volunteer CC coach--high school or college

in HS just ask the head coach. then write a letter to the AD... usually they are happy to oblige.

I guess college is less likely?

What do you think a volunteer HS cc coach would be assigned to do?

Thanks. I also wonder about their responsibilities. Does this vary much from school to school?

I'm sure it'll depend on how controlling the head coach is & also how much the head coach trusts you. The head coach of the team I help out lets me get involved as much as I want really, because he knows I have aspirations of coaching at a high level & also I think because I've built a certain trust with him & the team.

here's some of the things I do.... (a lot of the basics, but it'll depend on how much you want to or can get involved)

-- help with pushing various runners in the varsity pack during practices.... depending on what our main objective is of the day. Sometimes I'll go out & push the leaders... sometimes I'll try to bring up the middle to back & keep them in contact.

-- I also help the head coach figure out where everyone is really standing in terms of workout capabilities & team standing.

-- try to give motivation & discuss race tactics (& of course scream my lungs out during races)

& there's other little things... but I don't think I really need to mention those.

Years ago, when I went back to volunteer coach at my high school, I primarily worked with the freshmen boys & girls. Lots of times, I was a shepherd, running with the team on distance days and making sure nobody got lost or left behind. I also administered the workouts if the head coach couldn't be there. And I would scout the competition and help develop race strategies. Bascially the easy part of coaching. Beyond that, a head coach has to deal with administrative stuff & school bureaucracy.

I'm a HS CC coach, and I've been fortunate to have some good volunteers over the years. The duties depend on what the volunteer brings to the team. But the main reason we need one is just to have another pair of hands or another body to ease the supervision problem.

If I have a volunteer who understands the sport pretty well, I'll put them in charge of one of our groups (we generally have a varsity group and a JV group). Some days we'll switch groups.

If I have a volunteer who is an active runner, sometimes I'll have them run with the group close to his/her ability.

One time I had a retired running buddy of mine who couldn't run, but he was great at doing "little odd jobs" such as water stops, setting up a water spray on hot days, setting up equipment at meets, etc.

Whenever I have a volunteer, I will have them talk to the team sometimes and share their thoughts on what we're doing and why. I think it's a good idea for the team to hear some voice other than mine at times, and they can often put it in a way that makes more sense.

If you were going to volunteer for me, my first question would be to ask what exactly you would like to do as a volunteer, and would try to arrange things so you could pursue this interest of your along with helping out with other things as they arise.

Thanks to everyone for the great input! Good stuff to hear from coaches and others. I may be doing this soon, so any advice on what not to do would be good too.

Don't hit on the girls (or boys)

If I just want to volunteer for hs team, would i need any teaching credits/certification? or is that only necessary for a paid position?

Most states require some sort of CPR and first aid cert. also if water training is on tap then a lifeguard cert is required in some states. As for coaching certs not required in most states however a basic coaches coures is offered by the USATE about twice per year in most areas.

i meant do you have to be certified as a teacher to be a volunteer. i have a basic coaching license i got from taking the class but have no experience related to teaching

The simple answer is no you do not have to be a teacher to even be paid to coach. In many parts of the country there are fewer and fewer teacher/coaches.