WOMEN'S RUNNING COACHES COLLECTIVE
  • Home
  • What's New
  • WRCC Chapters
  • Ask a Coach
    • Ask a Coach Videos
    • Ask a Coach Questionnaire
  • Resources
    • Video Interviews
    • Prehab Videos
    • Print Interviews >
      • Athlete Interviews
      • Coach Interviews
      • Coaching
      • Coaching Youth Sports
    • Speaker Series
    • Links
    • Films
  • Membership
  • About Us
    • Board of Directors
    • Mission
    • Social Posts
    • Contact Us
  • Merchandise
  • Blog Posts

#2 - Coaching and Leadership

7/16/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Mission Statement
The Womens' Running Coaches Collective exists to support, unite, inform, inspire, encourage, and empower women coaches at all levels of our sport

The WRCC Newsletter hopes to come out weekly. There will be interviews with women coaches from the youth, high school, college, and professional levels. We hope to bring you articles about building a team, planning a season of workouts, strength and conditioning, coaching leadership and much more to help you as a running and field coach. We want to build this community and we need YOUR input to do that!

PLEASE contact us at womensrunningcoachescollective@gmail.com
Tell us what you think, what you know, and what you would like to learn.
ALL  perspectives are welcome and encouraged, and we will try and publish some of the emails. We are looking for good ideas and suggestions!
This is your journey too!
You ARE the Womens' Running Coaches Collective.
Melissa Hill
Nikki Rafie
Helene Hutchinson
Charlotte Lettis Richardson 

Coaching and Leadership
Coach Nikki Rafie
Distance Running Coach

Portland, Oregon 
Nikki Rafie is a 2-time US Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier (1996 and 2000), and the winner of the 1995 Portland Marathon. In her 30 years of running, she has run 20 sub three-hour marathons, and continues to be a competitive master’s athlete. She still loves a good race, and remains active in the local running community.
Nikki started coaching in 2004, working with adult distance runners of all levels. Her passion for helping women develop and succeed has made hundreds of women achieve their goals. She was a founding member of the Portland running club, Team Red Lizard. She has captained winning women’s and co-ed teams in the famous Hood-to-Coast Relay. As the Head Coach of Team Athena from 2008 - 2014, she helped grow the team to one of largest all women running clubs in the region. Currently a senior manager at Nike, she continues to coach and mentor women runners on a selective basis.
Picture
"The strong women in my family have taught me that women’s instincts and emotional intelligence can be extraordinary. Women coaches should use their instincts in working with athletes. What you feel and observe in an athlete can truly direct how you work with them. Use your emotional intelligence to connect with your athletes, helping them to find the right approach to training and racing." 
​- Nikki Rafie
Coaching and Leadership
Words of Wisdom from Coach and Runner Nikki Rafie
Coaching and Leadership go hand in hand. To be a good coach, you must be a good leader. Women leaders and coaches are seeking a chance to be significant as we see the world through a prism of opportunity. The opportunities for women coaches are happening now. It is our time to become the best coaches and leaders possible.
 
Women already possess many of the qualities needed to be a great coach – 
Having been a women's running coach for years, and also holding leadership roles in the corporate world, I’ve grown to understand the decision-making processes, and the dynamics and subtleties of women’s personalities and styles. These are the very same qualities needed to be a skilled coach and leader of a team and of athletes.
 
A family tradition of strong and independent women – 
In my family history, I grew up surrounded by strong-willed, hardworking and purpose-driven women. It is through their leadership that the traditions, values and legacy of my family have been upheld. It is these same qualities that make great women coaches. Strong willed, hardworking and purpose driven. Overseeing a team, managing athletes' training and racing, and unifying a team and staff, require all of the above characteristics.
 
The strong women in my family have taught me that women’s instincts and emotional intelligence can be extraordinary. Women coaches should use their instincts in working with athletes. What you feel and observe in an athlete can truly direct how you work with them. Use your emotional intelligence to connect with your athletes, helping them to find the right approach to training and racing.  
 
Coaches as managers – 
The best women coaches/leaders seamlessly manage crisis and change. They are turnaround experts, sensing and neutralizing any signs of danger well before it disrupts the peace. As a coach, you will be faced with athletes that are challenging and distracting to the team dynamic. Lead by example and bring them into the fold, putting them in roles of teaching and leading.
 
A Head Coach has the responsibility of leading her individual athletes, team, and staff. She must be a leader and manager of her assistant coaches. She helps to shape the goals and attitudes of an entire team and staff. This is one of the most important aspects of having a successful team.
 
 
Working with male colleagues -  
Many men do not understand powerful women. It can be difficult for men to understand how independent, self-reliant women think, act, and innovate. There are some males who have been closely and positively influenced by the women in their lives. My experiences have taught me that great women make it a point to teach men about our strengths as women, and not compete with them. It is important to respect and recognize that both men and women, though different, have equally valid perspectives.
 
