As we prepare for another spring season of youth ultimate, a growing menu of “professional development” opportunities have arisen. First — a new, potentially annual, coaches conference is being offered in February by RiseUp in south Seattle (WA). Then in March the third annual Youth Ultimate Coaching Conference will take place in San Jose (CA). If you can’t make these in person, both will offer video content from the speakers after the event: RiseUp for a small fee; YUCC for free courtesy of Bay Area Disc and all the YUCC partners (see Skyd Magazine for archived YUCC talks from 2014 and 2015).
The first (annual?) RiseUp Seattle Coaches Conference will happen on Saturday February 13, 2016, from 11-6 at the Rainier Beach Community Center (in south Seattle). The cost is $100 and registration is prioritized for female coaches and coaches of females and/or disadvantaged Seattle communities. While the web site speaker list and topics suggest the content may be most useful to higher-level coaches (e.g. high school and above), the conference Program Director Mario O’Brien assured me that it would also be “valuable for coaches who work with the youngest spectrum of youth” (elementary and middle school coaches and teachers). He pointed out that it would be a great networking opportunity for any coach — which I believe after reviewing this impressive speaker list:
- Heather Ann Brauer (YCC coach, GUM chair)
- Age Up (Seattle Youth)
- Ren Caldwell (Ren Fitness) – 3 Strategies to Promote a Team Culture of Better Health and Performance
- Melissa Witmer (Ultimate Results, Ultimate Athlete Project)
- Frank Nam (Franklin HS, South Korea National Team)
- Dr. Ben Wiggins (Sockeye, Riot, RISE UP)
- Mario O’Brien (RISE UP, Sockeye, Cascades, University Prep)
- Other Seattle coaches
The 3rd annual Youth Ultimate Coaching Conference will follow the theme of “”Gender Equity and Girls Ultimate” and is scheduled for Saturday March 5, 2016, from 8:30-5, at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, CA. The cost is $65 before Feb 29 and $95 thereafter. The keynote talk will be by Marlene Bjornsrud, Executive Director of Alliance for Women’s Coaches. The conference looks like it will be very valuable for coaches at all levels of youth ultimate — primarily because the program portends a broad contemplation of girls and youth sports:
The 2016 exciting program includes:
– USA Ultimate unveiling the latest on Gender Equity and GUM curriculum
– A panel featuring non-Ultimate organizations working with girls
– Qxhna Titcomb reporting on her successful All-Star Ultimate Tour
8:30-9 | Registration
9-9:45 | Keynote
10-11 | USA Ultimate Gender Equity Guidelines
11-12 | Panel: Non-Ultimate Girls Organizations
12-1 | USA Ultimate GUM curriculum
1-2 | Lunch Break and Networking
2-3 | All-Star Ultimate Tour
3-4| Panel: Girls Programs and Play opportunity
4-5 | Panel: How to Grow
5:00 | Closing
As of Jan 28, round-trip tickets to San Jose from Seattle look to be about $200-250 ($220 same day flight, or $170 Fri pm – Sat pm RT + hotel)…