I can address the question about who all is allowed on the floor. Kathy Juby and I spent Friday evening and Saturday morning checking out coaches bands. Only those coaches who had current USAW coaching cards, bronze cards, and photo IDs were given bands. Most coaches were ready to show their credentials, but some were unprepared. Kathy and I had a printed list of all certified coaches from the 2017-18 season, plus we had access to the USAW Membership database.

We did distribute quite a few wristbands, but the only coaches who received them were certified and had appropriate credentials. However, I do know that there were many coaches matside without bands. I'm not sure who was policing the coaches that were actually matside.

While distributing bands, Kathy and I did have to turn away several coaches. There were some who claimed they'd been coaching all season without having their bronze cards and were pretty upset that we wouldn't give them bands. The fact of the matter is that the state board of directors has made it very clear that all coaches need to be bronze certified, and it's the clubs' responsibility to make sure their coaches are properly certified. I'd say that 99% of coaches are aware of this, but there are those who choose to ignore the requirements.

This being my first year working with USAWKS, I think it went pretty smoothly. Moving forward, we'll continue to get info out to clubs about the coaching requirements, and although I'm sure there will be some coaches who legitimately fall through the cracks and aren't aware of the requirements, we will do our best to make sure that the folks on the arena and gym floors are the ones who need to be there.

I'll continue to push for the in-person bronze clinics instead of the online ones. Yes, it may be inconvenient to give up an entire Sunday to travel to the location, sit through a 6+ hour clinic, and then drive home, but Randy Hinderliter makes a great point when he introduces his bronze clinics. Does having a drivers licence make you a better driver? Does simply having a piece of paper or a card saying that you're certified, essentially checking off a requirement, really mean that you are a better coach? Randy's goal during his time as director of coaches development, and I continue to make this my goal as I take over his position, is to provide an opportunity for the coaches in attendance to truly become better coaches. We interact with the coaches, we share personal stories, we ask for feedback, and we make a person-to-person connection with everyone there. I'm an educator every day of the week, every week of the year -- a teacher in the classroom, a coach in the practice room, and a father at home. As long as I have the opportunity to work with developing our state's coaches, I will do my best to make it something that will help them become better coaches. You just don't get that guarantee with the online courses, and I wish USAW understood that dilemma.

That all being said, I was pretty happy with the experience of state this year. It was great meeting all the coaches I'd been corresponding with about their coaches certifications and also seeing all the coaches who'd been at bronze clinics this year. The state committee did a great job with the tournament this year. Thanks for all your hard work!