Kansas Wrestling Forums General Discussion Kids Folkstyle Coaches, Certification, and Access to Floor

I have received several inquiries lately about our Bronze Clinic offerings. Let me use this as an opportunity to discuss a few points.

A few years ago, USAW-Kansas voted to have all coaches on the floor at the State Tournament series (Sub-district, District, and State), be a minimum of Copper certified. Copper certification is the ground level course offered by USA Wrestling and the National Coaches Education Program.

Though the Copper has been refined recently, the Kansas Kids board feels that the Bronze level is the one that we will offer. In fact, if you want to coach at an USA Wrestling regional or national event, Copper certification will NOT be sufficient.

The Bronze course takes about 6 to 7 hours and is entirely in the classroom. The cost is $60.00 for which you receive the clinic, an excellent textbook, a study guide, your certification card, and a coaching shirt. Out of this $60.00, your clinic instructor also receives a reimbursement for his or her expenses and time. Even the most thrifty among us will have to admit, that that is a bargain.

Also a requirement of the course, is the satisfactory completion of a “self-take” open-book test. The original design of the course was for this test to be taken home, completed, and mailed in to the USAW offices in Colorado Springs. Coaches would set through the clinic and take their test home. You can see the possible problems in this. Some coaches would do their part in completing and mailing the test and some would not. Now, for the most part, at our clinics we (Kansas’s clinicians) are taking this burden off of coaches. Most instructors will have their students take the test “on-site” and mail all the tests in as a group.

As for the prerequisites to take the course, is that the prospective coach must have purchased an USA Wrestling Coaches card. This card is renewed annually and is most readily available through your local club. Your Copper or Bronze card does not expire. There is talk of re-certification, re-testing for coaches that have not quite grasped the lessons taught, etc., but for right now, that is just being discussed. (In the future, there will be some “forum-discussion’ on these and other topics)

Now, for the practical side of things, these two cards will allow you “free entry” into all USAW sanctioned events. At the USAW-Kansas State Tournament they will get you a coaches band. But, because of logistics, these two cards do not entitle you to coach on the floor. The Kansas State body has voted to restrict the number of coaches on the floor at the State Tourney. This is done by determining the number of qualifiers each club has. In their State packet, each club receives the appropriate number of transferable credentials. At the State tourney it is this credential and the wristband that allow you to coach.

Perhaps, in my attempt to answer a few questions, I have just spawned others. If so, ASK AWAY!

Remember, coaching, even your own child, is a privilege and not a right!

where is the next bronze clinic being offered?

All the clinics currently scheduled are listed under the Coaches Link in the left margain.

I'm renewing this info post!

Where is the link to the online Copper test? Our club will have a tough time covering a tourney the same day as the class. The fall classes interfered with football.

There will be a clinic offered in Wellsville the same day as seeding meeting.

There will be two clinics in Wichita. One on Feb 12th and one on the 19th. We will have the 12th at Haysville. The 19th is at Mike Furches Church. I will add them to the list as soon as it all is official.

Call or email to sign up. edison6@swbell.net or 316-721-5122.

Ed and Jenni Edison