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By the Coach for the Coach: The Ladies Take Over

elit eft s Sunday Edit ion In my current position, I try to serve on as many university committees as I can. As Im writing this, were in the middle of Womens History Month. I serve on this committee and try to create university activities throughout the month. With this going on, my wif e just f inished editing Julia Ladewskis new book. Julia spent eight years as the director of Olympic sport strength and conditioning at the University of Buf f alo. Over the last f ew months, as my wif e was editing Julias book, we talked of ten about being a f emale in this prof ession. Ive had f emale interns but have had a tough time f inding f emales who are interested in strength and conditioning as a career. So I decided to let the f emales take over this months article. I contacted a good f riend of mine, Caylee Williams of Oklahoma State University, and asked her to interview some f emale f riends in the prof ession about their positions. Without f urther adieu, I hope you enjoy these. ***

Melissa Moore
Our f irst interview is with Melissa Moore, who is currently the associate head strength and conditioning coach at Louisiana State University (LSU). T H/CW: Tell me about your journey in the f ield of strength and conditioning. How did you get your f oot in the door (i.e. internship/volunteer position, graduate assistant position, f irst f ull-time position)? MM: One of my college prof essors saw the potential in me and urged me to intern my senior year at Southern Mississippi (2000). My internship eventually led to a graduate assistantship position at my alma mater. I was of f ered my f irst f ull-time job by a f ormer Southern Mississippi graduate assistant (Keith Caton) at Elon University in North Carolina. Early in my career, I attended conf erences and visited other strength coaches to learn f rom them, including Tommy Mof f itt and Gayle Hatch. T hrough these contacts, I was recommended to Eric Ciano at Georgia Tech. I spent two years at Georgia Tech working with sof tball and womens tennis. In the summer of 2006, I was hired by Tommy Mof f itt to work with womens basketball and sof tball. T H/CW: Who has inf luenced your training philosophy/career? Who were your mentors? Who did you go to f or advice? MM: Coach Gayle Hatch, head coach of the 2004 USA Olympic Weightlif ting team, has been one of my greatest mentors. I spent more than f ive years training under Hatch to learn his methods. I still visit him on a weekly basis to talk shop. I also spent the f irst f ive years of my career at LSU assisting with f ootball to learn f rom Tommy Mof f itt. In addition, I owe a lot of credit to my f irst f ull-time boss, Keith Caton, who had a background in powerlif ting, and Charlie Dudley, the very f irst head coach I worked f or as a graduate assistant who set an exceptional example f or me in regards to organization and management. T H/CW: Why did you want to become a strength and conditioning coach? Have those reasons/motivations changed over your career or are they still the same?

MM: I simply loved working out and wanted to teach others what I loved to do so that they could f ind greater success. I f ound the collegiate setting to be the most rewarding because I could work with athletes who had enough physical talent to learn complex training methods, but they were still inexperienced enough to see signif icant gains f rom their training. Over the course of my career, Ive gained a greater appreciation f or how the psyche of an athlete is impacted and improved through training the body (i.e. mind over matter). T H/CW: What is one thing you know now that you wish you would have known when you were f irst starting in the f ield? MM: I wish I knew that I really could do things my own way! When youre inexperienced, its hard to believe in your abilities, knowledge, and judgment.

T H/CW: What habits/practices do you f eel have made you successf ul? MM: Physically learning f rom those who I consider to be the best in the f ield has helped me the most. Also reading, watching videos, and researching the internet has helped. When I began my career, the internet was only a f ew years old. Resources were very limited. Now, people can spend all day visually researching strength and conditioning. I think the internet has positively impacted our f ield more than anything else in the past ten years. T H/CW: Please elaborate on your responsibilities/duties in your current position. What teams do you train? What administrative duties do you have? MM: Im an associate head strength and conditioning coach. I oversee the daily operations of one of LSUs three weight rooms. Im the head strength coach f or womens basketball and sof tball. I have one graduate assistant who assists me with my sports and is the head strength coach f or mens and womens tennis. I also have an internship program and maintain two to three interns per semester. T H/CW: Please describe the philosophy behind your training methods.