Working with male coaches and athletic directors, requires patience, intelligence, and perseverance. Know who you are, and what you value. Be confident, yet humble. Maintain your strength and conviction, and yet be open-minded and collaborative. Seek to understand, and share your point of view positively, diplomatically, but firmly when needed.
 
Great and successful coaches – 
Great coaches believe in what they stand for, and understand it is simply a matter of knowing how to strategically activate those around them.
 
Successful women coaches don’t rely on favors and drama! They earn respect by truly believing they can influence their own advancement by developing others.  Look for respect, more than recognition. The most successful coaches don’t seek to become the star of the show. They coach and support their athletes to create a great show.
Picture
"Working with male coaches and athletic directors requires patience, intelligence, and perseverance. Know who you are, and what you value. Be confident, yet humble. Maintain your strength and conviction, and yet be open-minded and collaborative. Seek to understand, and share your point of view positively, diplomatically, but firmly when needed." - Nikki Rafie

Our goal is to provide women coaches and athletes
positive support, recognition, education, and community.
We believe in the "hands up" approach.
Let's help each other become the best coaches we can be.
Invite others to join us!

womensrunningcoachescollective@gmail.com

Sign up for our list!
Picture
Copyright © 2019 Women's Running Coaches Collective, All rights reserved. 
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. 

Our mailing address is: 
Women's Running Coaches Collective
11592 Grandview Dr
Montgomery, TX 77356-4274
Add us to your address book

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. 


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    We exist to support, unite, inform, inspire, encourage and empower women coaches at all levels of our sport. 

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    December 2021
    August 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018

    ​Index:

    May 2022
    Starting Line 1928 Interview of Charlotte Richardson
    April 2022
    Charlotte Richardson Interviews Joan Benoit Samuelson
    ​April 2021
    Women's Running's Writeup on WRCC's Women Pro Running Coaches Panel
    March 2021
    ​Speaker Series-Coach Angelina Ramos
    February 2021
    #35-WRCC Interview, Jacqueline Hansen, Part 1, 2
    ​O​ctober 2020
    #34-WRCC Interview, Coach Tom Rothenberger
    September 2020
    #33-WRCC Interview, Coach Christi Smith Ryan
    August 2020
    #​32-WRCC Interview, "Conversations on Coaching" with Coach Diane Wholey, Part 1, 2
    June 2020
    ​#31-WRCC Interview, Leadership in Coaching, Part 1
    #31-WRCC Interview,
    Leadership in Coaching, Part 2
    #30-WRCC Interview, Changing the Landscape
    May 2020
    #29-WRCC Interview, Part 1, Tania Fischer
    #29-WRCC Interview, Part 2, Tania Fischer
    ​#28 - WRCC Interview, Coach Christina Whitney
    March 2020
    #27 - Alison Wade & fastwomen.org
    February 2020
    #26 - The Marie Davis Markham Interview
    January 2020
    #25 - Nike NW T&F Clinic- "Coaching the Young Female Runner" presented by WRCC
    #24 - Nike NW T&F Coaches Clinic

    November 2019
    #23 - A WRCC Interview with Olympian Shalane Flanagan
    October 2019
    ​#22 - Coach Bob Williams
    ​July 2019

    #21 - Coaching and Stress
    June 2019
    #20 - Stress in Coaching Survey
    April 2019
    We need your feedback
    March 2019
    #19 - Laura Ledbetter Caldwell, A Master Coach
    ​#18 - Dealing With Competitive Anxiety and More With Adrienne Langelier
    February 2019
    #17 - WRCC Panel Discussion @ Nike NW T&F Clinic (Part 2)
    January 2019
    #16 - Joan Benoit Samuelson
    #15 - NW Nike HS T&F Clinic - WRCC Session
    ​#14 - Happy New Year
    December 2018
    ​#13 - Looking forward to the Future
    ​#12 - Running in College
    November 2018
    #11 - Leigh Daniel Cordes
    October 2018
    #10 - Amy Yoder Begley (part
    ​2)
    #9 - Amy Yoder Begley (part 1)
    September 2018
    ​WRCC Survey (2 mins.)
    #8 - Serena Burla (part 2)
    August 2018
    ​#7 - Serena Burla (part 1)
    News
    #6 - The Most Important Coaching Tool - Planning your Season
    ​#5 - How to Build a XC Team
    ​#4 - Stronger, Faster, Healthier for XC
    July 2018
    #3 - The Big Lie about Specialization in Youth Sports
    #2 - Coaching & Leadership
    #1 - A Young Coach's Perspective
    June 2018
    Out of the Blocks! The WRCC

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • What's New
  • WRCC Chapters
  • Ask a Coach
    • Ask a Coach Videos
    • Ask a Coach Questionnaire
  • Resources
    • Video Interviews
    • Prehab Videos
    • Print Interviews >
      • Athlete Interviews
      • Coach Interviews
      • Coaching
      • Coaching Youth Sports
    • Speaker Series
    • Links
    • Films
  • Membership
  • About Us
    • Board of Directors
    • Mission
    • Social Posts
    • Contact Us
  • Merchandise
  • Blog Posts