Welcome to the USA Cycling Coaching Development and Education Newsletter. This will become the monthly communication tool for program updates, upcoming events, and developing better ties with the coaching industry. It's been a busy spring and summer internally for the program. Now we're excited to begin moving things forward. Read on for more info. Most importantly, please share this newsletter with other coaches who may not be on our list or may have opted out in the past. It's imperative we start out sharing information to a broader audience.
USA Cycling is launching a new and improved Coaching Summit. The event will be in a hybrid format, allowing both in-person and virtual participants to attend. Additionally, attendees will spend a significant amount of time in guided small group workshops providing practical application of the information being presented. From November 10th through 11th, the on-site Summit will be hosted in Colorado Springs, and remote participants will be able to attend virtually via Zoom through the Whova Conference App.
As you may be aware of, our coaching and development program has not seen any large-scale changes in over 20 years. As USA Cycling evaluates different opportunities to grow the sport, this program is likely to see a significant transformation. Some of these changes may be slow over a number of years. There may also be the chance for coaches to be involved with a program overhaul if a shorter-duration project is approved. Stay tuned for more information this fall and winter!
CEU's on hold!
Historically, the coaching program's Continuing Education Units (CEU's) have existed to mandate professional development and charge an additional fee to those who do not engage in continuing education . Due to technology and staffing issues those CEUs have not be accurately tracked for several years. CEU's have historically been tracked by hand and through our "legacy" database. That database is scheduled to be sunset at the end of 2022. Incorporating the legacy CEU's to the new database would be extremely costly. Additionally, with a complete program overhaul being planned in the near future the change would only provide a short term solution at a high overhead cost. As a result, the CEU portion of the program is suspended until further notice.
However, the professional development that CEU's were designed to mandate is still strongly encouraged. For most coaches, the desire for knowledge should be something that is nearly insatiable. Please keep consuming content from our partners at Fast Talk Labs as those learning options provide a digital record of completion that can be used in future curriculum requirements. As the USAC Coaching Development and Education program continues to evolve, expect to be connected to more trustworthy, curated content to help you reach your peak potential as a coach.
Free to All Active USA Cycling Coaches
Athletes are real people—with real strengths and limitations, complications and quirks. In The Versatile Coach, the latest module from The Craft of Coaching, Joe Friel and five successful coaches explore how to become more versatile by learning how to work with a more diverse athlete clientele. For coaches, this means learning how to understand—and work with—different personalities, understanding what makes them tick, how best to motivate them, and how to help them achieve their goals, whether those are health or fitness-related.
The Craft of Coaching Module 7 // The Versatile Coach features
- Coach Dave Schell, who shares his take on athlete-centric training, identifying 5 modern athlete personalities and how a coach can better communicate with each of them;
- Coach Scott Saifer, who focuses on comeback athletes and those using endurance sports to recover and manage serious health conditions;
- Coach Joe LoPresto, who first coached gym-goers and now draws on sports psychology to help athletes of all abilities overcome their personal barriers;
- Cycling coach and former pro Julie Young, who explores the impact mindset has on training and racing, lessons from the lab, and how to sell the benefits of year-round training;
- Coach Christine Schirtzinger, who works with a broad spectrum of athletes, from beginners to highly competitive athletes, shares how micro events and group training can grow the sport and a coaching business.
For coaches willing to become more versatile, adapting their coaching to meet the needs of today’s athletes, the pool of potential clients has grown huge, and coaches open themselves to a more rewarding coaching career.
To access all coaching and training science content from Fast Talk Laboratories, simply log into your account.
Need help logging in? See these login instructions or email help@fasttalklabs.com.
Do you know a coach that embodies the mission of USA Cycling? Consider nominating them for our coach of the year awards. Read on for more info.
Purpose: To recognize coaches who have been contributing to the health and growth of bicycle racing in the United States. When nominating please heavily consider the mission of USA Cycling:
The mission of USA Cycling is to develop the sport of cycling in the United States at all levels and to achieve sustained international racing success while fostering a shared commitment to safety, integrity, and the joy of cycling.
Nomination Criteria:
- Nominees must be USA Cycling Licensed Coaches of any level.
- Nominees must be predominantly involved in the category in which they are being nominated
- Nominations must be made by USA Cycling Members.
- Multiple members may be listed in support of each nominee.
- Please limit one nomination per member.
- Current USAC High Performance Coaches are not eligible.
Categories:
- Development Coach - This coach doesn’t just connect with athletes, they help grow the sport of cycling
- Elite Coach - Accolades/Nominations from athletes at national and international level competition
- Junior Coach - Accolades/Nominations from junior athletes and their parents.
Selection: Nominees will be selected based on their nomination forms. Please ensure to detail how well they are executing the mission of USAC and are striving to improve themselves, their athletes and the sport. Award winners will be announced at the 2022 Coaching Summit, Coaches will be recognized through newsletters in early 2023.
Nominations are due by October 21, 2022
USA Cycling is building out a Talent Identification (TID) program focused on Hispanic, African American, and other youth communities of color in Los Angeles County with a goal to fast track the opportunity to introduce these underrepresented groups to bike racing, to create frictionless access to USA Cycling’s developmental programs, and to provide a pathway to the pinnacle of global sport.
We are actively looking to hire a Talent Identification Program Manager to help us run this program!
If you or someone you may know might be interested in potentially revolutionizing cycling Talent ID in the US, then please pass this along. It's very literally the chance of a lifetime for a good candidate.
Looking for a coaching job? USA Cycling typically posts programs looking for coaches in the careers section of the website on the "Courtesy Postings" tab. Check it out and if you're hiring feel free to reach out: coaches@usacycling.org
