2009 USTFCCCA Convention

The Distance Coaches Symposiums will include several sessions, as well as panel discussions.

Monday, December 14th	Tuesday, December 15th	Wednesday, December 16th
3:00 pm - 4:15 pm - John Cook	8:30 am - 9:30 am - Middle Distance Panel with: Karen Harvey, Mark Elliott, and Chris Bucknam.	8:30 am - 9:45 am - Distance Panel with: Vin Lananna, Frank Gagliano, Gary Wilson and more.
4:30 pm - 5:45 pm - Frank Gagliano	9:45 am - 10:45 am - TBA
7:00 pm - 8:15 pm - TBA
8:30 pm - 9:30 pm - Distance Panel with: Greg Metcalf, Louie Quintana, Dave Smith, Jason Dunn, and Troy Engle

Chris Bucknam - University of Arkansas

In 2008, after a quarter century of leading the Northern Iowa track & field and cross country programs, Chris Bucknam assumed control of the storied Razorback program. Not missing a beat, the Razorbacks claimed both the indoor and outdoor titles during the 2009 season. During his time at UNI, Bucknam coached teams claimed 35 conference titles. UNI's 47 men's All-Americans since 2005 ranked as the 10th-most in the nation over that time.

John Cook

John Cook headed the men's track and field program at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, for 19 years, retiring in 1997. GMU athletes under his tutelage included Abdi Bile, three-time Somali Olympian and the 1987 1500-meter world champion; Ibrahim Aden, third in the 1500 at the 2002 USA Outdoor Championships; and Julius Achon, who in 1996 set the still-standing collegiate 800-meter record, 1:44.55. In 1997, Cook's men's team won the NCAA indoor track and field championship. Since his retirement from GMU, Cook helped develop the Oregon Project and currently coaches several post-collegiate athletes including 2009 World Championship 1500 meter Bronze Medalist Shannon Rowbury.

Jason Dunn - Stanford University

A former coach of the highly competitive University of Virginia Cross Country and Distance programs, Jason Dunn has made a seamless transition in leading the Cardinal successful seasons in his first two years at Stanford. A third place finish by the men at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championship capped a very successful first year guiding that program.

Mark Elliott - Louisiana State University

Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track & Field Coach at LSU for over 15 years, Mark Elliott has developed a reputation as one of the top middle distance coaches in the country. Over the past several years, LSU 800 meter runners have claimed multiple SEC and NCAA titles. The Tigers and Lady Tigers actually made history at the 2007 SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships by finishing 1-2 in the finals of both the men’s and women’s 800 meters.

Troy Engle – U.S. Military Academy

Engle is one of the most well respected educators in the sport. Engle has a wealth of both national and international coaching experience. Prior to taking over the reins at West Point, Engle served for several years as the Head Coach of the U.S. Paralympic Track & Field Program and as the Associate Director of the USOC Paralympic Division. A former chair of the USATF Coaching Education Program, Engle has devoted many years to the improvement of coaching at all levels of the sport.

Frank "Gags" Gagliano

Most recently, Gagliano served as coach of the Oregon Elite Track Club, overseeing the group of post-collegians from 2006 to January 2009. Prior to his stint with the OTC he coached the Nike Farm Team from 2001 to 2006. During his coaching career, Gags has coached 12 Olympians and over 140 All-Americans. His list of Olympians includes 2008 team members Christian Smith, Nick Symmonds, and Nicole Teter.

Considered the “Godfather” of track & field, Gagliano was the most successful men’s track & field coach in Georgetown history, leading the Hoyas to 10 IC4A team titles, eight Penn Relays Championship of America titles (including a world-record-breaking distance medley relay), and 23 BIG EAST team championships.

Karen Harvey - Florida State University

Both on the track and on the cross country course, the Seminole distance runners have thrived under the guidance of Karen Harvey since her arrival from Illinois. Cross Country has produced a quartet of top 10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, three straight NCAA Regional titles, six All-Americans, three conference champions and three Regional Athletes of the Year. On the track she has coached eight All-Americans, including five national champions. Individually, she has been honored with seven regional or conference Coach of the Year awards.

