before members complete the event specific units on Zoom or in person (select markets). The new format also introduces a new optional starting point for members to begin their learning via the USATF Developmental Coach Program.
- The USATF Developmental Coach Program is a new optional learning pathway carved out of the first unit of the USATF Level 1 Program. The 3-hr online training is geared toward entry level coaches, parents, volunteers, and administrators, and emphasizes developing positive coaching practices, ethics, risk management strategies, understanding growth and development, how to teach sports skills, and structure practice. Members can upgrade their Developmental Coach certificate to a USATF Level 1 Track & Field Coach during the valid term (two calendar years) by later enrolling in the USATF Bridge to Level 1 Program where they will complete the remaining USATF Level 1 Program units (includes Level 1 Sport Science, event specific training access, and exam).
- USATF joins Million Coach Challenge offering access to the free Connection Based Coaching courses on the USOPC Mobile Coach Platform.
- USATF Campus platform relaunches with a new experience integrated with USATF Connect. Login to your membership account and select “Coaching Schools” to purchase a new training or return to previous trainings by selecting USATF Campus from the left-hand navigation menu when signed into your USATF Connect account.
- Watch for 2024 USATF Level 3 Program information to be added to the Calendar of Schools later this summer.
Learn more about all available coaching education programs at:
https://www.usatf.org/programs/coaches/coaching-education
TERRY CRAWFORD NAMED 2024 USATF LEGEND COACH AWARD
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field gained a whole new meaning for long time coach Terry Crawford. On June 27, former head coach of Texas, Tennessee and Cal Poly’s collegiate programs was honored with the USATF Legend Coach Award for 2024. She is the first woman to win the award in its 10-year history.
Before she became a coach, Crawford was a three-time all-American and national champion in the 220-yard dash, 440-yard dash, and 880-yard dash as an athlete at the University of Tennessee. Crawford also competed at the international level and was a finalist in the 400 at the 1968 U.S. Olympic Trials and competed in the 800 at the 1972 Trials.
Two years after Title IX was enacted in 1972, Crawford made history at the University of Tennessee as the first head coach of the Lady Vols track and field team, displaying her commitment to advancing women’s influence in athletics. In 1981, the Lady Vols brought home the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) National Championship in track and field – the school’s first women’s championship in any sport.
Throughout Crawford’s 35-year coaching career she has coached 12 Olympians, over 125 all-Americans, and won the NCAA women’s triple crown title in 1986 (cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field), a feat never to have been done before.
Crawford has also had her fair share of experience coaching international teams for the U.S. She was named the Head Women’s Track and Field Coach for Team USA for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, where the women’s team brought home nine total medals. She also served as the Head Coach for the World University Games, Assistant Coach at the Pan American Games, Head Coach for USA vs. USSR Track and Field Dual Meet Series, and more.
Her career accomplishments have been immortalized by the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas, as she has been inducted into both the Tennessee Athletics and Longhorn Women’s Hall of Fame.
Additionally, she has been inducted into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame, and has been honored with multiple namesake awards, including USTFCCCA Terry Crawford NCAA Division I Women’s Program of the Year. She was also honored with the namesake for the USATF Distinguished Female in Coaching Education Award.
Her leadership stretches well beyond the oval, as she has held several leadership positions in the world of track and field. Some of these include President of U.S Track Coaches Association and Women’s College Cross Country Association, USATF Board of Directors, USATF Coaches Advisory Committee Chair, and appointed to first Director of Coaching position at the USATF National Office. “A Champion of Breaking the Glass Ceiling”, she became the first female coach to win a National Championship at Tennessee and the Triple Crown at Texas. Additionally, she was the first female president of the USTFCCCA and is one of the first women in NCAA Div. I to be named director of a dual-gender Track and Field/Cross Country team in 1996 at Cal Poly State University-SLO.
The USATF Legend Coach Award is now in its tenth year and is selected by the USATF Coaches Advisory Committee. The inaugural award was presented to Hall of Fame Tigerbelle Coach Ed Temple in 2014, followed by Dr. Joe Vigil (2015), Tom Tellez (2016), Clyde Hart (2017), Brooks Johnson (2018), Bob Larsen (2019), Bill Dellinger (2021), George Williams (2022), and Bobby Kersee (2023).
SPOTLIGHTING THE NEWEST CLASS OF USATF LEVEL 1 INSTRUCTORS
USATF Coaching Education is excited to announce the newest cohort for the USATF Instructor Training Course. The hybrid course presents a bridge between adult learning best practices and the Level 1 curriculum. The 15 members selected will converge in Indianapolis, IN on July 8 and then be a mentee instructor at a 2024-25 Level 1 School to complete their certificate requirements.
Dr. Ola Adeniji (USATF Oregon) is an assistant coach at the University of Oregon for sprints/hurdles and holds over 18 years of coaching experience. Dr. Adeniji earned a PhD in Sports Biomechanics and has been published three times. Dr. Adeniji holds USATF Level 2 certificates in Sprints/Hurdles/Relays, Jumps, and a USATF Level 3 certificate in Jumps.
