Hats off to the staff of the NFCA, who adjusted mid-stream to the COVID-19 pandemic this year by staging a virtual convention that took place from Wednesday through Friday of this week and saw nearly 1,500 “attendees” participate from around the world.
It’s one thing to host an event with over 100 speakers, 70-plus sessions (26 of which were live) and an Exhibit Show featuring 73 companies; it’s quite another to pull it off when it’s almost entirely online!
One benefit of the virtual experience was attendees could, and still can, watch content on their own schedules, as it is available for the next 30 days (until Jan. 11, 2021). Additionally, select live sessions will be made available on-demand now that the Convention has concluded.
The next convention is scheduled to be held Dec. 8-11, 2021 in Las Vegas and, hopefully, will once again be an in-person gathering of many of the leaders of the fastpitch world.
Here is a recap of the three-day NFCA Virtual Convention with excerpts of content and images provided by the NFCA…
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Friday, Dec. 11, 2020: NFCA Virtual Convention Wraps Up
The 2020 NFCA Virtual Convention wrapped up on Friday with another full day of education, live sessions and Exhibit Show traffic.
Highlighting day three was the live Softball Summit, a second live mentoring session, live Hall of Fame panel and the announcement of the 2021 Hall of Fame Class.
SPEAKERS | SCHEDULE | EXHIBIT SHOW
Capping off the Convention were two live sessions: the Hall of Fame panel and Mentoring Session.
Panelists included in the discussion were Cindy Bristow (2001), Mike Candrea (1996), Donna Fields (2020), Kris Herman (2020), Les Stuedeman (2014), George Wares (2007), and Linda Wells (1991).
At the conclusion of the panel, NFCA Vice President for Awards Pat Conlan announced former Creighton head coach Mary Higgins and current University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire head coach Leslie Huntington as the Association’s 2021 Hall of Fame class. The duo will be inducted, along with the 2020 class, next year in Las Vegas.
The Convention wrapped up with a mentoring session where six more attendees – Colleen Powers (St. Catherine University), Lesley Shepardson, (South Milwaukee High School [Wis.]), Marty Lackner (Austrian Youth National Team), Jennifer Hunt (Indiana Fusion Elite), Sarah Parten (University of Redlands), and Ashley Weingartz (South Carolina) – through the NFCA’s Pay It Forward program – won prizes ranging from a Coaches Clinic registration to a 2021 NFCA Convention Registration.
During the live Softball Summit, attendees heard from USA Softball Executive Director Craig Cress and the NFCA Board of Directors, while also participating in discussions about roster management, eligibility extensions, recruiting & technology during the pandemic, and student-athlete surveys.
Cress shared the finished product of USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium’s upgrades and revealed the creation of the High-Performance Program, that is a pipeline to the USA Softball National Team Program. He also added that Tokyo is working very hard to put together a safe and exciting Olympics in 2021.
The NFCA Divisional Board representatives shared their hot topics from their respective groups and caucuses. Topics ranged from COVID-19 adjustments to Cal JC playoff selections to NCAA and NAIA Championship updates to the NJCAA/NFCA membership partnership that increased the NJCAA’s Association membership numbers from 45 percent to 87 percent.
Attendees were treated to a session on defensive shifts with Arkansas’ Matt Meuchel and Northern Illinois’ Christina Sutcliffe as well as three more Drills, Drills, Drills presentations from Duke’s Marissa Young (pitching), South Carolina’s Kaela Jackson (hitting) and Georgia Gwinnett’s Kat Ihlenburg (team competition).
A fun and informational panel followed with five U.S. Olympians. Current Team USA head coach Ken Eriksen introduced the panel of Monica Abbott, Stacey Nuveman, Cat Osterman, Michelle Venturella, and Natasha Watley before they shared their stories with NFCA Executive Director Carol Bruggeman.
Missouri’s Larissa Anderson discussed how long-standing baseball instruction is easily transferable and beneficial to softball. Diamond Solutions’ Nate Walker, a former MLB advanced scout, presented on sabermetrics and how to use this information for player development and evaluation. Lastly, Mind Gearz Performance’s Dr. Michael Gerson, Michigan State’s Jacquie Joseph and Ryzer’s Dr. Robert Troutwine explained how Major League Baseball, Michigan State and Ryzer approach recruiting from a “moneyball” perspective.
The day also featured several more off-the-field educational sessions.
