Announcements

USATF Coaching Education News & Notes

March 4, 2025

The USATF national office and USATF Coaching Education Executive Committee are excited to provide USATF members will the following updates:

Level 1 Late Recertification Period Now In Effec

• Members with a Level 1 certificate that expired on December 31, 2024, still have time to recertify. Through June 2, 2025 members may complete the Level 1 Recertification by having a current USATF membership, current SafeSport Training, completing an eligible USATF continuing education course, and submitting the recertification application.  USATF Level 2 and 3 coaches are exempt from Level 1 Recertification and no action is necessary. Full recertification protocols for all USATF Coaching Education Programs are available here.

Coaching Race Walking Among the New Titles and Updates to USATF CampuS

• Dr. Christine Brooks, the USATF Coaching Science Instructor, and Ian Whatley, a Team USA athlete and coach specializing in race-walking, collaborated to create Coaching Race Walking, a new self-paced course now available on USATF Campus. The course offers essential knowledge for coaches aiming to help athletes progress from novice to early-stage advanced race walkers. The course also covers the topic of power walking, which is particularly popular among athletes in the masters age groups. The course includes lessons on walking techniques, race walking teaching progressions, technique correction steps, and fundamentals of race preparation. Check out Coaching Race Walking and other new titles in “Coaching Schools” of your USATF Connect profile.

Coaching Enhancement Grants AvailablE

• The USATF Emerging Female grant and USATF National Championship Mentorship grant applications are now open.
• The USATF Emerging Female Grant offers women track and field coaches the opportunity to enhance their knowledge by attending a qualifying USATF Coaching Education Program. Applications are reviewed monthly.
• Eligible Programs:
  • USATF Level 1, 2, or 3 Program
  • USATF Marathon or Cross Country Specialist Course
  • USATF Instructor Training Program
  • USATF Emerging Elite Coaches Camp
• The USATF National Mentorship Grant offers the unique opportunity for emerging elite coaches. Up to eight grants will be awarded for a behind the scenes experience at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, OR. Each recipient will receive a registered coach credential, along with travel assistance, and access to shadow an assigned elite coach. Applications close May 31, 2025, at 11:59pm (ET)

Support Critical Coach Skill Development with the Free Connection Based Coaching CoursE

• USA Track & Field (USATF) joined the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in their NGB Connection Based Coaching Challenge as a part of the Million Coaches Challenge, an initiative led by the Susan Crown Exchange to train one million coaches in youth development techniques by 2025.  To support the goals of the Million Coaches Challenge, the USOPC created a free, self-paced online course called Connection Based Coaching, which focuses on teaching social and emotional learning skills. The USOPC aims to train at least 40,000 coaches by 2025 using this curriculum, which consists of three 30-minute modules. As part of this initiative, USATF and other National Governing Bodies (NGBs) are participating in the Connection Based Coaching Challenge to help the USOPC reach their 40,000-coach goal with up to $15,000 in funding to be awarded to an NGB with the most coaches trained. USATF invites members, fans, coaches, and supporters to join the movement to ensure kids across the country have access to coaches who are well versed in youth development techniques to help kids succeed in and out of competition. Those interested in supporting USATF in the Connection Based Coaching Challenge can sign up for a free series of three 30-minute trainings on the USOPC Mobile Coach Platform by registering under track and field when selecting their NGB of choice.

Watch the Calendar of Schools for additional updates coming soon on 2025 programming, including the next USATF Level 2 School, USATF Level 3 School, Cross Country Specialist, Marathon Specialist, and Emerging Elite Coaches Camp.