National Federation of State High School Associations NFHS Coach Certification www.nfhslearn.com NFHS Certification Program Designed to deliver the highest-quality professional development online at an affordable cost, this certification will: • Help coaches minimize the inherent risks faced by participating students • Improve the sport experience of participating students • Recognize coaches nationally • Develop a sense of personal and professional accomplishment • Enable coaches to increase liability insurance coverage through membership in the NFHS Coaches Association Level 1 – Accredited Interscholastic Coach (Available Fall 2009) The coach must complete the following courses: NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching NFHS First Aid for Coaches (American Red Cross) or its equivalent Fundamentals of Coaching (Sport-specific) or Teaching Sport Skills Level 2 – Certified Interscholastic Coach Level 1 Completion + (Core Courses and Elective Courses) Level 3 – Master Interscholastic Coach Level 2 Completion + (Core Courses and Elective Courses) Elective Courses: • Engaging Effectively with Parents • Teaching and Modeling Behavior • Teaching Sport Skills Take Part. Get Set For Life.™ NFHS REPORT Certification Program Now Available for Coaches BY ROBERT F. KANABY, NFHS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AND ENNIS PROCTOR, NFHS PRESIDENT “Winning on the professional level is required. Winning on the To attain Level 1 certification, coaches are required to take two collegiate level has become an expectation. Winning at the high core courses – NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching and First Aid for school level should be a pleasant outcome to fulfilling the true pur- Coaches – along with a sport-specific course. Currently, the NFHS pose of sport in school, which is to serve the complete educational has developed sport-specific courses in soccer, wrestling, football, needs of those who choose to participate.” volleyball and safety in cheer/dance. Six additional sport-specific The story goes that two high school coaches were attending a courses are in the developmental stage. clinic at which the keynote speaker was John Wooden, the leg- Why should a school require its coaches to become Accredited endary UCLA basketball coach. During the entire morning session, Interscholastic Coaches? Simply put, if our nation’s schools don’t Wooden did not discuss zone defenses, fast-break offenses or, for train coaches in the mission and purpose of interscholastic athletics that matter, anything to do with specific basketball strategies. and don’t provide strategies to effectively fill the role of inter- Instead, Wooden shared the principles of his “Pyramid of Suc- scholastic teachers/coaches, at some point down the road we may cess,” involving traits such as self-control, loyalty, enthusiasm, in- lose the educational purpose of sports in our schools, and possibly tentness and confidence. During the lunch break, one of the high lose them entirely. school coaches was overheard commenting to his cohort, “I won- Becoming a nationally certified coach will help coaches minimize der when he’s going to tell us how to win?” the inherent risks faced by student-athletes. Coaches certification Fortunately, we believe the majority of the coaches in our na- also will help coaches develop a sense of personal and professional tion’s high schools recognize that the key to success goes far be- accomplishment, recognize coaches nationally and improve the yond the X’s and O’s of a particular sport. When high school sport experience and performance of participating students. administrators fill coaching vacancies, they are seeking to hire indi- We are pleased to report that 45 states are using the NFHS Fun- viduals who not only have a background in the particular sport, but damentals of Coaching course as a requirement for coaching. This who also have an understanding of the educational mission of high is a strong statement that our member state associations believe school sports in the United States. that training is essential if we are going to keep education at the With the influx of out-of-school coaches in schools today, along forefront of interscholastic athletic programs. with the influence of professional sports, there is an ever-increasing Currently, there are more than 7.5 million participants in high need to train individuals for all facets of the coaching profession – school sports programs nationwide. Certainly, one of the goals while to be up-to-date in areas such as risk minimization, communication, these young people are in our programs for four years is to be suc- interacting with parents, administration and teaching of lifelong cessful, but what happens when the four years are completed? Very skills to student-athletes to help them become productive