Greg Metcalf - University of Washington

Since 2002 when Metcalf assumed the role of Head Coach of the Husky Cross Country and Track and Field programs, his teams have consistently been among the elite programs in the country. Highlighting that success is the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country Championship title the Huskies claimed in 2008. Both the men’s and women’s programs are consistently ranked in the USTFCCCA Top 10 and the women are the two time defending Pac 10 Cross Country Champions.

Dave Smith - Oklahoma State University

Smith has built on the tradition of the competitive distance program at OSU. The Cowboys claimed their first ever Big 12 Cross Country title in 2008, following that performance with an 8th place finish in the NCAA Cross Country Championship meet. Smith guided standout freshman German Fernandez to an NCAA title in the 1500 meters at the 2009 Outdoor Championship meet. Smith has earned USTFCCCA Midwest Region Cross Country Coach of the Year honors in each of his four seasons at the helm of the OSU program.

Gary Towne - Cal State, Chico

Gary Towne, a 1991 graduate of Chico State has served as his alma mater’s Cross Country and Distance coach for 13 years. During his tenure at Chico State, the Wildcats have become one of the dominant distance programs in Division II. Towne has been honored twice (2007 & 2009) as the USTFCCCA National Assistant Coach of the Year and the West Region COY 12 times.

Louie Quintana - Arizona State University

Quintana has built the ASU Cross Country / Distance program into one of the most consistently competitive programs in the country. 2008 marked the tenth consecutive year that the Sun Devil Women’s XC program qualified to compete at the NCAA Championships. The Qunitana led distance group contributed greatly to the Sun Devil’s 2007 Indoor and Outdoor NCAA Division I Championships.

Gary Wilson - University of Minnesota

Gary Wilson has spent the past 25 years molding the University of Minnesota track and field and cross country programs into one of the most respected in Division I. A member of the Drake Relays Hall of Fame, Wilson has also served the sport as educator through his involvement in the past with the USATF Coaching Education Program and as an outspoken advocate for coaches.

An in depth program is planned that will cover not only the technical aspects of each of the throwing events, but will also examine the challenges associated with coaching athletes who compete in multiple events, take a look at alternative methods of strength and power training and much more.

Monday, December 14th	Tuesday, December 15th	Wednesday, December 16th
3:00 pm - 4:15 pm - John Godina	8:30 am - 9:30 am - John Godina	8:30 am - 9:45 am - Carrie Lane
4:30 pm - 5:45 pm - Jerry Clayton	9:45 am - 10:45 am - Dan Steele
7:00 pm - 8:15 pm - Scott Irving
8:30 pm - 9:30 pm - Panel Discussion on Strength Training for Throwers with: Mike Maynard, Steve Lemke, Connie Price-Smith, John Godina, and Vern Gambetta.

Jerry Clayton - University of Auburn

Considered one of the nation’s top field event coaches, Clayton has coached 14 individual NCAA Champions, multiple Olympic and World Championship competitors and over 130 NCAA Championship qualifiers during his 25 plus year career.  Clayton coached athletes have won NCAA titles in seven different field events and have earned All American honors in every field event. Jerry Clayton is now in his 12th season at the Auburn University.

John Godina - The John Godina World Throws Center

Godina retired from professional competition in February 2009, but his impact on track & field continues. Godina recently oversaw the expansion of his training facility into what is now The John Godina World Throws Center. Godina's professional career began in 1995 with a gold medal in the shot put at the World Championships just months after winning NCAA titles in both the shot and discus while at UCLA. He would repeat as World Champion outdoors in 1997 and 2001, and he won a World Indoor title in 2001. Godina was very successful at the Olympic level as well, winning a silver medal in the shot put in the 1996 Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics.

Scott Irving - U.S. Air Force Academy

Scott Irving joined the Air Force staff in 1999 as the coach of the field events. In 2007, Dana Pounds won the USATF championship to back up her two NCAA javelin crowns; she represented Team USA at the Pan American Games and World Championships. Pounds became the first Academy athlete to win back-to-back NCAA titles. All told, Irving has coached nine national champions in the javelin, as well as countless conference champions and NCAA All-Americans across the country. In seven out of the past ten years (since the inception of the Mountain West Conference) Irving has coached a conference javelin champion.  Following the 2009 season, Irving was named the Mountain Region Assistant Women’s Coach of the Year.

