Photo courtesy of Prosoft Engineering, http://www.prosofteng.com/blog/drive-genius-3-how-to-guides/

Last week Dr. Amy Giddings (the founder of this blog and one of my professors of Sport Management at Drexel) and I filled in for another professor in the department and it was a great experience! The undergraduate class was in Leadership and the week’s discussion was on gender issues. Dr. Giddings taught the first section while I taught the second, so we both discussed this blog! As part of the lecture, we asked the students for some feedback on our website, and one piece of advice that really stood out to me was: you guys are doing a great job at inspiring women to become coaches…but what about telling them how to become coaches? Well, here is how I did it, and you can, too!

1) Follow your passion. I was a math major in college and then went on to work at various consulting firms, crunching numbers in Excel at all hours of the day and putting together PowerPoint presentations. While this path followed my skills, it certainly wasn’t the road to my passion for running, being outside, and engaging with and helping others. Coaching, on the other hand, certainly fulfills these desires.

2) Update your resume. By the time I was 27 (which was the time I started looking for a coaching job), my resume was full of phrases like “Trusted advisor on employer health and welfare programs” and “Assisted biotech and pharmaceutical companies in defining, creating, and executing commercial development strategies.” These have nothing to do with coaching cross country or track, right? So I revamped my resume to bring in as much as I could about my experience as a runner, running camp counselor, team captain, student athletic trainer…anything I could to show my experience and potential skills to become a coach.

3) Contact potential employers and be enthusiastic! I e-mailed approximately 80 colleges and universities in the Philadelphia area, high schools, and neighborhood track clubs asking for assistant coaching positions, paid or volunteer! I heard back from many head coaches who, even though they didn’t have a need for a coach at the time, were impressed with my passion and enthusiasm and said they would hold onto my resume (and I have actually received e-mails from them throughout the past couple of years asking if I am still available)! I was lucky enough to hear a response from Bryn Mawr College and have been working there as the Cross Country and Track & Field assistant ever since. It has been an unbelievably great fit for me, and while I was hired due to the timing of the team’s needs (the new head coach was looking for a new assistant), I also know that my background in the sport and passion for wanting to become a coach had something to do with it as well

4) Create a network. Join every LinkedIn group you can that has something to do with your sport, the coaches and administrators in it, and the skills behind it. “Like” the same organizations on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. Go to clinics and conventions and meet people (I even had my own business cards made up for this purpose). E-mail these contacts every few months, even if just to say hello.

Good luck! Hopefully you will realize that nowhere in this post did I mention becoming certified or going to school before becoming a coach. While I have done both since becoming a coach (I am USATF Level I certified and finishing my master’s in Sport Management at Drexel), I did not have these qualifications when I first started looking for a job. I am a firm believer, therefore, that if you follow your passion with perseverance, your career path will become much more accessible and opportunities will evolve that you never before imagined.

In my third post of this blog over a year ago on October 18, 2011, I wrote about Work/Life balance, questioning and fearing my own career path as a coach and aspiring mom. About one year later, on October 16, 2012, I went from aspiring mom to expecting mom! I am due in June of this year and thought it would be appropriate to revisit my old post to assess how far I’ve come.The timing of this post is also appropriate since today is the last day of my 20s! I will thus be starting a new chapter tomorrow as I turn 30!

While I still question how it’s all going to work, I am not as fearful. I am much more immersed in my position as assistant coach and feel a lot more confident all around. Of course my schedule is challenging and I can’t stop thinking about how everything will change come June, but I am more confident than I was a year ago now that I am actually pregnant. I don’t have a choice, do I? The baby is coming no matter what!

In my post a year ago, I asked women for advice on how they manage their career and home life. While I didn’t receive any responses, I did hear from another source some very good advice that I’d like to share here: Just because you’re having a baby doesn’t mean your entire life has to flip upside down. You will find ways to incorporate your child into your routine.

Hopefully this will be true for me!

Photo courtesy of news.health.com

One of the very first things I learned as a coach was to cater a training plan to a specific athlete. For example, it wouldn’t make sense to use Allyson Felix’s workout regimen for my sprinter athletes. However, while Olympic athletes are more likely to train differently than Division III athletes, there are some specific tools that we can take directly from them.

In the New York Times Well Blog this week, Gina Kolata speaks to several star athletes to ask them what “vaults them from the middle of the pack to the podium.” Read along…I think you’ll find some useful strategies that translate easily to any athlete:

1.”STAY FOCUSED” – Natalie Coughlin (Olympic medalist in swimming) said that she used to daydream while swimming laps at practice. It wasn’t until she changed her thoughts to her technique that she actually saw improvement. Using my sport as an example, I used to get lost in my thoughts a lot while out for a run (and still do!) However, ever since I became a coach, I now think more about my form – where are my arms? how are my feet hitting the ground? are my hips under me? Not only has this helped my running overall, but I also think it has lessened my chances of injury.

