In only its second year, the Women Coaches Academy already has doubled in size and increased the number of coaches who are able to take advantage of this unique learning experience.

This year's academies, made possible through support from the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics in partnership with the National Association for Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA), took place June 3-7 at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, campus and June 19-23 at the University of Denver. The academies were held in conjunction with the NACWAA/HERS Institute.

"Given the fact that it's a new concept, we're amazed we were able to have two sites in our second year," said Celia Slater, executive director of the academy. "It was very positive."

The first coaches academy was held last year at Bryn Mawr College. The program's purpose is to give women coaches the opportunity to learn about the fundamentals of coaching, management issues, principles or marketing, networking and media skills and other issues surrounding women's athletics, such as Title IX and the legal issues of coaching.

Before this academy, there were few professional training programs specifically for women coaches. While coaches may learn the skills and strategies needed to win at professional development programs for their specific sport, they are rarely taught about the other aspects of coaching.

Also, Slater said, the number of women going into coaching is declining, and the academy can help with the recruitment and retention of women coaches by giving them a strong support system.

Nina Alonzo, the head women's soccer coach at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, attended this year's academy at North Carolina-Wilmington and said she would sum up the experience as "life-changing."

"The overall experience not only reaffirmed my passion for my sport, but it reaffirmed my passion for coaching," she said. "The speakers they brought in clearly relayed the importance of women in athletics and the difference we can make."

In addition to the topics discussed at the previous academy, Slater said some new workshops were added this year to enhance the experience for coaches.

"We added a little bit more on the philosophy end," she said. "We also did a piece on speaking skills and a component on how to manage yourself through a losing season. We also did a segment on emotional intelligence this year."

Specific workshops included, "Title IX: Facts and Fiction about Gender Equity;" "A Different Kind of Court: Legal Issues of Coaching;" "Team and Motivational Values;" "Diamonds of Success;" "Interviewing for the Job;" and "Defining your Coaching Philosophy: Coaching is Lived Forward and Understood Backward."

The participants

"The enthusiasm, energy, commitment and passion of the remarkable women who served as our coaches' academy faculty made a tremendous impression on all of us," said Cindy Ho, head women's golf coach at North Carolina-Wilmington. "They challenged us to lead, to make a difference and to inspire other women to follow. It was a tremendous honor to be a participant and to learn from outstanding leaders and my fellow peers."

The number of women taking part in the academy nearly doubled from 2003 -- with 44 coaches scheduled to attend one of this year's programs. Slater noted that, ideally, the participating coaches will come from a variety of backgrounds, and that was the case this year.

Ho said when she first saw the list of coaches who would be participating in her academy class in North Carolina, she wasn't sure she would have much in common with those who had less experience than she did, or who coached other sports.

"Wow, was I wrong," she said. "Everyone had something valuable to contribute. You can't fall into the trap of being set in your ways, being complacent. I think I was in a rut. This brought out a totally new perspective that I would not have imagined. The challenge for me now is to use what I've learned to actually make that difference now."

There were 24 participants at the North Carolina-Wilmington academy, 18 head coaches and 16 assistants. Their range of experience ran from two to 22 years. They represented all divisions and a variety of sports, with volleyball and basketball being the most highly represented. At the Denver session, 15 head coaches and five assistants were scheduled to participate. Their range of experience ranged from three to 15 years.

Slater said many of the participants took part this year based on word-of-mouth support from those who had attended last year or heard of the success of the program.

Alonzo said her associate athletics director recommended the program to her, with the full support of her athletics director. She said at first she was hesitant to take that much time away from her job, but looking back it was time and money well spent.

"I've already told my athletic director not only how thankful I am for him encouraging me to go, but that we need to continue sending someone from our institution," she said. "It's worth the money, it's worth the time, and the only thing it can do is help our institutions to become better, because we're going to be better coaches when we come back."

Next year

Slater said she hopes to run next year's academy at no fewer than two sites, and possibly more. She also wants to offer an advanced training class for those who have completed the Women Coaches Academy. There were nearly 75 graduates by the end of the Denver academy, and Slater said many already have talked to her about continuing the program.

The advanced session could start after academy graduation and provide a link for the two programs.

"Our goal is to help in the retention of women coaches," Slater said. "Providing relevant training to coaches will help with their performance and overall job satisfaction and keep them in the profession. This training is essential for coaches -- and the student-athletes they work with every day, since they benefit from how the coaches grow both personally and professionally.

"Many women feel isolated in their athletics department, and the academy provides opportunities for camaraderie, commiserating, communicating and community-
building."