Carrie Lane - University of Virginia

After her arrival in Charlottesville in 2005, the Cavalier throwers have emerged as a dominant force in the ACC. Lane has tutored numerous athletes who have enjoyed a great deal of success at the international level including World Championship Silver medalist Adam Nelson. The 2004 USTFCCCA National Throws Coach of the Year, Lane served on the U.S. staff for the World Junior Championships in 2007.

Steve Lemke - University of Florida

Lemke brought a wealth of international and national coaching experience with him to the University of Florida when he arrived in 2005. Lemke served at the head throws coach for the Australian national team. Prior to his time in Australia, he served as national coordinator and throws coach for Norway. Lemke can count numerous Olympic and World Championship participants as well as multiple All Americans among his current and former pupils.

Mike Maynard - UCLA

After his successful nine year tenure with Boise State, Mike Maynard is in his first year as Head Coach of the UCLA Bruins Men’s program. While at BSU and the University of Arizona before that, Maynard has distinguished himself as one of the top throws coaches in the country. Under Maynard’s guidance, BSU athletes claimed over 70 individual WAC titles.

Connie Price Smith - Southern Illinois University

A four-time Olympian, Price-Smith took over both programs last year after guiding the Saluki women for the previous three seasons. A multi time national champion herself in both the shot put and the discus, Price-Smith became the first women to win both the shot put and the discus in the same Olympic Trials (’92) in over 30 years.

Dan Steele - University of Northern Iowa

In his first year as head coach of the Panthers’ programs, Steele recently finished his seventh season at the University of Oregon. Steele was instrumental in leading the combined men's and women's teams to unprecedented success in 2009, where the Duck men won the NCAA Indoor title, the Pac-10 Conference title and finished second at NCAA Outdoor meet. Not to be outdone, the Duck women won the 2009 Pac-10 Conference title and finished second at the NCAA Outdoor meet.

Steele made history at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships by coaching Ashton Eaton to his second Decathlon title and Brianne Theisen to her first Heptathlon title. This is the first time in NCAA history both multis winners came from the same school. For his efforts, Steele was voted the 2009 Indoor NCAA Coach of the Year.

The Hurdle Coaches Symposium will focus on the technical aspects of the sprint hurdles. Topics to be covered include Running Mechanics, Hurdle Technique and Special Strength Training Methods for the Sprint Hurdles. Also a panel discussion on the technical aspects of the 4x100 meter relay baton exchange and selection and placement of team members.

Monday, December 14th	Tuesday, December 15th	Wednesday, December 16th
3:00 pm - 4:15 pm - Relay Panel Discussion with: Dennis Shaver, George Williams, Ken Harndem, Curtis Frye, and Pat Henry.	8:30 am - 9:30 am - Gary Winckler	8:30 am - 9:45 am - Marc Mangiacotti
4:30 pm - 5:45 pm - Vern Gambetta	9:45 am - 10:45 am - Mike Holloway
7:00 pm - 8:15 pm - Gary Winckler
8:30 pm - 9:30 pm - Gary Winckler

Curtis Frye - University of South Carolina

Curtis Frye has established a program that is regarded as one of the nation's elite. Frye has coached or overseen over 60 NCAA champions, 108 SEC champions and more than 380 NCAA All Americans during his tenure at South Carolina.  Frye has coached 25 Olympians who have claimed 10 medals.

Ken Harnden - Florida State University

The 2005 and 2007 USTFCCA National Assistant Coach of the Year is entering his 11th season with the Seminoles coaching the sprints. Harnden’s sprint crews have been the cornerstone of the Seminoles’ three-straight men’s National Championships. During Florida State's three-year run of dominance in the sprints, the Seminoles have placed 13 runners in the finals of the 100, 200 and 400m races, which is just as many as the next two closest schools combined.

