2022 NFCA Convention: Preview of the Agenda for Thursday, Dec. 8th

One of the biggest off-season events in fastpitch softball began yesterday as the 2022 NFCA Convention—labelled as “The Greatest Softball Show on Earth”—began with officially will  go through Sunday, December 10^th at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas.

Extra Inning Softball’s Brentt Eads and Justin McLeod are at the event which will be in full swing today, especially with the opening of the Exhibition Hall which will include more than 100 (unofficially at 110) vendors…. see the complete list HERE.

Here is a list of all scheduled meetings and classes for today:

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8

• 6:15-7:15 AM — Boot Camp | Periwinkle/Verbena | View Details

  NFCA Convention attendees can get their energy levels up first thing in the morning with a group workout session led by Dartmouth head coach Jen Williams!

• 6:15-7:15 AM — Yoga | Iris/Lilly | View Details

  Rise and shine and start your day off right with a group yoga session led by Seton Hill head coach Cassie Moore!

  ** Please bring your own yoga mat.

• 7:00 AM-8:00 PM — Convention Registration & Merchandise | View Details

  Make sure you stop by the registrationdesk to pick up your credential and event information. Also, visit our merchandise desk to receive a free gift from the NFCA, play games to win prizes, and look through our inventory of new swag.

  ***Access into any and all NFCA Convention sessions requires a credential and lanyard.
  ***Credentials must be worn at all times during the annual Convention and may be obtained on-site at the NFCA Convention registration desk.
  ***Please note, security will monitor entry into all of the Convention sessions and access will not be permitted without the appropriate accreditation.

• 7:00-8:30 AM — NFCA Breakfast | Foyer | View Details

  Grab a bite to eat before your morning meetings.

• 8:30-11:30 AM — NCAA Division I Caucus | Grand Oaks A-J | View Details

  Only NCAA Division I NFCA members may attend and propose items for consideration by the group and have a voice/vote during the caucus.

  The premier business event of the Convention, the NCAA Division I Caucus brings together the membership group to discuss current issues, review and discuss pending legislation, create action plans for future changes to the game and collaboratively shape the sport for the future.

• 8:30-11:30 AM — NCAA Division II Caucus presented by Chattanooga Sports Commission | Cibolo Canyon 1-5 | View Details

  Only NCAA Division II NFCA members may attend and propose items for consideration by the group and have a voice/vote during the caucus.

  The premier business event of the Convention, the NCAA Division II Caucus presented by Chattanooga Sports Commission brings together the membership group to discuss current issues, review and discuss pending legislation, create action plans for future changes to the game and collaboratively shape the sport for the future.

• 8:30-11:30 AM — NCAA Division III Caucus | Cibolo Canyon 6-11 | View Details

  Only NCAA Division III NFCA members may attend and propose items for consideration by the group and have a voice/vote during the caucus.

  The premier business event of the Convention, the NCAA Division III Caucus brings together the membership group to discuss current issues, review and discuss pending legislation, create action plans for future changes to the game and collaboratively shape the sport for the future.

• 8:30-11:30 AM — NAIA Caucus | Sunflower/Wisteria | View Details

  Only NAIA NFCA members may attend and propose items for consideration by the group and have a voice/vote during the caucus.

  The premier business event of the Convention, the NAIA Caucus brings together the membership group to discuss current issues, review and discuss pending legislation, create action plans for future changes to the game and collaboratively shape the sport for the future.

• 8:30-11:30 AM — NJCAA Caucus | Bluebonnet/Dogwood | View Details

  Only NJCAA NFCA members may attend and propose items for consideration by the group and have a voice/vote during the caucus.

  The premier business event of the Convention, the NJCAA Caucus brings together the membership group to discuss current issues, review and discuss pending legislation, create action plans for future changes to the game and collaboratively shape the sport of the future.

• 8:30-11:30 AM — Cal JC Caucus | Freesia | View Details

Only Travel Ball and High School NFCA members may attend and propose items for consideration by the group and have voice / vote during the caucus.