MM: I have a multi-f aceted approach to training athletes. In regards to strength training, I have incorporated methods f rom Olympic weightlif ting, powerlif ting, Strongman, and f unctional training. In regards to speed/agility/conditioning, Ive learned and borrowed a lot f rom my sport coaches as well as f rom track coaches. Bef ore the days of strength coaches, it was our sport coaches who did most of the conditioning f or their teams. Strength coaches used to pretty much stay in the weight room. I have f ound that sport coaches have some good ideas and good drills to pass along and theyve inspired me to come up with ideas of my own. Track coaches have been a tremendous resource to me in regards to speed development. T H/CW: What is your opinion on coaches continuing to train as they continue in our f ield? MM: I think its important f or any able-bodied coach to be able to demonstrate what she wants her athletes to do. While time takes its toll on all of us and most of us have experienced signif icant setbacks due to injury at some point in our careers, its important that we set a reasonable example f or our athletes. T H/CW: In what direction do you see our f ield heading? MM: I see our f ield becoming more and more sport-specif ic and specialized. As strength and conditioning departments expand, coaches are training f ewer sports and getting less diversif ied experience. More f requently, sport coaches are being allowed to hire their own strength coach, typically someone who has spent the bulk of his or her career working with that particular sport. Even in the private sector, there are coaches who specialize only in speed work or just in agility/quickness. T H/CW: How do you evaluate and continue to educate yourself and others you work with? MM: I evaluate interns and graduate assistants verbally on a regular basis and on paper once a semester. I have educational assignments and tests f or interns and graduate assistants to complete, but I think the best way to learn is hands on, so I give my staf f as much responsibility as they can handle and I f requently put them in leadership positions. I also have my staf f members meet and learn f rom my mentor, Gayle Hatch.

T H/CW: What do you look f or in prospective interns/volunteers/graduate assistants? MM: A strong work ethic and a good attitude are f ar more important to me than knowledge, experience, or physical ability. I like to surround myself with others who have qualities, abilities, and experiences dif f erent f rom mine. T H/CW: What do you enjoy most about your career? MM: I enjoy impacting the lives of others, helping people f ind success, conf idence, and maturity. I also enjoy winning! T H/CW: How do you manage a work/lif e balance?

MM: I have lots of interests outside of sports and strength and conditioning. Right now, Im learning to play the accordion. Ha! I think its important to have f un in my f ree time. Also, its important to me to take care of my health with good nutrition. T H/CW: What is the best piece of prof essional advice that youve ever receivedand used or implemented? MM: I remember an older colleague of mine telling me you can do anything however you want to, meaning come up with your own ideas f or your own reasons instead of copying others. T his advice was simple, but it made me realize that there wasnt just one way to do anything. ***

Jami Clinton
Next up is Jami Clinton, who is currently the coordinator of Olympic sports at the University of Mississippi. T H/CW: Tell me about your journey in the f ield of strength and conditioning. How did you get your f oot in the door (i.e. internship/volunteer position, graduate assistant position, f irst f ull-time position)? JC: I completed my bachelors degree in kinesiology in 1997 at Dallas Baptist University (DBU) in Dallas, Texas. I was a f our-year letter winner f or the Lady Patriot volleyball team. I then went to Texas Christian University (T CU) as an entry level assistant where I also started work on my masters degree. I trained volleyball, womens basketball, swimming, tennis, and golf . I then headed to Alabama and worked as a graduate assistant where I completed my masters degree in human perf ormance. At Alabama, I worked with sof tball, volleyball, swimming/diving, tennis, and golf . Ive been at the University of Mississippi f or the past eight years. My current position is coordinator of Olympic sports, and I directly train womens golf , sof tball, and volleyball. T H/CW: Who has inf luenced your training philosophy/career? Who were your mentors? Who did you go to f or advice? JC: Ben Pollard (Georgia State), Raychelle Ellsworth (Texas A&M), Terry Jones (Alabama), Matt Parker (T CU), and Kent Johnston (West Florida) were my biggest inf luences. T H/CW: Why did you want to become a strength and conditioning coach? Have those reasons/motivations changed over your career or are they still the same? JC: I played volleyball at DBU and never had an athletic trainer or strength coach, so initially I got involved to learn more. Im an admitted nerd who loves research and wants to know why. I got involved with the athletes and the weight room af ter my time as an athlete and a light bulb went of f . I knew that this was what I wanted to do. It was a spark. I still have that same spark f or helping athletes that I did when I f irst started. T H/CW: What is one thing you know now that you wish you would have known when you were f irst starting in the f ield? JC: I still dont know this, but I f eel it would have helped when I f irst started to know where the f ield is headed. I think Ive known a f ew timesmaybe the f ield is going scientif ic or maybe its going more specialized. But thats something that def initely wouldve help, f or me to understand where our prof ession is headed.