Pat Henry - Texas A&M University

In only his fourth year at A & M, Henry’s Aggies claimed both the Men’s and Women’s titles at the Division I Outdoor championship meet.  The 2009 titles were the 28th & 29th of his career, the first 27 coming as Head Coach of LSU.  He is the only coach in NCAA history to win both men's and women's track and field national championships not only in the same year but at the same national meet, a feat that Henry coached teams have accomplished three times.

Mike Holloway - University of Florida

Holloway is one of the premier sprint coaches in the track & field world, and has developed the Florida men’s program into one of the top collegiate sprint programs in the country. Over the past five years Holloway has oversaw eight NCAA individual and relay national titles, and eight runner-up finishes at the NCAA and East Regional Championships.Holloway’s athletes have earned many accolades over the years on both the professional and collegiate levels and those accomplishments continue to grow with each successive year. He has coached five athletes to a total of 11 Olympic or World Championship medals, seven of which have been gold.

Vern Gambetta - Gambetta Sports Training Systems

Gambetta, considered by many to be the founding father of functional sports training, specializes in coaching the multi-events, decathlon, and heptathlon. Throughout his career Gambetta has consulted with several professional sports teams and organizations as well as international consulting experience.

Gambetta was the first Director of the USA Track & Field coaching education program developing a successful seminar series “Building and Rebuilding the Athlete”. He was an editor of Track Technique, the technical journal of USA Track & Field, and an Associate Editor of the IAAF technical journal, New Studies in Athletics.

George Williams - Saint Augustine's College

George Williams has built nothing short of a dynasty at Saint Augustine’s College. Since he began coaching in 1976, his program has been the winner of an astounding 30 + National Team Championships and 125 +CIAA Conference Team Championships, and he has received some 90 Coach of the Year honors.  Williams was the head coach of the 2004 Olympic Team in Athens, and in 1996, he served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Team.

Gary Winckler

Winckler, the former University of Illinois women’s track and field head coach, is regarded as one of the nation’s most accomplished developers of track and field athletes. Winckler has coached 13 different athletes who have won gold, silver, or bronze medals in the sprints, hurdles, and relays at the Olympic Games. In fact, dating back to 1992, Winckler-coached athletes have appeared in every World Championships and Olympic Games. Included in that group are former Illinois greats Perdita Felicien, Celena Mondie-Milner, Aspen Burkett, Yvonne Harrison, Susanna Kallur, and current Illinois women’s track and field Head Coach Tonja Buford-Bailey.

One of the founders and former director of the USA Track & Field (USATF) Coaching Education Program, Winckler also served as the National Hurdles Coordinator for the USATF Olympic Development Committee. Winckler continues to serve as the chair of the sprints/hurdles/relays division of the USATF Coaching Education Program. Winckler is the author of the curriculum for sprints/hurdles/relays for both the Level I and Level II USATF Coaching Education Programs. Winckler is a certified USATF Level II and Level III coaching instructor.

The Jumps seminars will include sessions on the high jump, and a panel discussion on the triple jump.

Monday, December 14th	Tuesday, December 15th	Wednesday, December 16th
3:00 pm - 4:15 pm - Dean Hayes	8:30 am - 9:30 am - Dan Steele	8:30 am - 9:45 am - Greg Hull
4:30 pm - 5:45 pm - Todd Lane
7:00 pm - 8:15 pm - Cliff Rovelto
8:30 pm - 9:30 pm - Jumps Panel Discussion with: Dick Booth, Robyne Johnson, Jeremy Fischer, and Jim Van Hootegem.

Dick Booth - University of Florida

Prior to joining the staff of UF, renowned jumps coach Dick Booth spent 27 years helping to build the University of Arkansas into a national power. During his time at Arkansas, Booth was responsible for 45 individual national championships and 137 All-America honors. Additionally, he coached 11 Olympians. The jumpers he’s worked with could compile a Who’s Who list of collegiate track. They’ve included Mike Conley, Erick Walder, Robert Howard, Edrick Floreal, Brian Wellman, Jerome Romain, Ray Doakes, Matt Hemingway, Melvin Lister and Kenny Evans.

