Three Days and Two Notepads Later…

"Anywhere that there's a viable program, there is no shortage of athletes. Kids love to get involved with shooting….so it's for us, responsible coaches, to develop programs to look towards the future and the development of our sport."  Robert Mitchell  CEO, USA Shooting

Coaches and junior directors from across the country came to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for the November 2-4 for the CMP-NRA-USAS National Coach Conference. The coaches' conference marked a first-time collaboration between USA Shooting, the NRA and the CMP.  Robert Mitchell, CEO of USA Shooting, in opening the first session, emphasized that the conference was an NRA, USA Shooting, CMP coach program. "We developed the program to meet the needs of the people in the field."  Mitchell placed the coaches' conference in perspective, defining the difference between an instructor and a coach. "An instructor…is certified to teach a basic course…they go into a classroom, they teach, and when they're done, they're done. Coaches teach training and competition. That's what we're about. Our approach is long term. We make relationships that, in some cases, last a lifetime." Mitchell also said, "We develop people. We do the things that make people better citizens in our communities… we just happen to use shooting as a vehicle to do it."  The conference featured an encyclopedia of topics, information and top-notch speakers--more than we could cover in a single issue. It did, in fact, inspire a number of future ventures (things for readers to look for in coming issues), including a regular "Coaches' Corner," a monthly advice column from former Olympic medalist Bob Foth, and a four-part series on sports psychology based on a workshop led by Dr. Sean McCann of USOTC Sports.  Perhaps the most impressive part of the conference was the participants themselves. This was no ordinary group of volunteers. Almost without exception, participants stayed through hours of instruction and presentation. It would also be hard, for example, to measure the years of experience in coaching and junior marksmanship contained in one room.  More importantly, there was an obvious camaraderie. Separated by miles most of the year, the coaches and junior marksmanship leaders directors who took part in this conference shared a common bond.