T H/CW: What habits/practices do you f eel have made you successf ul? JC: Listen f irst! Always put athletes f irst. Watch other greats in the f ield. T H/CW: Please elaborate on your responsibilities/duties in your current position. What teams do you train? What administrative duties do you have? JC: Ive been at Ole Miss f or the past eight years. My current position is coordinator of Olympic sports, and I directly train womens golf , sof tball, and volleyball. Im directly responsible f or all hires and f ires on the Olympic side of strength and conditioning. Im completely separate f rom f ootball. T H/CW: Please describe the philosophy behind your training methods. JC: Study the sport f irst. Study the movement patterns of that sport second. Make athletes ef f icient at the movements in their sport. T H/CW: What is your opinion on coaches continuing to train as they continue in our f ield? JC: Its so important because most of us were all athletes at some point in our careers/development. Were all competitive, and you must know what lights your f ire in order to keep that edge. Its very important f or a young coach. You must know what an exercise f eels like in order to implement it. You must know what it means to max out on a squat, perf orm a f ull snatch, or run a 300-yard shuttle. T H/CW: What direction do you see our f ield heading? JC: I think our prof ession will be a combination of sports science and specialized sports perf ormance. T H/CW: How do you evaluate and continue to educate yourself and others you work with? JC: I send assistant coaches to conf erences and clinics. T hey must report back to the staf f what they learned and then teach that to the staf f . I also keep up on current research and read a lot (elitef ts, NSCA Journal ). Im currently reading The Talent Code.

T H/CW: What do you look f or in prospective interns/volunteers/graduate assistants? JC: I dont want to hire people with the same philosophy as me or my staf f . I want to have a well-diversif ied staf f with dif f erent backgrounds so that they can learn f rom each other, try new things, and challenge their way of thinking.

T H/CW: What do you enjoy most about your career? JC: Helping athletes and having that spark that I f irst had thirteen years ago when I was starting out. T H/CW: How do you manage a work/lif e balance? JC: I love to travel and take trips/adventures. Im invested in church and f amily, and I must have positive/supportive relationships outside of work. T H/CW: What is the best piece of prof essional advice youve ever receivedand used or implemented? JC: T he best advice I ever received was f rom Ben Pollard when I was an assistant at Alabama. He told me: Remember, when you start with a team, you can always get easier. Its dif f icult and virtually impossible to start easy and get harder. Set your expectations high, and if they dont reach those expectations quite yet, theyll still achieve greatness. I also think that the generation of athletes were working with really desires f or us to speak the truth into their lives whether they actually admit to that or not. T hey need someone who says, Yes, you can be an allstar, and yes, you can be the greatest, but you have to work hard to get there. ***

Anne Tamporello
Finally, we have Anne Tamporello, who is the director of Olympic sports at Baylor University. T H/CW: Tell me about your journey in the f ield of strength and conditioning. How did you get your f oot in the door (i.e. internship/volunteer position, graduate assistant position, f irst f ull-time position)? AT: I was a soccer player at Texas A&M during the f all as a senior. I was of f ered a student position in the spring and then promoted to a graduate assistant or assistant coach af ter graduation. I was there f or three years and was responsible f or womens tennis and archery and I assisted with f ootball. T H/CW: Who has inf luenced your training philosophy/career? Who were your mentors? Who did you go to f or advice?

