All News Posts
After careful consideration and consultation, and in keeping with the University of Minnesota’s guidance for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Women Coaches Symposium (WCS) Planning Committee has made the very difficult decision to postpone the WCS for this spring. We are looking at dates in the Fall to hold the event and will communicate with you as updates unfold.
We want to be proactive in planning for the 2020 Women Coaches Symposium related to the COVID-19 outbreak. We must acknowledge the uncertainty this virus is inserting into planning for April. We are considering how to best support all attendees who may find their lives disrupted by the effects of the virus.
The University of Minnesota staff members and our WCS planning committee continue to monitor COVID-19 and its impact to community members and colleagues' travel. We will keep you updated as we make decisions effecting the WCS.
We are thrilled Muna Mohamed will be on our Changmakers Panel this year. Recently, the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota ran a story that detailed Muna's achievements.
In the seven years we have hosted the Women Coaches Symposium (WCS) we have encountered many amazing women! We know of many exemplar women coaches at all levels of sport who are committed to "doing it right" and we want to honor them.
We know that some coaches and coaching practices are detrimental to the health of female athletes. Read this story titled, Toxic sport cultures are damaging female athletes’ health, but we can do better.
To address and to educate coaches, at the WCS 2020 we have invited a panel of health professionals from the TRIA Women's Sport Medicine Clinic to discuss many of the issues raised in the above article.
On April 24, 2020 we will come together as a constellation of sport coaches.
Constellations are small patterns within a bigger system.
Constellations are roadmaps for a movement, and show the way by providing points of light to let others know they are not alone.
Support the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, the first and worldwide leading research center of its kind.
Meet Jen Fry, owner and CEO of JenFryTalks and a confirmed speaker at the 2020 WCS. Jen is a former collegiate athlete and coach and is a dynamic speaker and educator.
The BreakThrough Summit is a free, digital leadership summit designed to develop and celebrate women in sports. Tune in to hear from the top women in sports leadership and network virtually with your peers. Many past WCS speakers are featured.
We are thrilled to welcome Miss Val, to the 2020 Women Coaches Symposium!
The 2019 Women Coaches Symposium Report and Evaluation has been repleased.
Meet 8 Women Coaches Who Will Fire You Up in our video shorts produced by tptMN as a result of our full length documentary
Our 2019 WCS Gold Sponsors Sara E. Asatiani, CRPS®, CDFA® and Brent S. Gray, CFP® from Morgan Stanley, are sharing The Playbook: A Woman’s Guide to Life and Money.
Congrats to our first-ever 2019 WCS Coach of the Year Award Winners, sponosored by Jostens.
2019 WCS College Coach of the Year: Gretchen Hunt
WCS 2019 Youth Coach of the Year: Jennifer Weber
Check out event photos for the 2019 WCS on our Facebook page, or through the #WCS2019 hashtag on Twitter.
Click here to see full program, speaker bios, sponsors and more!
Registration for the Women Coaches Symposium is now closed as we finalize preparation details.
If you would like to be placed on the Waiting List, please email Jonathan Sweet at sweet006@umn.edu.
On Episode 13 of The WeCOACH Podcast, Marci Kornegay talks with the trusted voice behind the research of why women coaches matter, Dr. Nicole M.
We are excited to see you all next week for the 6th annual Women Coaches Symposium, Friday April 19, 7-4pm, with the theme "self care for coaches."
We are nearly sold out & registration closes Sunday night.
We invite you to contribute to the 2019 WCS Sports Bra Drive and help increase access to sports by removing a barrier to participation.
We are thrilled to announce Morgan Stanley as a GOLD Sponsor for the 2019 WCS.
NEW this year are Coach of the Year Awards, sponsored by Jostens. In the six years we have hosted the WCS we have encountered amazing women!
Last February, the Government of Canada announced they would dedicate $30 million towards achieving gender equity in sport - an unprecedented investment in the futures of women and girls across the country.
We offer a limited number of scholarships for the WCS. To apply please visit this link.
For the second year our Philanthropic Partner for the Women Coaches Symposium is The Sports Bra Project!
WeCOACH is a co-host of the annual WCS. WeCOACH is the premier membership organization dedicated to the recruitment, advancement, and retention of women coaches of all sports and levels.
In line with our theme "self care for coaches" we are offering an optional yoga practice during registration! All levels of yogis welcome and no special clothing required. Yoga will be lead by Dr.
Self care for coaches is our theme for WCS 2019. Self care involves many aspects including social support. Check out Girls’ Night In, the popular self-care newsletter.
