"She Can Coach"
» View Photo Highlights from the March Symposium
1st Annual
Women's Coaching Symposium
March Symposium Recap
SUNY New Paltz hosted the first SUNYAC Women's Coaching Symposium March 2-4, 2007. The Symposium was designed for female student-athletes from the SUNYAC who have an aspiration to coach. The attendees must have been in their third or fourth year of eligibility or a recent graduate.
Matt Giufre, Colleen Bruley, Kristina Katori and Janelle Feuz made up the committee who planned for the Inaugural Women's Coaching Symposium.
Giufre stated, "Our goal was to provide the young women in attendance with a better understanding of working in college athletics, and give them some tools necessary to be successful. From listening to the presenters and hearing the feedback from those in attendance, I know we accomplished what we set out do to. It was an honor to be a part of the committee that organized this event. I can't wait to get started on the planning for 2008!"
Attendees heard from Dr. Cecile Reynaud, former head volleyball coach at Florida State University and editor of 'She Can Coach.' Dr. Reynaud said, "Being invited to be a part of the Inaugural She Can Coach Symposium at SUNY New Paltz was an honor for me. I was able to spend a weekend with young women and current coaches of women's sports to talk about a career in coaching. The symposium was extremely well organized and educational for all of us. The SUNYAC Conference, the President of SUNY New Paltz and the director of athletics all made this possible with their support of this event."
Oneonta State's women's volleyball coach, Colleen Cashman was one of the presenters over the weekend. She spoke on motivation and team cohesion. "It was empowering to be able to present to a group of young intellectual women who view coaching at the collegiate level as an option on their career path."
Dr. Reynaud's book was the foundation of the 2007 symposium as coaches and administrators from the conference lead discussions on topics including coaching philosophy, team building and conflict resolution. 'She Can Coach' is an invaluable guide for coaches and an excellent manual for the next generation of mentors. The book presents the experiences and insights of top women coaches from different sports. Each chapter addresses a key factor in guiding athletes and teams to excel and in keeping a program at a championship level.
SUNY New Paltz junior, Katie Becofsky felt the symposium helped to motivate her to get out there and actively pursue opportunities to gain more experience in the field. "It was great for networking and has made me feel that a career in coaching is not only a legitimate profession, but a very rewarding one," stated Becofsky.