2. “MANAGE YOUR ‘ENERGY PIE’” – “Energy pie? All the things that take time and energy — a job, hobbies, family, friends, and of course athletic training.” Steve Spence, a self-coached distance runner who competed in the marathon in the 1992 Olympics and now coaches at Shippensburg University, said “There is only so much room in the pie.” If your athletes are anything like mine, then this one might pose some challenges! I probably spend more of my time coaching athletes on time management than on our sport! However, it is time well spent and pertinent to those who juggle a demanding academic environment, a varsity sport, a job, etc. My mom once told me that “the stick doesn’t burn at both ends.” It is nearly impossible to put 100% effort into everything you want to do. Prioritize and focus on what’s most important.

3. “STRUCTURE YOUR TRAINING” – Meredith Kessler began racing Ironman triathlons at the same time “she was working 60 hours a week at a San Francisco investment bank and trying to spend time with her husband and friends.” While she eventually decided to quit her job to focus on training, some tactics she utilized while still at work included the structuring of her training, namely learning when it was appropriate to train endurance versus speed. Every workout should have a purpose (and one that you can explain to your athletes)!

4. “TAKE RISKS” – Helen Goodroad’s childhood dream was to become an Olympic figure skater. Then she grew to be 5’11″. “One day, when Helen was 17, a coach asked her to try a workout on an ergometer, a rowing machine. She was a natural — her power was phenomenal.” To make a long story short, Helen ended up taking a risk by leaving her figure skating dream behind. In return, she was recruited as a rower at Brown, was invited to train with the junior national team, and won a world championship with the under-23 national team. She spoke about “leaving her comfort zone” which my high school coach used to tell us all of the time and is something I will never forget (he even had a poster with his own depiction of breaking down “walls”).

5. “THE OTHER GUY IS HURTING TOO” -  Brian Sell raced the half marathon at the US championship in 2006. With two miles to go, there were two other runners by his side. His realization was: “Those other guys must be hurting as much as he was, or else they would not be staying with him — they would be pulling away.” So he made up his mind to stay with them no matter what. He won by 15 seconds (and went on to race the Olympic marathon in Beijing in 2008). This strategy works! I am a firm believer that a good chunk of one’s performance comes from the mind and heart, the two parts of one’s body that still fight even after everything else has given up. I can attest to this when I ran my 5K PR (personal record) last year. I had nothing left in my legs, and while it would have been much easier to stay at that pace where I felt comfortable, that’s not how races are won (or PRs are broken). I had to step out of my comfort zone.

Work Cited:

Kolata, G. (2013, January 14). Training Insights from Star Athletes. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/14/training-insights-from-star-athletes/?emc=eta1

Photo courtesy of http://higheredcareercoach.com

I have the pleasure of running into my high school coach every time my team has a meet at Haverford (not to mention my college coach as well!). Even though my high school coach is retired, his love for the sport of track and field, and his passion to interact with young people, are things he will never let go. Therefore, he comes to these meets as the starter, the official guy that shoots the gun at the start of each race. But he is much more than that.

He has left quite a legacy behind, both at Overbrook and Central High Schools. All of his athletes can attribute a personality trait, a strength they have, a career aspiration, etc. to being on his team. As we stood in the infield of the track this past Saturday, he told me that he had recently dug up some old records from the cross country seasons during which he coached me. The season of my sophomore year (his first year as the cross country coach), we won the Philadelphia Public League Championship for the first time in Central’s history. We continued to win the following three years that I was there, under Coach Rosenfeld.

Rose (as we all called him), then told me a story about an end-of-season banquet that he held in Chinatown (I had graduated). One of the “tough South Philly” guys got up and read a speech, nearly in tears, about how Mr. Rosenfeld had impacted his life, and how this night will be one he’ll never forget.

Mr. Rose turned to look at me and said, “You know, it’s not the times or statistics that matter most, but the relationships I have formed over the years and the impact I have had on kids. That’s what coaching is all about.” And I could not agree more.

Photo courtesy of The New York Times

As I read through my daily headlines this afternoon, I came across an article entitled “Sharing the Pain of Women in Medicine” and was inspired to write about it today. The author describes her doctor friend who “got tired of being a woman in medicine.” She, more often than her male counterparts, was asked to work on more holidays, sit in on administrative meetings, and other things that kept her away from advancing in her career. When she raised these concerns to her chairman, “he listened – but never responded to her repeated requests for a raise or more support.”

This sounds awfully familiar…I wrote about similar events in “The Women’s Side of the Glass Wall.”