Jeremy Fischer - University of Oklahoma

Since his arrival in 2005, Jeremy Fischer has developed the Sooner jumps program into one of the elite groups in the country.  In 2008 alone, Oklahoma jumpers recorded new program bests in the men's indoor and outdoor triple jump as well as the women's outdoor triple jump, picked up five All-America honors and Big 12 titles in both indoor and outdoor triple jump along with an NCAA Midwest Regional triple jump title and a meet record.  Fischer was named the 2007 Midwest Region Men's Jumps/Combined Events Coach of the Year by USTFCCCA.

Dean Hayes - Middle Tennessee State University

Hayes in his 44th year at the helm of the Blue Raider program, a program he put on the map in collegiate track & field. A renowned track & field coach in the collegiate and professional circles, Hayes specializes in the triple jump having coached several individual champions at the conference and national levels during his time at MTSU. In a coaching career that has spanned over 50 years, Hayes has guided his Blue Raider squads to 29 Ohio Valley Conference championships, 15 Sun Belt Conference championships and has had 18 top-25 NCAA finishes.

Greg Hull

Greg Hull has 35 years of experience in coaching the pole vault at all levels of competition. He holds the title of Master Coach for the Jumps from USATF coaching education, the highest honor they award. During his career his athletes have won an Olympic Gold Medal, multiple World Championship medals and set World, American and Canadian National records. He is the past Chairmen for Pole Vault Development with USATF and is currently serving as the volunteer pole vault coach at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Todd Lane - Louisiana State University

In only his third year at LSU, Todd Lane has continued the tradition of the outstanding jumps program that has been developed over the past decades.  Seven Lane coached athletes qualified for the NCAA Championships in his first year alone as the Tiger’s jumps coach.  Lane also serves as a one of handful of USATF Level 2 Jumps instructors.

Robyne Johnson - Boston University

Johnson is a coaching veteran with 22 years at the Division I level. A four-time participant at the U.S. Olympic trials in the triple jump, Johnson served as the United States Elite Athletes Development coordinator for the event from 2000-05.  During her brief tenure at BU, the women's indoor track and field team has won four consecutive America East championships, the women's cross country squad has captured two America East and New England crowns and the women's outdoor track and field team won the America East championship in 2008.

Cliff Rovelto - Kansas State University

In his 18th year as Head Coach of the Wildcats, Rovelto is widely regarded as one of the top High Jump and Combined Events coaches in the country. Rovelto guided Scott Sellers to back to back NCAA Outdoor High Jump titles in 2008 and 2009. During his time at Kansas State, Rovelto has coached over 40 individuals who among them have earned nearly 100 All-American honors.

Rovelto helped develop and write the curriculum for the U.S. combined events coaching education program and is a Level II combined event instructor.

Jim VanHootegem - Texas A&M University

The 2009 Men’s National Assistant Coach of the Year, VanHootegem’s jumps group helped propel the Aggies to the NCAA Division I National Championship. VanHootegem has developed competitive jumpers in every program that he has been associated with including Miami and Mississippi State among others.  A lead instructor in the USATF Level 2 program, VanHootegem is a highly respected clinician with a superior grasp of the technical aspects of the jumping events.

Tuesday, December 15th	Wednesday, December 16th	Thursday, December 17th
1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - Dr. Paul Copeskey	10:00 am - 11:30 am - Assistant Coach Development Steve Smith - Physical Therapy	8:45 am - 9:45 am - Professional Development Shelby Sharpe, Esq. - Contract Negotiations
3:00 pm - 4:15 pm - Vern Gambetta	1:30 pm - 3:00 pm - Assistant Coach Development Bob Calvin - Nutrition	8:45 am - 9:45 am - Women's Issues Panel
6:00 pm - 7:15 pm -Financial Planning Jay Beynon	3:30 pm - 5:00 pm - Professional Development Dr. Jeff Duke - Motivation
6:00 pm - 7:15 pm - TBA	3:30 pm - 5:00 pm - Women's Seminar Sharon Taylor, A.D. - Lock Haven University

Bob Calvin - High Performance Nutrition for Track & Field

Bob Calvin earned a B.S. in Nutrition from the University of Delaware and an M.S. Sport Physiology from Texas A&M and then went on to complete a dietetic internship at the University of Houston. As a Registered Dietician, Bob returned to Texas A&M and served as an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach for the football team. In addition to his coaching duties, he continued to assist the Director of Performance Nutrition in the implementation of a comprehensive performance nutrition program. Currently, Bob serves as a nutritionist with Athletes’ Performance.

