“Coaching for Success and Significance”

In the News!

The Next NCAA Women Coaches Academy
will be held December 11-15, 2008
in Denver, Colorado!

Congratulations to our Summer 2008 Graduating Classes!

2008 Denver "A" Class

2008 Atlanta Class

2008 Denver "B" Class

Dimension 2 Reunion!

The Dimension 2 - Reunion has been rescheduled for the Summer of 2009!

Important Information about the NCAA Women Coaches Academy!

• Tuition, room and board are provided for coaches employed at NCAA Universities
  Coaches are responsible for all their travel expenses to and from the site
• Registration is tracked according to the time/date the application is received
  Some considerations will be made to balance the programs for division, sport,
  head and assistant coaches, ethnic minority participation and repeat applicants
• There are 25 positions available at both summer Academies
• There are 42 positions available at the December Academy

About the Academy

The NCAA Women Coaches Academy provides skills training for coaches at all levels to assist them in being more efficient, productive, resourceful and successful. The academy is designed for women coaches who are ready and willing to increase their individual effectiveness by learning advanced skills and strategies that directly affect their personal and team success. The participants learn skills that are not sport specific, yet ones that are relevant and necessary for coaching responsibilities, beyond the X’s and O’s.

History
In 2002, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) supported an initiative to train, support and retain women coaches. That was the start of the Women Coaches Academy (WCA). To date there have been fifteen highly successful sessions of the five-day academies, which are open to any coach from any sport, and any division.

Overview
The WCA is designed to give coaches the opportunity to understand their expanding role as a coach, along with perspectives and skills to help them make the most of their situation. In the company and understanding of other coaches, they will have the opportunity to talk and listen with others to gain support and learn new tools and strategies.

The first component is the Core Curriculum offered in a five day format. The WCA program is structured into four educational tracks. Listed below is how the Core Curriculum subjects fit within the tracks.

1. Philosophy and Fundamentals
• Title IX and Gender Equity
• History and Culture of Women’s Sports
• Philosophies of Coaching
• Fundamentals of Coaching
• Learning Styles and Teaching Methods

2. Management Skills
• Change Management
• Ethics and Decision-Making
• Principles of Marketing
• Management Methods
• Legal Issues of Coaching

3. Communication Strategies
• Communication Skills
• Diversity
• Public Speaking

4. Career Development
• Interviewing
• Networking

The Women Coaches Academy has three objectives:

1) Skills Development - Provide women coaches with professional development in areas other than the X’s and O’s of their sport. These include, management strategies, decision-making, ethics, leadership, legal issues and communication skills.

2) Retention - To inspire and motivate women coaches to remain in the coaching profession. By expanding their knowledge, perspective and skill base, they gain confidence and determination to set career goals and be more successful and competent.

3) Mentoring - Provide a framework for interaction between women in all aspects of athletics -- from peers to pioneers.

There is no doubt that the Women Coaches Academy has made an impact on the coaches who have attended, and in turn, they will impact the lives of their student athletes.

It’s simple – as a coach grows and develops better skills and perspectives -- student athletes and schools benefit.

Go Coaches!

Quotes from Women Coaches Academy Graduates

“The Academy took the passion and spark I have for coaching and ignited it into an inferno!”
Tina Johnson, Head Softball Coach,
Colorado College

“After 21 years of coaching, I am more committed than ever to the coaching profession and to sharing the many important values that can be learned through sports.”
Holly Hesse, Head Women’s Softball Coach,
Missouri State University

“It was a tremendous honor to be a participant and learn from outstanding leaders and my fellow peers. The program is intense, extensive, as well as interactive… It was a wonderful combination of coaches at all three NCAA levels and sports, in different places in their careers, sharing ideas and experiences in order to help each other.”
Cindy Ho, Women's Golf Coach
University of North Carolina at Wilmington

“The WCA definitely helped me improve all of my coaching skills and has made me a better and more educated coach. I learned more during my time at the WCA than I did in all of my formal education on how to be a successful coach. I will definitely send my assistants to the Women Coaches Academy.”
Lisa Hart, Women's Tennis Coach
Washington State University

"The Women Coaches Academy is an experience I will always carry with me. As a young coach I had much to learn and I credit the WCA for allowing me to see my career in a whole new light.”
Zenarae P. Antoine, Assistant Coach, Women’s Basketball
University of Arkansas