The Triple Play Classroom Series (10-11:30 am) will have education geared toward grassroots coaches. Presenting to attendees will be:

10-10:30 AM
Iyhia McMichael (Frisco Emerson HS [Texas])
Drills for the Beginning & Advanced Hitter

At the high school level coaches deal with a range of talent and resources. This discussion will show skill progression from the beginning hitter to the elite hitter in order to maximize the most out of your high school athletes.

10:30-11:00 AM
Paul Greco (Incarnate Word High School [Texas])
Winning with Scouting & In-Game Strategies

Take advantage of your opponents weakness and tendencies. How to incorporate scouting opponents’ games into managing your team’s in-game strategy. Time to create the chaos that disrupts your opponents game.

11-11:30 AM
Kristi Williams (Blue Springs South High School [Mo.])
The Jaguar Way: Creating Culture Keepers

For every team, culture plays a massive role in outcome. We teach our culture explicitly every season to show our players exactly what is expected of them, teaching them to be “culture keepers” who pass a legacy on to the next year’s team. Teams from 10 years ago feel as though they are still a part of South Softball because they see their legacy play out in the teams continuing The Jaguar Way.

• 11:00 AM-6:30 PM — Exhibit Show Open | View Details

  The Exhibit Show opens its doors to attendees at 11:00 a.m. It’s your opportunity to discover innovative products, apparel, services and now, more education! Stop by to build relationships that may benefit your team in the future.

• Noon-12:30 PM — Exhibitor Educational Session: HitTrax | Cibolo Canyon 1-5 | View Details

  How to Unify Your Team and Organization When Your Players Have Different Hitting Coaches

  Presented by RISR, moderated by Janie Reed

  Join us for a panel discussion featuring Cat Osterman, OLY (RBI Austin and Cat Osterman Softball Academy), Melissa (‘Skeeter’) Gentile (STL Chaos), and Amanada Chidester, OLY (University of Michigan) that addresses the challenges in establishing a common language across your organization and the approaches they’ve utilized to overcome them.

• 12:45-1:15 PM — Exhibitor Educational Session: Pocket Radar: | Cibolo Canyon 1-5 | View Details

  

  Connecting In-Game and Practice Data for Recruiting and Development

  Speakers: Taylor Alexander (Pocket Radar Inc.), Jami Lobpries (The Alliance), Andrew Biele (AthletesGoLive), Scott Smith (The Alliance), Amanda Scarborough

  In this presentation, you will learn how to maximize the power of tying together in-game and practice metrics through the integration of affordable and accessible solutions. Real-time objective feedback from video and verified data helps you identify the strengths of each individual athlete and provides a blueprint for helping them reach and sustain their potential.

• 1:00-2:50 PM — Sports Analytics – The Competitive Advantage presented by College Sports Evaluation | Grand Oaks K-S | View Details

  Panelists: KJ Allister (OnDeck), Derek Allister (OnDeck), Ryker Chason (Ole Miss), Dave King (CSE/Triple Crown Sports), Maureen Kirchner (CSE), Courtney Martinez (Iowa State University), Dana Sorensen (Sorensen Elite), Nate Walker (Diamond Solutions) and Lindsey Zickrick (CSE)

  Sports Analytics is driving diamond sports behind the scenes. We are sharing insights to increase your team performance and highlight metrics we found that have direct correlation to success in softball. Join us as we bring together leaders and competitors in measurement for cutting edge conversations on sensor data and predictive performance metrics.

• 1:00-4:00 PM — Resume Building | Begonia/Bottlebrush | View Details

  Does your resume need a refresh? Do you need to brush up on your interviewing skills? Would you like to talk in a safe space with someone about climbing the ladder and job mobility? Registered attendees can sign up for a time to visit with experienced industry leaders for a one on one session to help prepare you for the next step in your career.

  Click HERE to sign up.

• 1:30-2:50 PM — Drills, Drills, Drills | Grand Oaks A-J | View Details

Quick pitch by HitTrax prior to presentation

1:30-1:55 PM
Hitting: Josh Bloomer (South Carolina)
Move, Move, Move – Interactive session on ways/techniques to immediately help your players move in a more efficient way offensively. These drills can be used by players just learning to hit or hitters at the highest level.