Dr. Paul Copesky - How to Prevent and Treat the Cause of Foot Related Injuries

Dr. Paul Copeskey, D.C., C.C.F.C., is a 1981 cum laude graduate of the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic. He has a special certification in foot care and orthotics. Dr. Copeskey has constructed more than 3,500 pairs of custom-made orthotics and has been issued a U.S. patent for the unique over-the-counter fitting methodology he developed to bridge the gap between the $25 store-bought and the $1,500 doctor-prescribed custom orthotics.

In 1992, Dr. Copeskey moved from San Diego to Los Angeles and now has private practices in both cities. In 1993, he became team doctor for Track West, a team of elite men and women track & field athletes based in Santa Monica. He was also invited to join the instructor staff of the AAF/CIF Coaching Program, a series of regional clinics designed to enhance the expertise of Southern California’s high school coaches in a variety of sports. Over the past 15 years, he has lectured more than five thousand coaches on how to prevent and treat the most common running-related injuries—coaches who, in turn, have benefitted more than a million young athletes in their charge.

In 2006, Dr. Copeskey created the Southern California Sports Medicine Support Group—a coalition of elite local physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists, and athletic trainers dedicated to providing Southern California USA Track & Field sanctioned events with the best and most comprehensive medical support possible.

Dr. Jeff Duke - Motivation

Dr. Jeff Duke is the foremost expert regarding the cultural influence in the coaching profession on society’s mores. He has developed and authored the “Three Dimensional Pyramid of Coaching Success” that has revolutionized the sport coaching landscape. His methodology allows coaches to discover a style that produces the ultimate athlete performance. He titles his workshop, “How to Capture the Body, Mind and Spirit of the 21st Century Athlete”.

Vern Gambetta - Coaching Excellence: Looking Back to Move Ahead

Vern Gambetta is considered by many to be the founding father of functional sports training, specializes in coaching the multi-events, decathlon, and heptathlon. Throughout his career Gambetta has consulted with several professional sports teams and organizations as well as international consulting experience.
Gambetta was the first Director of the USA Track & Field coaching education program developing a successful seminar series “Building and Rebuilding the Athlete”. He was an editor of Track Technique, the technical journal of USA Track & Field, and an Associate Editor of the IAAF technical journal, New Studies in Athletic. In this session, Gambetta will focus on the coaching profession, where it’s been, where it’s going and the things that coaches need to do to be successful.

Steve Smith - Getting the Injured Back on Track

Steve Smith is currently the Manager of Performance Physical Therapy Services at Athletes’ Performance Florida. He also functions as a Performance Specialist training athletes rehabbing from injuries or surgical procedures. He has implemented Athletes’ Performance methodology and integrated it with his strong manual skills and understanding of normal and impaired human movement to provide the best possible care for the athletes under his care. Steve works closely with several strength and conditioning coaches to ultimately integrate the rehabilitating athlete back into the training process.

Steve has been a practicing physical therapist for 7 years. He is a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Sports Physical Therapy (SCS), a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and is also a Functional Movement ScreenTM(FMS) Certified Specialist.

Tuesday, December 15th	Wednesday, December 16th
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm - National Senate of HS Track & Field Coaches Associations Meeting	10:00 am - 11:00 am - Adapting Sprint Workouts to Various Situation - Jack Sands
2:45 pm - 3:45 pm - Setting Up Your Jumps Program - Jack Warner (Purdue)	11:00 am - 12:00 pm - Coaches Roundtable Discussion
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Lisa Danner - Following the Rules of Recruiting
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm - Staging a One Day Clinic - Don Helberg (Illinois HS Clinic)