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Due to continued COVID-19 considerations, the Tucker Center has made the difficult decision to not hold a Women Coaches Symposium in the Spring of 2021. We offer our apologies.
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 cancel the WCS for 2020.
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.
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.
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 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
Check out event photos for the 2019 WCS on our Facebook page, or through the #WCS2019 hashtag on Twitter.
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 offer a limited number of scholarships for the WCS. To apply please visit this link.
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.
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.
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.
Audra Emerson & Sara Wegmann of CareerPrep and Her Next Play, a nonprofit that empowers female at
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
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
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!
Beth Bass the US Director of Women's Sport Marketing/NCAA for adidas will provide closing remarks for WCS attendees. 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.
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.
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
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:
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.
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!