2:00-2:25 PM
Infield: Ritchie Richardson (Lincoln Memorial)
Rapid Fire Infield Drills – Fast-paced infield drills that focus on TEAM defense

2:30-2:55 PM
Pitching: Ashley Sunshine (S2 Breakthrough)
How to Influence Pitching Patterns: Designing Training Environments vs. Designing Drills – For drills to be effective, they must translate to the motion. In this talk we’ll discuss the criteria drills must meet at S2 Breakthrough, and how we use plyos to influence and maximize a pitcher’s patterns.

• 1:30-3:00 PM — Head Coach Track Education presented by FieldTurf | Cibolo Canyon 6-11 | View Details

  Quick pitch by FieldTurf prior to presentation

  1:30-2:15 PM
  Mental Performance Skills to Help Student-Athletes Play one Pitch at a Time
  Presenter: Leslie Huntington (Wisconsin-Eau Claire)

  Today more than ever student-athletes need help learning and implementing mental performance skills to elevate their level of play. Help your program play one pitch at a time by using these strategies to shed their fears and increase their resilience.

  2:15-3:00 PM
  Contracts for Coaches
  Presenter: Samantha Ekstrand (NFCA Legal Counsel)

  Whether you’re negotiating a long-term deal or just trying to decipher your current contract, join NFCA legal counsel Samantha Ekstrand to learn more about employment contracts.

• 3:00-3:30 PM — Exhibitor Educational Session: Perfect Game | Cibolo Canyon 1-5 | View Details

  Who is Perfect Game?

  Speakers: Destinee Martinez & Jessica Shults

  Perfect Game is excited to share all information about our resources and platform with the softball world. Perfect Game will go into detail about our goals, player profiles, scouting department, and combines.

• 3:00-3:50 PM — “Lead From the Front: Managing the coach’s mental health” | Dr. Bhrett McCabe | Grand Oaks A-J | View Details

  Quick pitch by Edward Jones prior to presentation

  To “Lead From the Front” coaches have to be able to take care of themselves. For this session, the focus on Mental Health and Sports Psychology is YOU, the coach. Dr. McCabe brings his years of experience as an elite baseball player as well as a licensed sport and clinical psychologist into our world to deliver strategies and tools that will extend careers and increase self-efficacy.

• 3:00-3:50 PM — “Training Decision-Making Skills for Elite Infield Play” – Aileen Morales (Georgia Tech) | Grand Oaks K-S | View Details

  The best infielders are the best decision-makers. Go beyond fielding percentage to learn how the Georgia Tech program has embraced a “plus/minus system” to elevate their defense and ensure their on-field output is not just consistent but game-altering.

• 3-5:00 PM — Director of Operations Roundtables | Cibolo Canyon 6-11 | View Details

  Presenters: Preston Long (North Carolina), Keely McMillon (Texas), Matt Meyer (Iowa), Jeannie Murphy (Clemson)

  Join your fellow Director of Operations, Volunteer Assistants, and Student Assistants for a round table discussion surrounding best practices for softball programs.

• 3:45-4:15 PM — Exhibitor Educational Session: Rapsodo | Cibolo Canyon 1-5 | View Details

  Winning Championships with Data

  Speakers: Jennifer Rocha (Assoc. HC – Oklahoma), JT Gasso (Assistant Coach – Oklahoma)

  

  Data doesn’t lie. Just ask Jennifer Rocha, JT Gasso and the defending back-to-back National Champions, Oklahoma Sooners. They rely on data to help with player development and recruit the top talent in softball. Join us as they discuss the importance of data in today’s game and how they’ve leveraged it to win multiple National Championships!

• 4:00-4:50 PM — “DP / Flex & Roster Management” – Yvette Healy (Wisconsin) | Grand Oaks A-J | View Details

  Roster management is a difficult concept these days. Did you know that you can use the DP/Flex in defining roles that both engage and inspire your entire roster? Find out more in this session with Yvette Healy.

• 4:00-4:50 PM — “A Holistic Approach To Developing Pitchers Throughout the Year” – Paige Cassady (Texas Tech) | Grand Oaks K-S | View Details

  Tracking the management and approach in terms of load for development of both the individual and pitching staff.

• 4:30-5:00 PM — Exhibitor Educational Session: LeagueApps | Cibolo Canyon 1-5 | View Details

  Centralized Registration: What every softball organization can learn from other youth sports programs.

