I hear so much about these programs developed and used by HS coaches and am curious about their credentials.
Are most teachers who coach track/XC on th side or are they hired just to coach?
What credentials do they have if any?
Here in Canada coaches at track clubs have coaching certificates and take event specific courses to teach events. While HS coaches are teachers pulling extra duty coaching.
What's the scoop in the USA?
I think it's pretty much whoever they can get. Some are qualified, some aren't
"I hear so much about these programs developed and used by HS coaches and am curious about their credentials".
What do you hear? If you don't mind sharing....
Most serious HS coaches I know have usatf level 1 certification. Realistically the pool of potential coaches is limited to teachers, the retired, and the unemployed. Not many with a regular job can be at practice at 3 or 3:30. So some schools have some teacher that just wants a few bucks extra.
In my area/conference, I can quickly think of about half a dozen high school coaches who have coached at the DI level (mostly mid-major schools but two were at power 5 schools).
Tons of USATF Level I and USTFCCCA Academy certificates around in the conference. Some are great coaches and others kind of suck.
The best coaches locally tend to be somewhere straddling the line between extensive experience and tons of paper credentials/degrees/workshop geeks.
kmaclam wrote:
"I hear so much about these programs developed and used by HS coaches and am curious about their credentials".
What do you hear? If you don't mind sharing....
I listen to many running podcasts and often they have high school coaches on as guests.
I hear them spouting off these ridiculous run programs with huge mileage, no days off and claim they never have injured kids. I shake my head because most have made no adaptation for age (news break......kids can not run the same distances as adults) and I came to the realization these guys are probably not qualified to coach especially not my grandchildren
my coach broke 26 in the 10k
Teachers often get first priority, but if they can't find a teacher then just anyone who wants to put in the time can easily qualify, and hiring is often on a who you know basis. Most states require at minimum an online coaching course that takes about 10 hours to complete, and maybe another few hours for a specialized (track-cross country) that might take a couple of hours. Certainly a USATF coaching course and a running background will pique the interest of some hiring officials. Often they might want you to volunteer or work as an asst. for a couple of years.
Some of the very best xc coaches in the USA are high school coaches. I'd say there are a higher number of quality xc coaches in the high schools than the colleges.
I wonder just how many HS track/XC coaches have even a level 1 USATF.
Some of the best coaches I know don't have a level 1. A few go to clinics regularly and a few talk to other great coaches and learn this way. Some type of apprenticeship, being an assistant, or volunteering is a great way to learn. And as discussed in another thread the ability to motivate and inspire is the best attribute a coach can have.