For three days, veterans, military spouses, coaches, and industry leaders came together in Nashville, Tennessee, for the 2026 Soldiers to Sidelines Coaching Summit—a weekend dedicated to leadership, learning, and continuing the mission through coaching.
Hosted in partnership with Vanderbilt University, this year’s Summit welcomed 179 attendees, including 43 newly certified Soldier Coaches, while more than 130 returning Soldier Coaches returned to continue developing their craft, reconnect with fellow coaches, and invest in the next generation of leaders. Across 54 educational sessions, 41 speakers, and seven specialized coaching tracks, attendees gained practical knowledge, strengthened professional relationships, and reaffirmed the impact coaching can have on communities across the country.
More than a coaching clinic, the Soldiers to Sidelines Coaching Summit is a place where service continues. Every presentation, conversation, and connection reflected the organization’s mission of empowering veterans and military families to lead, mentor, and inspire through sport.
2026 Summit by the Numbers
- 179 Attendees
- 43 Newly Certified Soldier Coaches
- 41 Featured Speakers
- 54 Educational Sessions
- 7 Specialized Coaching Tracks
- 24 Organizations Represented
- 75 Whova Discussion Topics
- 16 Community Meetups
- 130+ Audience Questions Submitted
- 91,127 Sponsor Impressions
A Warm Welcome at Vanderbilt University
The Summit officially kicked off with a welcome reception hosted by Vanderbilt University, providing attendees an opportunity to reconnect with fellow Soldier Coaches, meet first-time participants, and begin building relationships before the educational sessions even began.
The evening’s welcome was led by Candice Lee, Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletic Director at Vanderbilt University. Through her leadership and Vanderbilt’s continued partnership with Soldiers to Sidelines, attendees were welcomed into an environment centered on collaboration, service, and leadership. Her remarks reinforced the shared commitment between Vanderbilt and Soldiers to Sidelines to develop coaches who positively impact the lives of athletes both on and off the field.
From the opening reception through the weekend’s breakout sessions, Vanderbilt’s first-class athletic facilities provided the perfect setting for learning, networking, and meaningful conversations that continued long after each day’s sessions concluded.
Setting the Tone
As the Summit officially began, Harrison Bernstein, Founder and CEO of Soldiers to Sidelines, challenged attendees to think beyond wins and losses. Coaching, he reminded the audience, is another opportunity to serve—an opportunity to build leaders, strengthen communities, and positively influence the next generation.
Throughout the weekend, that message echoed across every session. Whether attendees were learning from former NFL head coaches, collegiate national champions, sport psychologists, or strength and conditioning professionals, one theme remained consistent: great coaching begins with great leadership.
Leadership conversations were highlighted by a special fireside discussion featuring Jeff Fisher, former NFL Head Coach, whose decades of experience provided valuable insight into building culture, leading through adversity, and developing people before players. His conversation reinforced one of the Summit’s defining messages—that the best coaches leave a lasting impact beyond the scoreboard.
Sport-Specific Coaching Excellence
While leadership served as the foundation of the Summit, attendees also received world-class instruction across seven specialized coaching tracks. Each session equipped Soldier Coaches with practical strategies they could immediately apply within their own programs while reinforcing Soldiers to Sidelines’ commitment to developing coaches who lead with purpose.
Football: Building Championship Culture
The Football Track featured an exceptional lineup of coaches whose experience spans the NFL and collegiate football. Attendees gained valuable insights into leadership, offensive and defensive philosophy, player development, and building successful football programs at every level.
Highlights included presentations from Jeff Fisher, former NFL Head Coach, and Mike Denbrock, Offensive Coordinator at the University of Notre Dame, who shared lessons learned from coaching at the highest levels of the game. They were joined by an outstanding group of football leaders including Aaron Brady, Jerod Kruse, David Lee, Bob Trott, Bill Khayat, Felicia Teeter, Scott Phillips, David Blake, and Anthony Goliver, each providing practical strategies designed to help Soldier Coaches better serve their athletes and communities.
Basketball: Leadership at Every Level
The Basketball Track brought together an accomplished group of coaches representing every level of the game, creating an environment where experience, innovation, and mentorship intersected.
Veteran broadcaster and international basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla shared lessons from decades spent evaluating talent and studying successful programs around the world. He was joined by Tobin Anderson, Joel Justus, Vince Walden, Adam Hood, Bob Szorc, Eric Mundinger, JT Orem, Robert Moore, and Uriah Hunter, who explored topics ranging from player development and practice planning to leadership, communication, and building winning cultures.
Rather than focusing solely on X’s and O’s, speakers challenged attendees to think about the type of leaders they wanted to become. The discussions reinforced that successful basketball programs are built on trust, accountability, and relationships long before the opening tip.
Soccer: Building Culture Through Communication
The Soccer Track emphasized one of the most important responsibilities of every coach: creating an environment where athletes can thrive.
Led by Darren Ambrose, Head Coach of Vanderbilt Women’s Soccer, along with Darren Powell, Jeremy Aven, Liam Curran, and Dr. Ben Freakley, sessions explored the intersection of coaching, leadership, communication, and sport psychology.
Throughout the discussions, coaches were encouraged to view culture as something intentionally built every day—not simply something that develops on its own. From fostering resilient teams to improving communication with athletes and staff, presenters shared practical strategies that extended well beyond the soccer field.
Dr. Freakley, whose work in performance psychology has influenced coaches across multiple sports, challenged attendees to think about leadership through the lens of emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and purposeful communication. His sessions reminded coaches that understanding people is often just as important as understanding the game itself.