Michigan’s Lew Porchiazzo disclosed how he implements Wolverine strength and conditioning philosophies in the Michigan softball program. First-time head coaches and new hires – Longwood’s Megan Brown and Ball State’s Lacy Wood – shared their tips and stories on interviews. And tying into the interview process, Kathleen Mannheimer from Princeton explained “how your resume helps set you apart” in a competitive job market.
The NFCA’s Emeriti coaches gathered in the afternoon for a 3 p.m. coffee hour during which retired head coaches shared their stories from years past.
Additionally, Busy Coach founder Mandy Green offered advice to increase efficiency and help you find more hours in the day, while NFCA Legal Counsel Samantha Ekstrand, Oregon Senior Associate AD – Chief Compliance Officer Jody Sykes and Stefanie Smith (Ekstrand & Ekstrand) shared their knowledge on the evolving topic of Name Image and Likeness (NIL).
The Down the Hallway series wrapped up with two more conversations. Florida’s Tim Walton sat down with head volleyball coach Mary Wise, the architect of one of the most storied NCAA Division I programs, while LSU’s Beth Torina returned and was joined by recently-retired head gymnastics head coach and two-time national coach of the year D-D Breaux.
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Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020: NFCA Virtual Convention Hits Midway Point
The second day of the NFCA Virtual Convention was jam-packed with the highest volume (29) of sessions over the course of the three-day event.
Day two featured 15 live sessions, including the all-important divisional caucuses, panels, head coach education and Thursday Night Trivia presented by PGF in the evening. Congratulations to “You Cheated,” which took home first place, defeating 16 other teams in a fun and laughter-filled evening.
Attendees continued to take advantage of the Exhibit Show that ran throughout the first two days of programming and will continue through the final session on Friday.
Day two also featured the annual Sports Attack Raffle. One lucky attendee, Isis Hutchinson of St. John’s High School (Texas), went home with a Junior Attack Machine, courtesy of the Sports Attack.
Kicking off the day was an Administrator Panel that combined three NCAA Division I senior-level administrators with two NFCA member head coaches, who also serve as Athletic Directors at their respective NCAA Division III and NJCAA institutions.
In programming geared toward high school and travel ball coaches, a panel of collegiate head coaches offered advice and answered various questions on subjects including recruiting, development and getting involved in the collegiate coaching ranks.
Following those panels, attendees could take in head or assistant coach education, which was followed by live Q&A sessions with the panelists.
The final panel of the evening was Diversity and Inclusion. Panelist Amber Barker of Texas Woman’s University made a point that, “It’s OK to not have the answers, but it’s not OK to be silent and ignore the issues going on in the world around us. Have the real conversations.”
Central Washington University head coach Alison Mitchell, who was taking in all the information as an attendee added, “Go to the clubs, programs, offices, etc., that your university has. Seeing what they do first-hand can be powerful. Always do your homework so you can provide your student-athletes with the right information and really show them you’re working to be an advocate.”
Another session, the Grassroots Summit presented by Wilson, offered on-field and mental health education to the youth, high school and travel ball groups. NFCA Hall of Famer Sue Enquist and Suzy McNulty, M.D. provided their knowledge on improving your team’s mental health. On the field, Abilene Christian’s Caty Reeves and Indiana’s Shonda Stanton dove into catching drills and hitting mentality, respectively.
In other on-field presentations, UNLV’s Kristie Fox, Northwestern’s Michelle Gascoigne, Jen Schroeder of Jen Schro Catching and Ole Miss’ Katie Rietkovich Browder offered Chalk Talks on infield, pitching, catching and slapping/short game, respectively. They joined Enquist, McNulty, Stanton and Reeves in a lively Q&A session.
One of the most anticipated sessions on Thursday was a candid conversion with two legends and NFCA Hall of Fame members, Mike Candrea (Arizona) and Carol Hutchins (Michigan). They sat down with NFCA Executive Director Carol Bruggeman and reminisced about their heralded coaching careers and offered advice on a wide-array of topics.
Another conversation led by Bruggeman featured Washington head coach Heather Tarr and four former Huskies that have gone on to have professional and national-team success. Tarr, who is an assistant for USA Softball, was joined by three members of the Canadian National Team – Victoria Hayward, Danielle Lawrie, and Jennifer Salling – and U.S. National Team member Ali Aguilar. All four played roles in their national teams qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Two speakers with baseball backgrounds lent their knowledge. Louisville head baseball coach Dan McDonnell provided insight on creating team culture. Former collegiate player Austin Wasserman of High Level Throwing presented position-specific throwing drills.
