Creating Coaches

The Baldwin Wallace Center for Coaching Excellence makes the next generation of sports mentors.

It’s not a game. The influence a coach can have on an athlete’s self-esteem, development or sportsmanship can be extensive. And that’s at any level — from the 4-year-old child who would rather pick dandelions in the outfield instead of paying attention to the batter, to the high school wrestler who hugs his opponent at the end of a very tough match, to a professional athlete with a multi-million-dollar contract.

Like teachers, coaches can directly and indirectly make a huge difference in someone’s life. Developing coaches who have the training, knowledge and empathy to be effective, positive influencers is vital.

Baldwin Wallace (BW) University established the Center for Coaching Excellence in its School of Health, Physical Education & Sports Sciences in 2019 (now the Department of Allied Health,

By Jill Sell

Sport and Wellness). More than just concentrating on sports rules, regulations and training methods, the Center also focuses on collaborative research, player and coach development, workshops and partnerships.

In addition, the Center (under BW’s Division of Community Learning) tackles current evolving topics, including the coaching shortage and multicultural coaching opportunities. The university also offers an athletic coaching minor. The comprehensive curriculum includes instruction in program planning, nutrition, first aid and psychology, as well as other expectations. The curriculum is based on the teachings and philosophy of the Positive Coaching Alliance, an organization that “promotes positive, character-building experiences for athletes.”

“It’s unbelievable what a student gets with this minor,” says Kerry Bebie, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Allied Health, Sport and Wellness, and the Center’s founder and director. “There are also internships involved with the minor’s requirements, so students have to physically get out there and coach in the real world on some level.”

That opportunity is crucial and can be compared to the experience of traditional student teaching while in college. A college student might enjoy taking classes in a specific subject area, as well as learning from teacher education classes. But being in a classroom, standing in front of high school pupils or energetic elementary students, might be a different case.

Practical, classroom experiences help future teachers learn skills and techniques to establish a productive learning environment. Or someone may decide being a teacher really isn’t for them. The valuable knowledge they have learned can lead in another direction, one more suitable for them.

The same is true for coaching internships. In most cases, coaching is both a mental and physical activity. Maybe gritty dust in your face blowing off a baseball diamond isn’t someone’s idea of a good time. Or maybe a potential track coach finds out helping with a tennis team is challenging in a good way and is a sport to coach that was not considered before the internship. BW offers student coaches a chance to find out.

Many in Northeast Ohio associate BW with its superb curriculum and opportunities in the performing arts. But the university’s commitment and reputation for quality athletic programs and education should never be underestimated.

“BW has such a rich history of coaching and coaches, including individuals like Lee Tressel (who coached his quarterback son, the future legendary football coach Jim Tressel). We were doing a lot of those important coaching and athlete preparations and studies before the establishment of the Center, but on a less formal basis,” says Bebie. “There is really nothing else like the Center around here in Northeast Ohio.”

Research opportunities for students enrolled in BW’s Department of Allied Health, Sport and Wellness are also challenging and meaningful. For example, collaborating with USA Football, students collect data on participants in a modified Rookie Tackle Football league. These paid research positions contribute to the knowledge and effects of sports on athletics.

Partnerships are paramount. The Center has worked with the Cleveland Browns and the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) to offer a course in football officiating. Students had the opportunity to take a certification exam and become a registered official with OHSAA. Partnerships have also been formed with the U.S. Soccer program.

In addition, the university has partnered with the nonprofit Adaptive Sports Ohio to bring the Adaptive Sports Ohio ExCEL Games (a Paralympic track and field event) to campus. This past March, BW hosted a Special Olympics Basketball Tournament that involved more than 13 schools and 260 athletes.

But no one has to leave their home, school or office to benefit from some of the Center’s networking or educational opportunities. “What’s the Score?” is a monthly podcast presented by the Center, featuring coaches, administrators and other professionals who discuss topics of interest in the coaching world and beyond. “Fans” of the podcast can watch from their personal “bleacher seat” devices, as sessions are available on Apple, Spotify, Google and Libsyn. The next podcast features Randale L. Richmond, director of athletics at Kent State and an alumnus of BW.

“Any good coach will say they never stop learning or evolving,” says Bebie, who has been with BW for 14 years and who was active with volleyball and basketball teams when she attended college as well as after college. “What’s most challenging for a coach depends on the individual. All people have strengths and weaknesses. But I say if you want to be a coach, start with a solid philosophy. Know who you are and what you want to accomplish as a youth coach or a coach of professionals.”

Particularly with athletes up to the age of 18, Bebie says coaches should have a special goal.

“If an athlete doesn’t leave a youth program being a better person than when they started, that’s a problem. Winning is important, but not at the extent of the athlete,” says Bebie. “It’s great when you or your child’s school or community really get it.”

The Center for Coaching Excellence guides coaches to help create that environment at the court, field, pool or gym.