citizens. few will be able to pursue athletics as a career. Most will move on We are fortunate in the United States to have sports within the to other professions, so it is imperative that they leave these pro- school systems as an extension of the classroom. However, just as grams prepared to be successful, productive citizens. is the case with any profession, the expected outcomes will not School administrators today must continually demonstrate the occur without proper training. educational value of athletics to ensure the support of the commu- Through its own Coach Education program, which began in Jan- nity, and having trained coaches on staff is paramount to that suc- uary 2007, the NFHS is launching a national coaches certification cess. program this fall. Once coaches take the required professional de- More information on the NFHS Coach Certification Program is velopment online courses, they will receive certification from the available at www.nfhslearn.com. Now is the time for all of your NFHS | www.nfhs.org/hstoday NFHS as a Level 1 Accredited Interscholastic Coach. schools’ coaches to Get Certified. 1 FEATURES 12 ATHLETIC DIRECTOR Helping the First-year AD Survive and Eventually Thrive: Being organized and dealing effectively with parents are two of the keys to success. –Mike Williams, CMAA HighSchoolTHE VOICE OF EDUCATION-BASED ATHLETIC AND FINE ARTS ACTIVITIES TODAY ™ 18 ADMINISTRATION Building Successful Fine Arts, Aca- demic Programs: Coaches can draw on experience of home builders to construct Contents successful programs. –Paula Fisher 24 COACHING 8 Years, Victories Keep Coming for South Carolina’s McKissick: Football coach has amassed 565 victories in an amazing 57-year career. –Aaron Hommell DEPARTMENTS 1 NFHS Report 7 Quick Hits Useful Facts and Information 10 Sportsmanship “Positive Cheering – The ONLY Answer” 14 Legal Issues Disabilities Law Applied to Scholastic Athletic Programs 16 Above and Beyond Kansas Girls Relay Team Hands Off Medals COVER STORY at State Meet Coaching Evaluations in Education-based 20 Top High School Performances Athletics: Evaluating coaches should involve 22 In Their Own Words much more than discussing the number of victo- Passion for Sports, Coaching Key to Success ries and championships. –Dr. David Hoch, CMAA for Jody Conradt 26 Did You Know? • Playing Three Sports Earn Students 09 Special Varsity Letter • Gag Rule in Oregon in Second Year Welcome 29 Ideas That Work We hope you enjoy this publication and welcome your feed- 30 In The News back. You may contact Bruce Howard or John Gillis, editors of High Coach Education School Today, at [email protected] or [email protected]. 32 High School Today | November 4 HIGH SCHOOL TODAY ONLINE An official publication of the National Federation of State High School Associations VOLUME 3, NUMBER 3 EDITORIAL STAFF High School Today, an official publication of the National Federation of State High School Assoc ia tions, is published Publisher.......................Robert F. Kanaby eight times a year by the NFHS. Editors ..........................Bruce L. Howard EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING OFFICES .....................................John C. Gillis The National Federation of State High School Associations, Production.....................Randall D. Orr PO Box 690, Indianapolis, Indiana 46206; Telephone 317- Advertising....................Judy Shoemaker 972-6900; fax 317.822.5700. Graphic Designer...........Kim A. Vogel SUBSCRIPTION PRICE Online Editor .................Chris Boone One-year subscription is $24.95. Canada add $3.75 per year surface post age. All other foreign subscribers, please contact the NFHS office for shipping rates. Back issues are PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE $3.00 plus actual postage. Superintendent..............Darrell Floyd, TX Manuscripts, illustrations and photo graphs may be sub- School Boards ...............Bill Boyle, UT mitted by mail or e-mail to Bruce Howard, editor, PO Box 690, Indianapolis, IN 46206, <[email protected]>. They State Associations..........Treva Dayton, TX will be carefully considered by the High School Today Pub- Media Director ..............Robert Zayas, NM lica tions Committee, but the publisher cannot be respon- sible for loss or damage. Athletic Trainer ..............Brian Robinson, IL Fine Arts........................Steffen Parker, VT Reproduction of material published in High School Today is prohibited with out written permission of the NFHS ex- You can read all articles – and more not published in Athletic Director ............David Hoch, MD ecutive director. Views of the authors do not always reflect Coach ...........................Don Showalter, IA the opinion or policies of the NFHS. this issue – online at www.nfhs.org/hstoday. Legal Counsel................Lee Green, KS Copyright 2009 by the