Elitetrack: Sport Training & Conditioning

ok guys… mike,kebba… whoever else….
i want to start planning for the future…
heres my situation…. i am 20 years old and i am jr. at Cortland majoring in Kineisiology with a concentration in Fitness Developement. I am on the 5 year plan because i have been taking my time and also i am redshirting this year becasue of injury and i will run my 5th year. somewhere down the road i hope to be either a strength and conditioning coach or track coach at the collegiate level, maybee even a little bit of personal training. my question is what would be the best thing for me to do when i get my degree in Kineisiology? i will have 2 certifications also NSCA AND CSCS. so after i graduate should i apply to be a grad. assistant at a big time d1 school and get my masters ? or do i wait? or do i not even need my masters for what i want to do?
im just loooking for some insight as i figure you guys would be the best people to ask since you have probably been in the same situation and know what is best… also i am usatf level 1 certified and by the time i graduate from here in 2 years hopefully i will have my level 2 certification….

In my opinion to get into collegiate coaching you can take 1 of 2 routes:

1. Highschool Coach—> College Coach
2. Graduate Assistant Coach—> College Coach

I don’t think that a higher level degree is so important in and of itself but is important because it gives you the opportunity to become a G.A.

Quik,

Me and Mike are always talking about this stuff, so here are my 2 cents:

If you want to coach in college, start at that level.  I personally think that making the jump from HS to College is a tough one. Try to start at the highest level possible (top 15 D1) as a GA/Volunteer to help build your network (because you won’t be doing much coaching as a GA/Volunteer at the top programs).  If you can’t snag one of those gigs, go to a smaller school that has a quality program (D2, D3, NAIA, or JUCO) and make an impact (break school records, win conference championships, and make noise at the National level).

Most of all, though, don’t discount your experiences as an athlete.  It’s awesome that you are so forward thinking in your career planning, but don’t lose sight of where you are now.  You can attend every lecture, get every certification, but when it comes time to make the key decisions regarding training and racing, your competitive experience will help you immensely (knowing what to do and what NOT to do).

Hope that helps.

I would agree with Mike and JJ in that it’s usually a quicker career path to start at the collegiate level and stay there.  More and more schools are looking at USATF Level I and II certification for requirements (which isn’t all bad).  It’s too bad there aren’t any tests for personability because you can’t underestimate the ability to convey your knowledge and the ability to understand what your athletes are going through. 

Get on this as early as you can because the NCAA has a limit on staffs-even on how many volunteers a team can have.  JJ hit it on the head, if you are going to be a volunteer, go to as high level a program as you can.  I know many people who volunteered at Nebraska, Arkansas, and Tennessee (or in my case Kent State) who are now Head Coaches.  Good luck.  You can do it. 

We are going to have a grad assistantship open here next fall.  You’d pretty much have to be an education major because thats all the grad majors we have.  Let us know if any of us can help.

Perhaps I could learn from this thread….

Mike and others….

I am working with one individual 400m runner that will be WC after this year. I have worked with some great talent in track(OG medalists) and have produced a few-All Americans in swimming. I currently coach at a High School and would prefer to get involved with track at the D1 level. I feel that my strengths are…

(1) Charisma with the sprinters
(2) Trust with athletes
(3) Energy on a daily basis
(4) Practical training programs
(5) Flexibility with my environment

I was thinking about going to UNO in about five years or so to get my masters…I feel that for a guy without a degree you better have a lot of connections. I have been rejected 85 times from D1 programs after sending them my resume as soon as they pop up on http://www.ncaa.org.

With a few years in the MLB and D1 Football you think that someone would give me a shot. I have my ASCA, NSCA, USATF II and other papers. What does it take!