Dr. Alison Doherty is a Professor with the Sport Management program in the School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada.
National Girls & Women in Sports Day is marked annually with events around the country and on Capitol Hill to commemorate the achievements of girls and women in athletics. In addition,
Is your organization interested in becoming a sponsor of the Women Coaches Symposium?
Check out MPR's Call to Mind.
MENTAL WELLBEING IS FOR EVERYONE (including coaches!!!)
All of us experience various levels of mental wellbeing at different points in our life. Half of us will personally experience at least one mental health condition in our lifetime. And yet misconception and discrimination still exist, causing people to feel shame, suffer in silence and either not seek or be able to access treatment.
Tucker Center Director LaVoi and The Tucker Team, Anna Baeth, Courtney Boucher, Mikinzee Salo & McKenzie Arbeiter, will deliver an afternoon WCS session "You are Not Alone, POWER UP!: How to use the Latest Data About and for Women Coaches." This se
Coach Johnson Patterson is a two-time Minnesota State High School League Hall of Fame basketball coach and will bring a wealth of knowledge to the WCS on our "Navigating Career Changes" panel.
While there has been an explosion of women participating in athletics since Title IX, only about 40% of them are coached by women.
Lynn Comer Kachmarik, Founder and CEO of True Brand Sports LLC, brings her year sof experience as an athletic administrator, former coach and Hall of Fame water polo athlete to the WCS.
Audra Emerson & Sara Wegmann of CareerPrep and Her Next Play, a nonprofit that empowers female at
Our latest speaker addition, Rev. Dr. Wetzsteon, will add to the "taking care of coaches" by addressing the spiritual component of coach wellbeing, an often overlooked component.
Kathy Flamino, LGSW, MSW, E-RYT-200, is the founder of 1000 Petals LLC, a training and consulting company on the science and practice of mindfulness, movement and social/emotional learning.
We are putting together another great program for the 2019 Women Coaches Symposium around the theme of "self-care for coaches." Currently the mental health and well being of athletes is an important and hot topic in coaching circles.
Don't miss out on our Early Bird rate which is open until Feburary 1, 2019.
New speakers being added weekly.
Hope to see you April 19th.
Check out our promotional video that shows what the Women Coaches Symposium is all about. Networking. Professional Development. Community Building. FUN!
We are putting together a great program for the 2019 Women Coaches Symposium around the theme of "self care for coaches." Coaches take care of their athletes, but who is taking care of coaches? Holistic health and wellbeing of coaches will be addressed in multiple ways with a variety of fantastic speakers!
Confirmed speaker list below as of 12.17.18 (check back for updates!)
The Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport with tptMN has produced, Game ON: Women Can Coach, a documentary that explores research, dispels false narratives, celebrates female coaching pioneer
Watch Tucker Center co-director, Dr. Nicole LaVoi's "Changing our Narrative Together" 2018 WCS Keynote.
video by Colleen Carey, See 47 Productions
Planning is underway for the 6th annual Women Coaches Symposium! Friday, April 19, 2019
Mark your calendars for next year's Women Coaches Symposium, which is scheduled for April 19, 2019. Check back for updates on sessions and speakers! We'll see you in 2019!
Each year we send out a post WCS survey to get feedback. To read this year's report see below.
Report and Evaluation: 2018 Women Coaches Symposium
Organized by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota,
in partnership with Gopher Athletics & The Alliance of Women Coaches
Friday, April 20, 2018
TCF Bank Stadium, DQ Club Room, University of Minnesota
WCS 2018 photos are up on our Facebook page! See if you can find any familiar faces.
Thank you to the 350+ women coaches and a few male ally attendees, vendors, and sponsors who helped make the WCS another success.
The good news is WCS is sold out and registration is closed.
We will taking limited walk-up registants the day of the WCS.
It is going to be a great day!
Each year at the conclusion of the WCS we hold a raffle. You must be present to win! Each attendee gets one raffle ticket with registration.
Beth Bass the US Director of Women's Sport Marketing/NCAA for adidas will provide closing remarks for WCS att
endees. Bass brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and insight pertaining to women's sport to the WCS.
History in the Making: Championship Women Hockey Coaches
During the 2018 Minnesota State Girls' High School Hockey Tournament history was made. Three of the four head coaches in the Class A and AA finals were women! Both championship teams, Breck and Edina, were coached by women. Given that less than 25% of college hockey teams are coached by women, these accomplishments are historic. In this panel, these women and their athletes will talk about what this means to them and the game.