In 2000, a survey put out by Annals of Internal Medicine found that gender bias was widespread among medical institutions. “More than half of the women professors surveyed reported being discriminated against or sexually harassed,” women faculty made less money, were promoted more slowly, and fared worse in peer-review. A more recent  study that focused on the emotional well-being of its survey takers showed that men were just as likely as women to feel ignored, discriminated against, and unsupported by their institution. As a result of these findings, some institutions have begun to offer mentoring programs aimed to develop leadership skills and to create a collaborative environment of trust. “While it remains to be seen whether these changes will endure, it has become clearer that men, as well as women, stand to benefit from any improvement.” Here’s to hoping!

Work Cited

Chen, P. (2012, November 29). Sharing the Pain of Women in Medicine. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/sharing-the-pain-of-women-in-medicine/?ref=healthupdate&nl=health&emc=edit_hh_20121204

Photo courtesy of http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/

I’d like to take this blog opportunity to express what I am thankful for and to wish our readers a wonderful holiday!

I am thankful to be engaged in a career that I thoroughly enjoy, one that I look forward to every day and find extremely fulfilling.

I am thankful to have a wonderfully supportive husband, parents, and siblings who – from the day I made my huge career change – have been along for the ride, interested in my endeavors, and truly happy for me.

I am thankful for my team, who displays courage and strength everyday, and who makes me feel confident and loved.

I am thankful for my colleagues – especially for the head coach I work with – who not only supports my career aspirations, but who gives me the tools I need to succeed (and constantly tells me that I can get there)!

Now let’s eat! Have a great holiday

Photo courtesy of Simmons Undergraduate College

I’m taking a course in Higher Education and on this week’s discussion board, we were asked to devise a plan to recruit and retain students. One of my classmate’s ideas was to start accepting men at an all-women’s college. She argued that it would create a larger student body, thus attracting more students, which I agree with in theory, but I am not a proponent of this change. While I did not attend an all-women’s college, I now coach at one and have been “selling” the environment in which I believe to recruits.

Bryn Mawr is known for its rigorous academic environment, empowering women to become strong and intelligent individuals. Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister schools and shares a rich history and many traditions that are followed to the tea (some which date back to 1885)! The women at Bryn Mawr are smart, mature, caring, and engaging. In fact, I asked one of them to write me a blurb about why she chose Bryn Mawr…

“For me, one of the biggest benefits is the atmosphere. Placing yourself with other people who want to see you succeed not only as a student but as a woman is empowering. The mindset of the college is one of support and respect of women. The role models you have are strong, confident women who are paving the way for you to succeed. This is something that I feel is unique to a women’s college and a huge benefit to my education and growth as a person.”

I would hate to see the traditions, sense of community, and ability to feel empowered vanish.

Photo Courtesy of mariashriver.com, blog of Tabby Biddle

In my Foundations in Higher Education class this week, we were asked to choose an article to critique and summarize. I chose a piece from Educational Management Administration & Leadership in which an online survey was conducted of twenty-six women among eight New Zealand universities in an effort to answer “What helps or hinders women to advance in university leadership roles, as reported by women?” (Airini et al., 2011, p.48).

The motivation for this research question is that “gender imbalance among senior university academics is an acknowledged problem in many countries, [and] women represent only 16.9 percent of professors and associate professors in New Zealand.” Moreover, even when women do assume roles of leadership, they are put in a more precarious situation than men, and are more likely to be under close scrutiny. Just as there have been more female athletes since Title IX but fewer female coaches, “female student enrollment figures are increasing…but this is not reflected yet in a proportionate rise in female senior academics” (Airini et al., 2011, p.44-45).

Three main types of factors help or hinder the development of an academic woman’s leadership potential: 1) personal, 2) professional, and 3) organizational factors. In regards to personal factors, “women may consider responsibilities, such as raising a family, and their physical and mental health to take priority over climbing the corporate ladder,” or on the other hand, they may sacrifice this lifestyle and forgo having children in order to succeed in their career. From a professional perspective, women have a perceived notion to be tougher and to have competence in selling themselves. Lastly, universities have shifted “away from the modernist university,” one of intellectual traditions, academic freedom, and backed by government investment, to a “corporate post-modern university,” one of strategic focus, client service, and lower levels of government funding (Airini et al., 2011, p.46). If this is the case, then one can’t help but compare the gender of current CEOs and executives of corporations to senior academics at universities and wonder if the latter will follow the same trend as the former in hiring mostly males.

Surprisingly, the results of the online survey revealed that women experience more “helpful” incidents than “non-helpful” (Airini et al., 2011, p.49). Therefore, even though facts may show that fewer women assume leadership roles in academia, it may not be because they are being hindered by external factors. Surveyed women discussed positive working relationships they have with those more senior (which led to bigger projects, increased confidence, and greater recognition); opportunities to attend conferences for professional development; and a family connection that actually produced a new client. Perhaps the most interesting positive finding was that one woman did not take on a managerial role since it would take time away from her research (which could also explain why fewer women are seen in those positions).

