The Coaching Minor

One of the things that attracted me to Mary Baldwin was the new coaching minor.  During one of my first visits here, I had an interview with a couple of professors and while we were talking they asked me about my hobbies.  I told them that I played softball, but also that I helped coach the 10 & under and 13 & under teams in my area.  

The local recreation association where I helped coach when I was in high school always had games on Mother's Day.  One of the teams bought roses to give to all of the players' moms and I was given one because I was the "Team Mama".  Another fun fact--Mother's Day was created by a Mary Baldwin graduate!

With great excitement, one of the professors launched into the spiel that he had heard about the new minor that would launch the following year, my freshmen year at Mary Baldwin.  I knew coming to Mary Baldwin College that I wanted to major in English, but I had never put much thought into minoring in Coaching because I did not even know that it was an option.  With that conversation, I was sold and I couldn’t wait to get into my first coaching class.

One summer I was assisting with the 10 & under All Stars team.  The kids had a long break between games at the tournament and someone had packed temporary tattoos to help keep them busy.  Of course, Coach Amanda got a couple as well.  And yes, I did end up with a suntan line around this.

Even though I had already served as both an assistant coach and head coach for a couple of teams before I came to Mary Baldwin, the coaching minor opened new doors for me.  As part of my coaching minor, I had to do an internship with a team.  I decided to seek out a travel softball team, the Southampton Storm of Courtland, VA, and spent the summer traveling with the 18 & under team, working camps, and interacting with the all of the teams in the organization.  Through the coaching minor, I got some of the education that I need to back up some of the things that I had learned through experience as both a player and a coach.  People who previously viewed me as just a kid who was obsessed with softball saw that the minor was adding credibility and practical sport knowledge to my repertoire of tools and tricks to teach players softball at any level.

Hitting infield!

In my coaching classes, we frequently discussed how much of an impact good coaching can have on players and teams. I am extremely thankful that I had many wonderful coaches who encouraged, supported, and did everything in their power to help our team to win, but most importantly to learn about the game and to improve.  Coaches such as those have inspired me to give back to my community and to continue to teach girls some of the life lessons that softball has taught me.

For anyone who has played a sport and thinks they might want to coach at any level one day, I strongly recommend the coaching minor.  I thought that I was a good coach before I came here, but through the work that I put into my classes, my internship, and building my coaching portfolio I can see the rewards of completing this minor.

For more information about the Coaching & Exercise Leadership minor, please see http://www.mbc.edu/coaching_and_exercise_leadership/.

Requirements and projected course offerings for the coaching minor are as follows:

Requirements for the Minor in Coaching and Exercise Leadership20 semester hours
BIOL 151 – LO1 (N)
CEL 220 Spring 2016
CEL 245 Spring 2015
CHEM 120–LO1 (N) Spring 2015
INT 287
PHE 221 Every May Term
PHE 251 Spring 2016
SGS/WS 245 – LO2 (G)

I couldn't end this post without sharing a picture of me with one of my favorite coaches, my daddy!