  Youth softball has changed dramatically over the past 10 years, and the pace of change will only accelerate. There will be less organizations, and bigger programs, rewarding those who focus on excellence off the field and not just on it. In this interactive presentation, LeagueApps President Jeremy Goldberg explains what every softball organizational leader needs to know, and what will separate the winners from the losers.

  Presenter: Jeremey Goldberg (LeagueApps President)

• 5:00-6:30 PM — Happy Hour presented by LeagueApps | Exhibit Hall | View Details

  Continue your exploration of the exhibit hall with a beer or soft drink in hand for the NFCA Convention Happy Hour presented by LeagueApps!

• 5:00-6:00 PM — Equality Coaches Alliance: LGBTQ Gathering | Begonia/Bottlebrush | View Details

  

  Discussion led by: Kirk Walker (UCLA)

  Join other LGBTQ and ally coaches to discuss various topics on diversity and inclusion. It’s a great forum to ask questions, share information, or just listen to best practices for helping student-athletes thrive as valued members of their teams. Discussion on university and athletic department policies and resources for staff, coaches, and administrators along with training for athletic teams and staff will be addressed.

• 5:00-6:00 PM — Diversity & Inclusion Gathering presented by MLB | Sunflower/Wisteria | View Details

  Join coaches to discuss various topics on diversity and inclusion. It’s a great forum to ask questions, share information, or just listen to best practices for helping student-athletes thrive as valued members of their teams. Discussion on university and athletic department policies and resources for staff, coaches, and administrators along with training for athletic teams and staff will be addressed.

• 7:00-9:00 PM — Mentoring Workshop | Grand Oaks K-S | View Details

  One of the most anticipated events of the week! Grab a seat next to some of the best and the brightest in the game! This event pairs coaches from all membership categories for conversation and promotes professional growth and networking between coaches at all levels of the game. Our unique “Pay It Forward” end to the session is something you won’t soon forget. You do not want to miss this!!

• 9:00 PM — Digital Auction Closing | View Details

  The Digital Auction ends at Noon. Make sure you get your last-minute bids in!

• 9:00-10:30 PM — NFCA Extra Innings Fireside Chats (Hitting) | Cibolo Canyon 6-11 | View Details

  Chat Leaders: Lindsay Leftwich (LSU), Chris Malveaux (Tennessee), Diane Miller (Nebraska), Craig Snider (Texas Tech)

  Join an informal conversation with your peers where you can take a deep dive into specific topics that are sure to enhance your program.

• 

  9:00-10:30 PM — NFCA Extra Innings Fireside Chats (Pitching) | Grand Oaks K-S | View Details

  Chat Leaders: Larissa Anderson (Missouri), Cindy Bristow (UC Riverside), Boo De Olivera (Purdue), Lauren Ebstein (Tufts), Danielle Henderson (UMass), Josie Henry (Case Western Reserve), Melyssa Lombardi (Oregon), Jennifer Rocha (Oklahoma)

  Join an informal conversation with your peers where you can take a deep dive into specific topics that are sure to enhance your program.

• 9:00-10:30 PM — NFCA Extra Innings Fireside Chats (Mental Health) | Cibolo Canyon 1-5 | View Details

  Chat Leaders: Courtney Deifel (Arkansas), Kate Drohan (Northwestern), Kris Ganeff (Notre Dame), Kris Herman (Williams), Leslie Huntington (UW-Eua Claire), Brooke Kalman (Gettysburg), Karen Linder (Emeriti), Alicia O’Brien (Central), Rhonda Revelle (Nebraska)

  Join an informal conversation with your peers where you can take a deep dive into specific topics that are sure to enhance your program.

• 9:00 PM-Midnight — Diamond Sports/PGF Social | Event Lawn 2 / Grand Oaks A-J | View Details

*****

*** To see the rest of the week’s schedule of events, click HERE.

*** To see all the speakers headed to San Antonio next week, click HERE.

And it’s never too early to start planning for NEXT year’s NFCA Convention which will be a noteworthy one; it’ll be the 40^th anniversary and will be held in the host’s backyard (Louisville, Kentucky)!