Friday, May 23, 2008

CSCCa Conference Review

This first weekend of May always marks the annual CSCCa (Collegiate Strength Coaches Association) conference. This year we moved the convention from Salt Lake City, Chuck Stiggins you are a rock star, to Nashville. It was a great weekend! Don Decker did a great job picking out speakers, and our certification process went great...for MSU.

Calli Williams won the John Stucky Award. This award is given out to the most outstanding candidate who went through the certification process. I had the wonderful pleasure of working with her this year. She's an amazing coach, but more importantly an amazing person!

Going to the conference is more than just going to see the presentations and having a few with the buddies...its about TALKING to coaches. This is where my best learning takes place. This year I talked to Bill Gillespie (Liberty) about benching 9 x's a week! Let me just say this, Bill is one of the most genuine men I've ever met and anybody would be lucky to have their son or daughter trained by him. Hey, this guy can teach you how to kiss a girl and bench at the same time! (inside joke) I talked to Ryan Feek (Illinois Weslyn) about shoulder stabilization and injury prevention. Let me tell you...this guy is smart, real smart. He's what I consider to be the new wave in strength and conditioning: part PT, part Sports Performance Coach.

Other highlights: Listening to the speed guru of all-time JEFF HOWSER. I'm kind of glad everyone doesn't know of this guy...b/c he's the real deal and I just steal everything from him...just kidding.

So word to the wise...next time you go to a conference, go hear the speakers BUT sit down for a few hours and get uncomfortable with some people that stretch you. That's the only way you grow.

Last thing...really. Performing hamstring curls and training the posterior deltoids won't make you fast :)