April 3rd, 2021 | Josh Adelman
Over the last week for the first time ever, Soldiers to Sidelines completed its Virtual Military Women Coaching Certification Seminar. The seminar was free for service members and veterans of every branch of military service. It did not matter your current expertise or knowledge of coaching; everyone had an exciting time and learned something new.
It’s no secret that the athletic world has a disproportionate representation of women as coaches, and we are on a mission to help bridge that gap. What better way to help facilitate this than calling upon our women veterans and service members to help lead the charge.
The Soldiers to Sidelines Virtual Coaching Certification Seminar required significant time and effort. We met each weekday from March 22nd to 26th for two hours each evening. We gathered for an additional three hours on Saturday, March 27th, and required additional online coursework. Only the most dedicated and curious completed certification. Over eighty of the 300 registrants decided to show up and accept the challenge. Of those eighty, only sixty-two were able to complete the certification. Life can happen fast, and for the twenty that could not complete the course this time around, Soldiers to Sidelines has plenty of opportunities in 2021 to join the tribe again and earn certification.
Enabling our coaches with high performance training and resources
HigherEchelon, Inc. sponsored the event and provided valuable subject matter expertise. HigherEchelon trainer Dr. Angie Fifer presented on high performance, and how to develop the mental, emotional, and behavioral skills that improve our abilities to positively impact players when coaching, while maintaining personal well-being. She also presented on ways to improve focus and attention through mindfulness training.
As consulting professionals in leadership and high performance training, technology services, Salesforce implementations and Gaming and Simulations solutions, HigherEchelon provides clients the tools and skills required to be transformational leaders, digitally transform organizations, and lead through continuous change. Their gaming and simulation team trains coaches in the popular GoArmyEdge suite of free applications used by NFL teams and pro athletes that HigherEchelon helped develop with the Army Game Studio.
“Veterans, service members, and athletic coaches are all dear to me and to HigherEchelon,” said Dr. Joe Ross, President of HigherEchelon. Ross is an Army Veteran and former West Point football coach who serves as a volunteer coach in high school athletics. “We can’t think of a more impactful way to bring it all together than through the Soldiers to Sidelines certification program. We know that women soldiers will bring passion, dedication, and inspiring leadership to the athletes they coach and we congratulate all the newly certified coaches.”
Dr. Angie Fifer presenting on high performance to the new class of women coaches
Women Trailblazers
This class of Soldier Coaches had the opportunity to spend time with our keynote guest Dr. Jen Welter. Dr. Welter is the first female to coach in the NFL. In the summer of 2015, she served as a linebackers coach for the Arizona Cardinals, a period of time defined by the bond she has formed with the players. Widely known as a trailblazer and pioneer in professional football, becoming the first woman to coach in the NFL was only one of many firsts. She most recently served as a defensive specialist for the Alliance of American Football (AAF). Her inspirational message will resonate for years to come and we cannot thank her enough.
Additional presenters include: Holly West, US Military Academy Director of Institutional Strategic Planning and Assessment. Carla Criste, US Naval Academy Assistant Athletic Director. Dr. Allison Brager, US Army Major and author of “Meathead: Unraveling the Athletic Brain.” Captain Jackie Alexander, US Army Reserves and collegiate basketball coach. MSG Amber Love, US Army, STS Alumni, and current basketball coach.
John Deere presented on several employment opportunities to these veterans and highlighted how they support their veterans getting involved in their communities through coaching athletics.
We wanted to share a special thanks to our partner the Women’s Veterans Alliance for helping to spread the word while getting so many women veterans and service members involved in this event.
Congratulations to all of our new Soldier Coaches, we can’t wait to see the impact you’ll have in our communities!
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