However, there were some findings that explain possible hindrance to women advancing in academia, including negative working relationships that involved intimidation and challenges to integrity; poor attitudes towards having children and taking maternity leave; stress, illness, bereavement, and low self-esteem. In these circumstances, advancement could be hindered due to restrictions on hours available to work or travel.

The issue of gender imbalance is important to higher education because often when a structure or organization changes, so do its people. As discussed above, if universities are becoming increasingly more like corporations, then the leaders of universities might be more like Chief Executive Officers. The article states that “recently, there has been an increase in emphasis on vision-building, strategic planning, financial management, accountability, and building leadership teams.” This statement exudes the same message as that of a mission statement of a Fortune 100 company. The question is, therefore, are women having a harder time adapting to this “corporate post-modern university” model, or does the new model require a different type of leader that academics – both men and women – aren’t yet prepared for?

Work Cited

Airini, Collings, S., Conner, L., McPherson, K., Midson, B., & Wilson, C. (2011). Learning to be leaders in higher education: What helps or hinders women’s advancement as leaders in universities. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 39(1), 44-62.

Me and my husband after the race

I recently became a half IronWOman at the Ironman 70.3 Pocono Mountains last Sunday, and then have been subsequently asked why I did it. Why did I swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, and run 13.1 miles? Why did I partake in grueling sport for a continuous 6 hours and 50 minutes?

It wasn’t for the 64-degree water temperature in the lake or for the excruciating back pain on the bike, but for the fact that I was able to overcome those challenges (among others!) and finish with strong feelings of ACCOMPLISHMENT and PRIDE.

There were a few times throughout the race at which I was about to give up: (1) I didn’t think I could stick my face into that frigid water anymore and I was going to doggie paddle the whole thing. But then five months of swimming intervals in the pool, watching my times come down, would have meant nothing; (2) I didn’t think I would be able to climb another steep hill on the bike without either falling over or creating a  muscle spasm, and then I kept wondering how in the world I was going to run a half marathon afterwards. My quads had been giving me trouble leading up to the race and were on the brink of failing me.

But they didn’t. And neither did I fail myself.

It would have been way too easy to give up, and it wasn’t what I had trained for. September 30th was the only day I would have the opportunity to test my skills – both my physical and mental strength. This race was too precious to me to throw it all away. I gave myself pep talks on the bike and thought about how to finish the race so that my muscles would not cramp. “Be smart,” I told myself, “Relax.”

But still, why did I endure?

So I could see my husband at every transition, cheering for me, my champion for just being out there in the most spectator-UNfriendly sport

So I could get off the bike, relieved from back pain, and begin my favorite sport – the run

So I could pass people on the run and listen to spectators, townspeople, and fellow athletes racing by my side tell me how fast and smooth I looked

So I could smile at the town of Stroudsburg as they watched me race through their streets

So I could sprint across the finish line down Main Street, lined with crowds all shouting my number, “Yea 945! Way to finish!”

So I could cross the line under a big white banner, cry tears of joy and shock, and fall into my husband’s arms.

So I could be a role model for my athletes who expressed such admiration for both of their coaches (yes, the head coach did it, too!)

And so I could experience firsthand that anything is possible.

Photo courtesy of Nicole LaVoi, http://www.nicolemlavoi.com/gender-differences-in-coaching

I took a class with Dr. Giddings over the summer entitled “Managing Coaches and Teams.” In the last unit we watched a video on coaching gender differences; not only did I find this topic really interesting, I have witnessed many examples of the theories discussed:

Communication:

Females value relationships, closeness, connections; avoid isolation

Men just want the succinct facts, they are opinionated, they strive for independence and yearn to gain status; males communicate half as much as females

Team Building:

Females talk and interact

Men want to participate in games and tasks; they want to compete with one another

Problem Solving:

Females share information, include everyone, and are creative

Men focus on the solution and then figure out the details

Competition:

Females enjoy contests that the team can do as a whole

Men enjoy contests in which there is a clear winner; “I” want to win

Failure:

Females internalize emotions and ask themselves, “Why didn’t I succeed?” “What did I do wrong?”

Men externalize and blame others

Confidence:

Females verbally downplay their abilities; to them, it’s more important to be liked than to be skilled

Men embellish their abilities and want to stand out

Conflict:

Females consider all parties, yet hold grudges

Men consider how it effects themselves, talk directly to person they have conflict with and move on

Intuitiveness:

Females are more aware of verbal cues

Men don’t pay much attention to verbal cues

HOWEVER, KEEP IN MIND THAT WE ARE ALL ON A SPECTRUM AND THAT EACH INDIVIDUAL, REGARDLESS OF GENDER, BEHAVES UNIQUELY