Coaching can be a fun, rewarding and extremely fulfilling option for those seeking deeper involvement in the sport and the ability to have a long-term positive impact on athletes’ lives.
Coaches enter the profession from a wide variety of backgrounds including applicable higher education programs, extensive experience in the sport, becoming involved as a parent or mentor, and those seeking a career change into a profession that aligns with their skills and values.
Modern cycling coaches work in every disciple of the sport at every level. That ranges from recreational riding to Olympic competition. They engage with athletes one on one, in small groups, as part of a club or team, or sometimes in large group settings like at a competitive event.
Sport coaching is constantly evolving. How one generation of coaches or athletes learned about a sport may be significantly different from an earlier or later generation. The USA Cycling Coaching Development and Education Program will be constantly evolving to meet this constantly changing need.
Coaches play an essential role in keeping athletes and the sport of bike racing safe, fair, and inclusive to all. This aspect of the program entails training around 3 key areas. Safesport training that is essential to keeping all athletes and coaches safe and knowledgeable on balance of power issues. A background check to instill trust in our license holders. Finally training around sport ethics from USADA.
USA Cycling was pioneer in Coach Education in the late 1990’s. THe curriculum that was developed involved someone starting at Level 3 and progressing up to Level 1. The curriculum was incredibly pliable and is still evolving today. This evolution will continue well into the future. It centers around teaching coaches how to be resourceful, collaborate and make educated decisions in how they work with their athletes.
There is no single pathway to coaching success and the fulfillment it brings a coach. There are multiple pathways that can help guide a coach through their career. These pathways are very fluid and allow a coach to experiment in another pathway at any time.
