Nearly 50 high school and collegiate coaches from across the United States attended Marine Corps Recruiting Command’s 2018 Coaches Workshop held here, May 16-19.
The workshop teaches coaches and key civilian influencers from diverse backgrounds about Marine Corps leadership styles and characteristics and career opportunities as a Marine officer. In turn, the attendees take this information back with them to better educate and train their athletes while serving as advocates for the Corps.
“Coaches have a specific set of problems they face, and the coaches workshop addresses those problems, so they can take back what Marines and coaches from varying athletic levels teach them through sharing ideologies and philosophies on those specific issues,” said Marine Corps Capt. Valarie Krygier, an officer selection office recruiter from Florida.
“The generations that coaches have under their wings are the same generations Marines often work with or recruit,” Krygier added. “Their issues are our issues, as well.”
During the workshop, coaches learned about the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School and operated training simulators for marksmanship, mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles and convoy operations.
Attendees also had the opportunity to practice martial arts techniques, work out with Marines and ask Marine officers about their training during lunch. Additionally, they witnessed the precision performances of the Silent Drill Platoon, the President’s Own Marine Corps Band and the Commandant’s Own Drum and Bugle Corps at an evening parade. They concluded their journey with a visit to the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
Stephanie Dalmacio, the head coach of women’s tennis for Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, looked forward to attending the workshop.
Learning From the Marines
“Just knowing where it would be and having that closeness with the Marines was, to me, a no-brainer to sign up,” Dalmacio said. “For me, it’s to learn from the Marines while trying to become an overall better version of myself for my family, friends, and for my team. This opportunity is just so incredible.”
“One thing we wanted to do for the coaches, as Marines, is to be part of their community and show them how we return quality citizens and our leadership package,” Krygier explained.
Krygier said it was interesting to see that the coaches’ issues with their players seemed to stem from character issues more so than physical performance.
“For Marines, having confidence and holding ourselves accountable is what we do day in and day out,” she said, “so we were able to give them some steps on how to develop a resolution.”
The coaches can return home and apply what they’ve learned to their athletic teams while also talking about career opportunities within the Marine Corps.
“It was awesome getting an inside look into the Marines,” said Willie Delk, the assistant wrestling coach at Piedmont High School, Piedmont, Oklahoma. “This workshop is an once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Krygier also expressed the importance of coaches and educators reaching out to their local officer selection office, or OSO, to attend future workshops.
“If any coach or educator is interested in learning more about what the Marine Corps has to offer, reach out to your local OSO, because we would be more than happy to get you on next year’s roster,” she iterated. “If you cannot make it to the workshop next year, any OSO would be more than happy to provide a leadership talk to your student athletes, to your athletic department or even to you. I think once you meet your OSO, you’ll see that we want what’s best for you and your student athletes – we don’t have to pitch recruiting or the Marine Corps as a career option, we can just talk about leadership.”
Teachers, coaches, counselors or deans or equivalent who want to attend a workshop next year can contact Marine Corps Recruiting Command here at http://www.mcrc.marines.mil/Workshop-Opportunities/Coaches-Workshop/Workshop-Home/ for information.