Encourage your own group, staff or team to sponsor a sports bra drive in advance of the Women Coaches Symposium!
A limited amount of custom swag will be available for sale on site! [cash or check]
We are excited to announce our SPARK PRESENTER line up for the 2018 WCS.
Tucker Center Co-Director Dr.Nicole M LaVoi will close out the WCS with a keynote focused on Changing the Narratives for and about Women Coaches, a subject she feels passionate about and has focused her work on in 2018. You can read Dr. LaVoi's five-part blog series on this important topic here.
In her 33 years as head coach of the Princeton women’s swim team, Susan Teeter established herself as one of the most decorated swim coaches in the country.
Our Media Partner for 2018 is See47 Productions, owned and operated by Colleen Carey! Colleen has over 20 years of experience coaching club, high school, college and ODP soccer.
Our Programmatic Partner for 2018 is Twin Cities Soccer Leagues(TCSL). TCSL aims to provide the highest quality soccer league experience in Minnesota, offering competitive soccer for all levels of play.
Early Bird Registration for the 2018 WCS ends Feb 15!
We have individual, group, administrator, and a new VIP registration options.
The Tucker Center, in collaboration with the Alliance of Women Coaches, is proud to announce the release of the 2017-18 Head Coaches of Women’s Collegiate Teams: A Report on Seven Select NCAA Division-I Conferences [AAC, ACC, Big Ea
Molly Grisham has 20 years experience coaching club, high school, and college soccer coach.She now owns Influence LLC where she works with teams a
Gopher Women's Swimming and Diving Coach Terry Ganley to introduce the Jean K. Freeman Keynote speaker and fellow swim coach colleague Susan Teeter. Two of the best women coaches in the biz!
We are pleased to announce two important developments for the 2018 WCS.
We are excited to announce and welcome Dr. Missy Price to the speaker line-up for the 2018 WCS! Dr. Price brings valuable experience and knowledge to share with attendees.
Meet Sarah Dwyer-Shick, Founder of the Sports Bra Project our chosen philanthropic partner for the 2018 WCS!
We have added a group registration option for this year's coaching symposium!
If you are registering a group, please note that you will need to supply the following variables for EACH participant in order to complete the registration process:
Dr. Kamphoff is recognized nationally for her work and contributions to the field of performance psychology. As a leader, high performance coach, author, professor, and speaker, Dr. Kamphoff brings passion, energy, and authenticity to her work with athletes, performers, business people.
To celebrate a new year and to invest in yourself, register now! Early Bird Registration for the 5th annual Women Coaches Symposium is now open!
The program for the 2018 WCS is nearly complete!
We have a line-up of networking, experts, engaging discussions, and a new, exciting, dynamic, element where coaches (you!) will SPARK = Speak.Personally.About.Relevant.Knowledge. To submit your SPARK contact Anna baeth003@umn.edu for more information or read about the SPARK post in the "About Us>News" tab.
Registration opens January 1.
You can see more details about the WCS under the "Program" tab including our speaker biographies.
For the 2018 WCS we have added a new, exciting, dynamic, and engaging programmatic element: SPARKS!
Coaches can learn a great deal from each other and we encourage YOU to participate!!!
Student-athlete mental health is a common issue all coaches deal with, often with very little training or knowledge on the subject. Coaches have a role in supporing athlete mental health and Emily O'Hara will provide practical strategies and best-practices to help this process.
Emily O'Hara, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and Care Manager in the Office for Student Affairs at the University of Minnesota, has been added to the WCS line-up! She will give a breakout session titled: Supporting Student-Athletes in Distress: We All Have A Role.
To help promote the Women Coaches Symposium to the women coaches in your department, school, club or community, please download the flyer. We hope to see you April 20th!
According to a recent article in Forbes magazine, "The act of professional negotiation has a completely different definition for men than for women. For women, negotiation is seen as an improper act of appearing “greedy” or desperate.
Our Philanthropic Partner for 2018 Women Coaches Symposium (WCS) is The Sports Bra Project! Lack of access (whether it be due to logistical, cultural or financial factors) to a sports bra can be a barrier to sport par
This year's Jean K. Freeman Keynote speaker is fittingly Susan Teeter, former (and now retired) Princeton University Women's Swim Coach. In her 33 years as head coach of the Princeton women’s swim team, Teeter established herself as one of the most decorated swim coaches in the country, guiding her program to 17 Ivy League Titles and earning numerous accolades including the College Swim Coaches Association's “Lifetime Achievement Award”.
For the 5th annual Women Coaches Symposium (WCS) we've launched this new website!
