In June, MSU’s Institute for the Study of Youth Sports (ISYS) and the Department of Kinesiology will host the first annual MSU Summer Coaches’ School. The two-and-a-half day conference is intended for sport coaches and leaders to gather together to network, discuss and learn hands-on from experts and scientists in the field, several of whom come from the College of Education. They include:
- Dan Gould, director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports
- Deb Feltz, professor of kinesiology
- Karl Erickson, assistant professor of kinesiology
- Rick Atkinson, assistant athletic director for Michigan State University and part-time faculty in the Department of Kinesiology
The presenters also include several doctoral students from the Department of Kinesiology who are doing research on concussions, motivation, sport training and nutrition, sport leadership and more. Kicking off the conference will be Larry Lauer, former director of Coach Education and Outreach for ISYS. Lauer is currently a a mental skills specialist for the United States Tennis Association.
“What makes the MSU Summer Coaches’ School so important and unique is the opportunity to learn from experts while simultaneously networking with other coaches and experts in the field,” said Andy Driska, event coordinator. He is also a fixed-term instructor in the Department of Kinesiology and coordinator of the Sport Coaching and Leadership Online Programs. “We’re planning to address some topics that coaches are told as important, like working with parents or turning the culture of a team, but coaches often do not have any strategies to tackle these tough issues. Sport parents can be tough to work with if you don’t have some basic knowledge about what motivates parents of athletes in the first place.”
The first annual MSU Summer Coaches’ School will take place from June 18-20, and registration is open through the end of May. For more information, visit summercoach.msu.edu.