Thirteen ACC coaches recently completed the first cohort of Coaching the Whole Athlete Academy, an eight-week virtual and immersive development program established by the league office that equips coaches with information, tools, and skills of a humanistic approach to better support the needs of the student-athlete.
Coaches across a variety of sports ¬– basketball, fencing, gymnastics, lacrosse, rowing, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field – and experience levels gathered on a weekly basis this fall to examine ways to evolve practices and relationships with student-athletes to foster a supportive space to thrive and empower them to reach their potential in athletics and in life.
“The response to the ACC Coaches’ Academy has been terrific,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said. “This program provides the chance for coaches of all sports and experience levels to collectively learn, collaborate and share best practices on working with student-athletes. We look forward to continuing this program and encourage all of our coaches to take advantage of this significant opportunity.”
Individuals who completed the ACC coaching academy learned about athlete motivation, emotional intelligence competencies to enhance trust and connection, fostering an athlete-centered environment and the main elements of a transformational leadership approach. Through personal reflection, peer discussion and interactive activities such as role play and case studies, coaches developed an action plan for practical implementation of new strategies within their teams and integrated program concepts to evolve their coaching philosophy.
Coaching the Whole Athlete Academy is led by lead facilitator Brianna Welch, a 2014 Duke graduate who also served as an assistant track & field coach at Vermont for two years.
“Coaching the Whole Athlete is an experience that can only enhance and guide coaches, administrators, and all staff working within athletics,” said Notre Dame associate softball coach Kris Ganeff. “Just because you value your players as people first does not mean you cannot be demanding and competitive. You are able to get more out of your athletes when they know you care. This workshop will stay with me for the rest of my career.”
The winter cohort of the Coaching the Whole Athlete Academy will begin in January.
Coaches who completed the Coaching the Whole Athlete Academy:
- Albert Subirats, Virginia Tech, Swimming/Assistant Coach
- Allison Daley, Louisville, Women’s Lacrosse/Assistant Coach
- Amanda Wellick, Pitt, Gymnastics/Assistant Coach
- Brent Shelby, Pitt, Track & Field/Assistant Coach
- Christophe Duclos, Duke, Fencing/Assistant Coach
- Jessica Bracamonte, Duke, Softball/Assistant Coach
- Justin Andrade, Pitt, Swimming/Associate Head Coach
- Kim Landrus, NC State, Gymnastics/Head Coach
- Kris Ganeff, Notre Dame, Softball/Assistant Coach
- Martin Stone, Notre Dame, Rowing/Head Coach
- Michelle Dasso, Duke, Women’s Tennis/Associate Head Coach
- Samantha Snider, Pitt, Gymnastics/Head Coach
- Stephanie Norman, Louisville, Women’s Basketball/Associate Head Coach
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Chris Graham