Additionally, Dr. Greg Rose from OnBase U explained how to optimize your hitter’s performance by understanding how they move.
The new Down the Hallway series continued with two more conversations. South Carolina’s Beverly Smith sat down with Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Dawn Staley, the Gamecocks’ head women’s basketball coach.
It was followed by Beth Torina of LSU and NCAA Division I baseball’s winningest active coach, Paul Mainieri.
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Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020: 1,450 Joined NFCA for the First day of the Virtual Convention
Day 1 opened with 1,450 attendees absorbing softball education from their homes and offices.
Following an opening welcome from NFCA Executive Director Carol Bruggeman and NFCA President Kate Drohan (Northwestern), the first day of the Convention kicked into high gear with its first of five live sessions, Work/Life Balance, which featured six panelists leading discussion topics on transparency and communication (spouse, team, staff, administration), guilt, non-traditional families, separating work from family, and many more.
Also featured live was a second Coaching Connection (Equality Coaches Alliance: LGBTQ+, Diversity and Inclusion) Gathering, the first of two Mentoring Sessions presented by Republic Bank and three Fireside Chats presented by The Alliance Fastpitch.
In a 90-minute mentoring session, approximately 300 coaches shared their knowledge and experiences across several topics. Brenda Volk from Wisconsin-Whitewater said that “having different personalities on staff challenges a head coach, especially when they have the same team philosophy” while Augustana’s Gretta Melsted stressed that “core values are to empower young women on and off the field.”
Additionally, through the NFCA’s Pay It Forward program, six attendees – Brooke Bittorf (Sevastopol High School [Wis.]), Terry Burdette (Hood College), Sarah Jamo (Southern Maine), Kristi Paulson (Parkland College), Tori Stafford (Arkansas), and Kelsey Thompson (Augustana) – won prizes ranging from a Coaches Clinic registration to a 2021 NFCA Convention Registration, while over $1,000 was raised during the one-hour session.
A new addition to the Convention schedule is the Down the Hallway series, featuring softball coaches interviewing fellow coaches at their respective institutions. Batting leadoff was Illinois’ Tyra Perry sitting down with the Illini’s first-ever Black head football coach, Lovie Smith, followed by North Carolina’s Donna J. Papa picking the brain of 21-time national champion Anson Dorrance of UNC Women’s Soccer.
Another speaker from outside the softball coaching ranks was Theresa Beeckman from Growing Leaders, who focused on the topic Generation Z Unfiltered: Understanding and Leading Your Team. Her presentation was followed by a live Q&A.
Internationally-recognized life coach, speaker and best-selling author Chad Hymas put forth a keynote presentation titled “Peak Performance During a Pandemic.”
He encouraged coaches to become influencers using their past challenges to become that kind of coach. Hymas emphasized that when he looked at his situation from “a different perspective and stopped complaining things changed for the better.” He has had several coaches over the past 27 years that were key influencers. Hymas stated that he became reliant on their principles to turn something like the current pandemic into something amazing.
The day was also highlighted by four Building Blocks sessions on hitting, pitching and practice, along with three Drills, Drills, Drills covering outfield (Jillian Van Wagnen/Pitt), hitting (Sahvanna Jaquish/Dixie State) and pitching (Ashley Chastain/Charlotte).
Three of the Building Blocks featured father/daughter duos – Mike (Texas) and Nyree White (Brick Wall Softball), Marty (Corona Angels) and Tori Tyson (Howard) and Alicia (Loyola Chicago) and Jim Abbott (New Lennox Lightning). Jo Evans, Craig Snyder, Katie Repole and Kara Dill of Texas A&M offered tips and philosophies for planning an effective practice.
Following those respective segments, attendees joined a live Q&A session with select presenters.
Rounding out the education for day one was LSU’s Lindsay Leftwich with Technology Hacks for Your Program and Oregon’s Melyssa Lombardi’s Solving the Roster Puzzle.
While attendees were soaking up all the education, they could also take advantage of the Exhibit Show that ran throughout the first day. There was also the ability for live one-on-one conversations with exhibitors through video conferencing, 24-hour booth access for attendees Dec. 9-11 and a three-day Virtual Auction.
Additionally, exhibitors were afforded the opportunity to pitch their companies, whether it was showing off a new product or educating attendees on their brand.