Julie Anderson (USATF Snake River) has 30 years of coaching experience at the high school level. Anderson holds USATF Level 2 certificates in jumps, endurance, and sprints/hurdles/relays. Anderson earned her Master of Science in Exercise Physiology from Arizona State University.
Henry Brun (USATF Missouri Valley) is the Director of Cross Country/Track & Field at Friends University (NAIA) in Wichita, KS. Brun has been coaching at the collegiate level for 12 years. He holds USATF Level 2 certificates in Sprints/Hurdles/Relays and Jumps. Coach Brun has been named Conference Coach of the Year seven times and is a three-time NAIA Regional Coach of the Year.
Marcus Carroll (USATF Southern California) is the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at Long Beach City College. Carroll is a 2023 USATF Level 3 candidate in Jumps and holds USATF Level 2 certificates in Jumps, Combined Events, Sprints/Hurdles/Relays, Endurance, and a USA Weightlifting Level 2 certification.
Jason Cooper (USATF Illinois) is head girls track & field coach at South Shore International College Prep. Cooper has produced four state champions, two USATF Junior Olympic National Champions, and a state runner up team performance in 17 years of coaching. He holds USATF Level 2 certificates in Sprints/Hurdles/Relays, Jumps, and is a 2023 USATF Level 3 candidate in Sprints/Hurdles/Relays.
Patrick Grosserode (USATF Nebraska) is the horizontal jumps coach for Doane University. and is the president and head coach for USATF club, Lincoln Community Track Club. He holds USATF Level 2 certificates in Jumps and Sprints/Hurdles/Relays and is a 2023 USATF Level 3 candidate in Jumps.
Carol Lawrence, MBA (USATF North Carolina) is the Head Track and Field Coach at Johnson C. Smith University following a successful run at Providence Day School. At Provide Day School, Lawrence was named Charlotte Observer Coach of the Year (5x), South Charlotte Coach of the Year (5x), NCISAA Division 1 Coach of the Year (4x), and produced nine straight girls state championship wins, and eight boys state championship wins. Lawrence holds over 18 years of coaching experience and a USATF Level 3 and World Athletics Level V certificate in Sprints/Hurdles/Relays
James Luginsland (USATF New Jersey) is an Adjunct Professor and Teacher at Middlesex College (NJ) & Middlesex County Magnet Schools, with 13 years of coaching experience. Luginsland holds USATF Level 2 certificates in throws and jumps, and is a 2023 USATF Level 3 candidate in Throws. Luginsland has coached the #1 javelin thrower in NCAA DIII Lia Negra, three NJCAA All Americans, and NJIT’s first ever Atlantic Sun Conference Champion, Erick McNamara in 2017.
Kevin Padin, PhD (USATF Florida) is the head cross Country/track & field coach for Barry University with 11 years of coaching experience. Coach Padin is holds USATF Level 2 certificates in Endurance and Sprints/ Hurdles/ Relays. Padin earned his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Miami.
Mike Petro (USATF Potamic Valley) is the head cross country/track & field coach at Hood College. Petro holds USATF Level 2 certificates in Throws, Jumps, and Endurance, along with CSCS and NSCA-CPT certifications from the National Strength & Conditioning Association. Petro earned a Masters in Exercise Science and Health Promotion degree from the California University of Pennsylvania.
Andrea Riley (USATF Georgia) is an assistant coach at Lane 4 Track Club and brings nearly 20 years of coaching experience across the NAIA, high school, and club ranks. Riley also teaches middle school and high school grade science. She holds a USATF Level 3 and World Athletics Level V certificate in Sprints/Hurdles/Relays.
Steven Sanchez (USATF South Carolina) is an assistant coach for throws at USC Upstate. Sanchez has over 9 years coaching experience in the NCAA ranks. Sanchez holds USATF Level 2 certificates in Combined Events and Throws and is a 2023 USATF Level 3 candidate in Throws.
Jared Steele (USATF Pacific) is the head coach of the BYU Running Club. Steele holds USATF Level 2 certificates in Endurance and Sprints/Hurdles/Relays, and USATF Level 3 certified in the Youth Specialization. He has been for coaching for 10 years. In 2022, Steele earned the Mel Ramey Sports Science award for his work at the 2022 USATF Outdoor Championships.
Darcy Wilson (USATF New England) has been coaching for 20 years and joined Brown University as the Associate Head Coach (Throws). Wilson holds USATF Level 2 certificates in Throws and is a 2023 USATF Level 3 candidate in Throws. In 2023, she was the first to ever coach both the male and female NCAA Division I hammer throw title holders in the same year.
Phillip Wright, Jr. (USATF Ohio) is an assistant track & field coach for Upper Arlington High School. In over 11 years of coaching, Wright has guided athletes to multiple school records, state, and national podium finishes. He holds USATF Level 2 certificates in Sprints/Hurdles/Relays and Jumps, and USTFCCCA: Strength and Conditioning.