The USATF Level 1 Program is the cornerstone of the USATF Coaching Education Program and accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education (NCACE). The course prepares an individual to coach at the junior age, high school, and club division level by emphasizing fundamentals, teaching progressions, rules, safety, and risk management. The 22-hour course covers all track & field events and related sports science through a blended learning approach, combining self-paced learning with synchronous instruction. The online units must be completed prior to check in. New format instructions can be found here. Following the event specific training, registrants will be automatically enrolled in the USATF Level 1 exam with 30 days access and a maximum of two attempts to earn a passing score (80% or better). The first 40 registrants are guaranteed a copy of the textbook during check in. Late registrants are subject to receive a digital version.
BEGIN YOUR REGISTRATION PROCESS.
Instructors
Charlotte Sneed: owns and coaches her own cross country and USATF track club, the Contra Costa Cheetahs, which serves youth, open, and master athletes. Previously, Sneed was the Head Coach at Heritage High School and sprint, relays, and jumps coach at Freedom High School. In 2019 she was selected to receive the Milton Hershey Award for her volunteer contributions to youth track. Sneed holds USATF Level 2 certificates in Jumps and Youth.
Ken Grace: Ken has coached track/field and cross country at both the community college and high school levels for over 40 years. A teacher of Kinesiology, Health and Physical Education at Chabot College, Grace is USATF certified Level 1 and Level 2 in Jumps and Endurance. Grace has guided athletes to numerous honors including: six community college state champions, a high school state champion and Foot Locker National Qualifier in cross country, USA XC National team member, a Western States 100 mile champion, a national road race champion. Grace was awarded California Community College Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1995. In addition, Grace has authored several articles on training and endurance. Grace earned his BS in Kinesiology from Cal-State Hayward, and holds an MA Education from Stanford.
Matt Lydum: is the Assistant Track & Field Coach at Western Oregon University. Previously, Dr. Lydum was the Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach at Pacific University, San Francisco State University, and Defiance College in Ohio. He was USOC delegate to the International Olympic Academy and was project writer for the Human Kinetics text, Coaching Youth Track & Field (2000). He completed his PhD in Teaching and Teacher Education at the University of Arizona and currently directs the Youth Specialization – Level 2 program.
Schedule
The USATF Level 1 will precede the USATF Pacific President’s Invitational.
Thursday, Feb 13, 2025
5:00pm – 5:30pm – Check in
5:30pm-6:00pm – Introduction
6:00pm-8:00pm – Endurance/Racewalk
8:00pm-9:00pm – Sprints
Friday, Feb 14, 2025
8:30am-11:00am Hurdles/Relays
11:00am -12:30pm Jumps
12:30pm-1:30pm Lunch (on your own)
1:30pm-3:30pm Jumps
3:30pm-5:30pm Throws
5:30pm-6:30pm Dinner (on your own)
6:30pm-8:00pm Throws