AT: Raychelle Ellsworth and Mike Clark (Chicago Bears), Pat Ivey (Missouri), Larry Jackson (Houston), Adam Davis (Tulsa), Erik Korem (Kentucky), Kaz Kazadi (Baylor), and Chad Dennis (Texas Tech) have been my biggest inf luences. T H/CW: Why did you want to become a strength and conditioning coach? Have those reasons/motivations changed over your career or are they still the same? AT: Originally, I had a string of injuries and wanted to make things better. I f ell in love with that. I also wanted to help people become better and bigger and be more productive men and women. I had more of a lif e preparation mindset. T H/CW: What is one thing you know now that you wish you would have known when you were f irst starting in the f ield? AT: T hat I dont know everything. Just because you have assumptions and conversations doesnt mean that you have knowledge. Trial and error and addition of adjustments equals knowledge and practical adjustment. T H/CW: What habits/practices do you f eel have made you successf ul? AT: I think personal f itness. I continue to lif t and train. Also, I think creating and maintaining relationships with trainers, administrators, other sport coaches outside of the sport, human resources, f acilities people, and anyone who has inf luence over a student-athlete. Its also benef icial to have good relationships with local businesses of inf luence like the barber shop. I try to be proactive in developing those relationships, and I also aim to have balance and be a well-rounded person.

T H/CW: Please elaborate on your responsibilities/duties in your current position. What teams do you train? What administrative duties do you have? AT: I work with sof tball and assist with f ootball. Im the administrative director of Olympic sports. I know all the inf ormation about our nineteen teams, and I take care of them. I do whatever needs to be done so that Coach Kazadi can do his job.

T H/CW: Please describe the philosophy behind your training methods. AT: Eat breakf ast. Run f ast and of ten. Squat heavy with great technique and range of motion (chest up, butt back, knees out). Use a smart recovery protocol and do f ull range of motion pull-ups. T H/CW: What is your opinion on coaches continuing to train as they continue in our f ield? AT: Its a must. It helps you keep your edge. Lif t and run and continue to be good at what got you there. T H/CW: What direction do you see our f ield heading? AT: I think well see the hiring of staf f who have a more integrative/comprehensive approach such as nutritionists, movement analysts (beyond FMS), chiropractors, physical therapists, and sport psychologists. What can you do that isnt just under the bar?! T H/CW: How do you evaluate and continue to educate yourself and others you work with? AT: Remember that you dont know anything. You must do regular staf f meetings, lif ts (twice a week), and prof essional development. Understand your staf f and what makes them tick. T H/CW: What do you look f or in prospective interns/volunteers/graduate assistants? AT: I look f or energy, youth, and ideas. Bring ideas nonstop. Its your job to say no! Eventually the no might become a yes if you ask enough.

T H/CW: What do you enjoy most about your career? AT: I enjoy all of it. Our bad days are better than most peoples good days. T H/CW: How do you manage work/lif e balance? AT: Work hard and play hard. You must have hobbies outside of the prof ession like gardening, hunting, or wine. You have to do something that gets your shine back. All hobbies must come together outside of work. T H/CW: What is the best piece of prof essional advice youve ever receivedand used or implemented? AT: Youre always interviewing. You need to do a great job with your current job and be f lexible. Be positive, and be aware of your social setting. T hanks, ladies! One thing that really stood out to me as I read these over is that each of these women spoke about their mentors. T his is an area where, in my opinion, we dont think nearly enough about in our prof ession. We must have people who we trust and who we can ask f or advice or opinions.

A good f riend of mine came to speak to a group of my student-athletes this week. T his gentlemen is an assistant athletic director at the University of Pittsburgh and f our years younger than me. When he was speaking, I was thinking about how mentors can be f riends and they can be younger than you. We must all set our egos aside and learn f rom everyone.

Related Articles:
Being a Woman is Not a Disability By the Coach for the Coach: Be a Better Coach How to Land a Graduate Assistant Strength Coach Position

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