Women's Committee Home | Mission and Membership | Mentoring Program | Algarve Cup Symposium | News Archive | Award of Excellence

Above: Women's Committee members at the NSCAA Social for Coaches of Female Athletes. Left to right & top to bottom, Kathy Zolad, Louise Waxler, Sue Ryan, Evelyn Gill, Lisa Cole, Theresa Echtermeyer, Amanda Vandervort, Awista Ayub, Jen Plante, Janet Rayfield, Marti Coan, Marcie Klebenow and Mariel Wilner.

The 2010 NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia was absolutely amazing.  I'd like to start by sending a sincere thank you to all the people who were involved in making this event happen - from the NSCAA Board of Governors, Executive Committee, Board of Directors, Convention Committee, National Office staff, fellow coaches, administrators and supporters.  To the Women's Committee in particular, your unselfish efforts to make this year truly special far exceeded any expectations I may have previously held, and I'm truly grateful to have such a committed group to work with!

Left: Sergio Gonzales, Lisa Cole and Erica Walsh following their session.  Right: Tiffeny Milbrett with FC Delco demonstration players.

On Thursday, Women's Committee member Lisa Cole (Assistant Coach, Boston Breakers) presented, "Creating a Realistic Training Environment for Goalkeepers," with help from Erica Walsh (Head Coach, Penn State).  Later that afternoon, the Women's Committee Featured Field Session presenter, Tiffeny Milbrett (Professional player, FC Gold Pride), presented, "Team Offense: Recognizing the Opportunity to Attack." Nancy Feldman (Head Coach, Boston University) hosted a panel discussion called, "Preparing and Developing Players for Higher Level Demands and Performance," which included Tony DiCicco (Head Coach, Boston Breakers), Tony Faulkner (Sport Psychologist) Blackburn Rovers Academy and Tiffany Jones (Sport Psychology Consulant, X Factor Performance). 


Left: Women's Committee members and special guests at the booth in the Exhibit Hall.  Center: Sue Ryan, Yael Averbuch, and Amanda Vandervort at the Women's Committee booth. Right: Awista Ayub presents Louise Waxler with a copy of her book, However Tall the Mountain.

The Exhibit Hall Grand Opening kicked off the evening's festivities at 7pm sharp, as thousands of coaches, exhibitors and fans piled in to check out the latest and greatest in the soccer world. Women's Committee member Marcie Klebenow built us a wonderful booth in Diversity Village, which eventually became a great meeting place for a ton of people due to the amazing leather couches and hip set up that Mike Curry (Chair, NSCAA Diversity Committee) worked up. 

Joining us this evening were Yael Averbuch (Professional player, Sky Blue FC) and Awista Ayub, author of However Tall the Mountain, a chronicle of eight brave girls who risked persecution to pursue the dreams of ordinary childhood in America. In doing what they love most in life – playing soccer – the girls become emblems of the fight for equality and human rights under the Taliban.



Later that evening, we hosted the Social for Coaches of Female Athletes presented by the Philadelphia Independence. Women's Committee member Louise Waxler (Director of Operations, Philadelphia Independence) and Lori Lindsey (Professional Player, Philadelphia Independence) welcomed the crowd of over 500 people. Emma Hayes (Head Coach, Chicago Red Stars) gave a touching speech about Women's Professional Soccer and how we, as coaches, can demonstrate our commitment to the league's success.

More than anything, though, the Social offers a unique opportunity to meet and mingle with other coaches and administrators of female athletes regardless of level or experience. Women's Committee member Mariel Wilner (Assistant Coach, Penn State University) put together an amazing slide show about the Algarve Cup Symposium, which we watched on the big screen - just awesome!

 
 
Above left and right: The WPS Draft room. Bottom left: The 2010 WPS First Round Draft picks.  Bottom right: 2009 NSCAA President, Randy Waldrum, welcomes the crowd to the WPS Draft.

The greater part of Friday for me was the WPS Draft.  As a member of the WPS league office staff, I think the NSCAA truly deserves special recognition for their efforts and contributions to this event.  The support that the NSCAA provides is absolutely without parallel.

On Friday evening, the NSCAA hosted the an awards banquet, where coaches, administrators, referees and more who have positively touched the game are recognized and celebrated.  This is always a trememdous event, attended by hundreds if not thousands of people.


Left: Sky Blue FC midfielder Yael Averbuch delivered a moving speech at the 2010 Women's Soccer Breakfast. Right: Snapshots from the 2010 NSCAA Awards Dinner.

Saturday of the Convention is always an early morning with the NSCAA Women's Soccer Breakfast kicking things off at 8am.  2009 NSCAA President Randy Waldrum (Head Coach, University of Notre Dame) welcomed the attendees before we chowed down on a hearty breakfast. We were honored to have Yael Averbuch (Professional player, Sky Blue FC and U.S. Women’s National Team) as our featured guest.  Louise Waxler (Director of Operations, Philadelphia Independence) was awarded the 2009 Women's Committee Award of Excellence, following a heartfelt introduction by the 2010 NSCAA President, Marcia McDermott. 

We paused at the end of the Women's Soccer Breakfast to remember our dear friend and Women's Committee member, Charlotte Moran, who passed away in May 2009 after a brave 2-year battle with pancreatic cancer. 

 
Left: Boston Breakers midfielder Leslie Osborne poses during the WPS uniform unveil. Right: Kelly O'Hara shows off the FC Gold Pride scarf at the 2010 WPS Draft.

A little later Saturday afternoon, Women's Professional Soccer hosted a panel discussion called, "Preparing Players for the Next Level" with Kelly O’Hara (Professional player, FC Gold Pride), Leslie Osborne (Professional player, Boston Breakers) and Yael Averbuch (Professional player, Sky Blue FC). Philadelphia Independence Head Coach Paul Riley's field session, "The Importance of Ball Work, Ball Mastery, and Ball Creativity From the Youth Player to the Professional Player," followed suit.


Left: The crowd watching a field session in the Convention Hall. Right: Philadelphia Independence Head Coach Paul Riley delivering his session.

Women's Committee member Jen Plante hosted our Open Meeting on Saturday afternoon where we shared our group's mission, organization and goals for 2010 and beyond.  It's always great to meet other coaches of women and learn how they are impacting their communities in positive ways to empower and enable young women who play soccer.  Experienced coaches Janet Rayfield (Head Coach, University of Illinois) and Sue Ryan (Head Coach, Stony Brook University) were on hand to offer their insight and guidance as well.



Left: NSCAA Past-President, Janet Rayfield, addresses the room at the Social for Coaches of Female Athletes.  Right: Women's Committee Featured Presenter, Dawn Scott, answers questions for coaches.

After the Open Meeting, a group of about 20 of us walked together to see the Women's Committee Featured Clinician, Dawn Scott (Exercise Scientist, England Women's National Team). Dawn presented, "Tournament Strategies to Improve Player Physical Performance: The England Womens National Team."

As I mentioned, this year's NSCAA Convention was a truly unoforgettable experience.  If you're interested in attending in Baltimore next year, visit the NSCAA's Convention page, http://nscaa.com/annual.php where you'll find great deals on early registration for Baltimore 2011.

Very sincerely,
Amanda Vandervort
Chair, NSCAA Women's Committee
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nscaawomen 
 
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