Sports Performance: Caring for the Whole Athlete
Performance is about much more than strength, speed, and conditioning.
The Sports Performance Track brought together experts whose collective experience spans professional sports, collegiate athletics, and military performance. Sessions led by Steve Watterson, Josh Willhite, Lacey Lyrla, Brooke McNicholas, Johannah Zabal, Nate Palin, and T. McQuilkin explored the science of preparing athletes to perform at their highest level while prioritizing long-term health and well-being.
Topics ranged from injury prevention and recovery to nutrition, mental performance, and creating sustainable training environments. Coaches left with practical tools they could immediately implement while gaining a broader understanding of what it truly means to develop the complete athlete.
Leadership Beyond the Game
While each coaching track offered sport-specific instruction, several sessions reminded attendees that the most important lessons transcend any single game.
Throughout the weekend, Harrison Bernstein challenged coaches to view leadership as an ongoing commitment rather than a title. Coaching, he emphasized, is an opportunity to continue serving others by creating environments where athletes feel challenged, supported, and empowered to succeed.
Those themes were echoed by Dr. Ben Freakley, whose presentations explored the human side of coaching. From emotional intelligence and communication to resilience and team culture, his sessions encouraged coaches to recognize that lasting success begins with authentic relationships.
Together, these conversations formed the heart of the Summit. They reinforced that while drills, strategies, and systems evolve, the responsibility of developing people remains constant. The best coaches understand that every practice, every conversation, and every season provides another opportunity to influence lives in meaningful ways.
Recognizing Leadership and Service
Throughout the Summit, Soldiers to Sidelines recognized several individuals whose leadership, experience, and commitment helped make the weekend meaningful.
Among those honored were Jeff Fisher, Mike Denbrock, and Kathleen Oswald, along with additional speakers and partners who shared their time, expertise, and encouragement with the Soldier Coach community. These moments of recognition reflected the spirit of the Summit: gratitude for those who invest in others and a shared belief that leadership is measured by the impact left behind.
The presentations also offered a chance to pause and celebrate the relationships that continue to strengthen Soldiers to Sidelines. From nationally recognized coaches to university leaders and longtime supporters, each honoree played a role in creating an environment where veterans and military spouses could learn, grow, and feel valued.
Building Connections Beyond the Classroom
Some of the Summit’s most meaningful moments happened outside the formal sessions.
They happened over meals, in hallways, inside Vanderbilt’s athletic facilities, and during conversations between coaches who may have arrived as strangers but quickly discovered common ground. Returning Soldier Coaches reconnected with friends and mentors, while first-time attendees were welcomed into a community built around service, leadership, and sport.
With 24 organizations represented, the Summit brought together people from across the coaching, military, nonprofit, education, and athletics communities. Those connections created opportunities for future mentorship, employment, collaboration, and continued development long after the final session ended.
The Wounded Warrior Project played an important role throughout the weekend, maintaining an information table, providing volunteers, and helping support attendees across the event. Their presence reflected a partnership that extends well beyond sponsorship and reinforces a shared commitment to serving veterans and military families.
A Connected Summit Experience
The Summit’s community extended into the Whova event platform, where attendees continued conversations, organized meetups, asked questions, and shared resources throughout the weekend.
Participants created 75 discussion topics, coordinated 16 meetups, and submitted more than 130 questions during the event. A friendly leaderboard competition also encouraged attendees to stay engaged, with one participant finishing the weekend with the highest overall Whova score.
The platform became another place for relationships to grow, and 87 percent of attendees reported that they enjoyed using Whova. Whether someone was looking for session information, connecting with another coach, or continuing a conversation from the classroom, the platform helped keep the Summit community connected.
Celebrating the Class of 2026
The closing certification ceremony brought the Summit’s mission into focus.
This year, 43 new Soldier Coaches earned their certification, joining more than 130 returning coaches who came back to continue learning, reconnect with the community, and support the next generation of participants.
For the newly certified coaches, the moment represented the completion of an important step—but not the end of the journey. Certification is the beginning of a larger commitment to lead, mentor, and serve through coaching.
That message came to life during the traditional badge toss. As the new class raised their badges into the air, the celebration captured both pride in what they had accomplished and anticipation for what comes next.
Each badge represented a coach prepared to enter a new community, influence athletes, and continue the mission in a different uniform.
Thank You to Our Sponsors and Partners
The 2026 Soldiers to Sidelines Coaching Summit was made possible through the support of organizations that believe in the power of coaching and the leadership potential of veterans and military spouses.
Soldiers To Sidelines extends its gratitude to:
Vehicles for Veterans
Vanderbilt University
Wounded Warrior Project
Wells Fargo
CVS Health
Veritas Ratings
Neighborly
Together, Summit sponsors generated 91,127 impressions, helping expand awareness of the event and the Soldiers to Sidelines mission.
Special recognition belongs to Vanderbilt University for serving as the host institution and providing an outstanding environment for the weekend. The continued leadership of Candice Lee, Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletic Director, has been instrumental in building a partnership that creates meaningful opportunities for Soldier Coaches.
The Mission Continues
The 2026 Coaching Summit demonstrated what becomes possible when service, sport, and leadership come together.
Across three days, coaches gained new knowledge, strengthened relationships, and returned home better prepared to serve athletes and communities. More importantly, they left knowing they were part of something larger than a single event.
The Summit may have ended, but the work continues in practices, classrooms, locker rooms, and communities across the country.
The mission continues. We’ll see you in 2027.