U.S. Olympic Committee, NCAA Host 2009 Women in Coaching Conference

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will welcome top coaching professionals to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., Jan. 15-17 to participate in the 7th Annual Women in Coaching Conference. The conference will feature keynote speakers including University of Texas track & field coach Beverly Kearney and former UCLA softball coach Sue Enquist.

The Women in Coaching Conference is held each year to encourage females seeking careers in the field of sports and to provide career development to those already coaching. The three-day conference brings together talented individuals from around the country to share career experiences and expertise in their fields. Seminars will focus on teaching the importance of leadership, balancing work and family, and the communication and values of successful coaching.

"The USOC and the NCAA share a common goal in increasing the number of women in coaching," USOC Manager of Coaching and Performance Services Cathy Sellers said. "The objective of this conference is to provide tools for women to get into coaching and make it a lifelong career. It's a tremendously rewarding industry where people make impactful differences in the lives of others everyday."

U.S. National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and NCAA schools nominated approximately 50 women at the high school, college and professional coaching stages to attend the conference in order to recruit, retain and provide encouragement for female coaches aspiring to teach at a higher level.

Beginning her 16th season as head coach for the Longhorns, Kearney is one of the top female coaches in the U.S. today. She boasts six NCAA Track & Field titles, four National Coach of the Year honors and has produced 10 Olympians under her leadership. Recently, she joined a group of elite coaches in being honored as one of eight inductees into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Enquist, Director of Major Gifts for UCLA, retired as the school's women's softball coach after 10 years as head coach, 27 years as part of UCLA's coaching staff and 30 years of involvement with the program as either a coach or player. She led her team to 11 NCAA softball championships and is a three-time Pac 10 Coach of the Year. She was the first softball inductee into the UCLA Hall of Fame and was one of eight coaches chosen to help lead the U.S. Softball team to a gold medal finish in the 1996 Olympic Games.

Additional presenters include:

• Felicia Hall Allen, practicing attorney and former General Manager for the WNBA's Charlotte Sting.
• Cecile Reynaud, a well-known volleyball educator and a retired coach of the Florida State women's volleyball team.
• Mary Ann Salerno, creative force behind Interchange, a program that teaches people how to understand the human experience of change and developing individual management skills and strategies.
• Bob Seebohar, a former USOC Sport Dietitian. He was one of the first USA Triathlon Certified Level III Elite Coaches.
• Cathy Sellers, Manager of Coaching and Performance Services for the USOC.
• Rose Snyder of Rose Snyder Consulting, formerly with the USOC Coaching Department, U.S. Figure Skating and USA Swimming.
• Randy Wilber, a Senior Sport Physiologist at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

For more information, please contact the USOC Communications Division at (719) 866-4529.