Being a strength and conditioning coach is more than yelling and picking up weights. It’s about being the living embodiment of motivation and practical sensibility when times are good and when times aren’t so good. A strength coach must be able to take initiative by impacting others through leading by example and embracing hard work and effort. From my previous experiences all the way to being a graduate student, I’ve developed a well-rounded perspective to see how athletes have been trained by different performance coaches who take different training approaches. There is never one right way to train an athlete, however, strength, speed, and power across multiple planes of motion are non-negotiables. Simplicity can be the biggest ally when training as foundational movements can always be progressed or regressed depending on the comfortability and training age of an athlete. Training athletes in places where a stopwatch is the most objective form of feedback for testing can definitely bring out the competitive nature of athletes as they desire to improve upon their previous tests. Similarly, in places where resources to quantify athletic development is more prevalent, it can make a positive impact on both the athletes as well as key stakeholders of each athletes’ performance. As technology advances, the ability to give athletes feedback and monitor their training will become part of the culture. As forms of feasibility tools, Artificial Intelligence (AI), become integrated in regular workflows, finding ways to stay up to date on how AI will affect the fitness industry is important for future strength and conditioning professionals and I. Both coaches and athletes will need to be able to communicate with these emerging technologies to better trust the process on improving their athleticism. By learning how to interact well with AI, this will allow smoother transitions into full AI systems much easier. As a strength and conditioning professional still must be able to assess, program, and coach their athletes appropriately, they also must understand that algorithms used for testing and programming for athletes may have equal, lessor, or even greater benefit than a coach designed program. Humility is a moral that must not only be taught by coaches but experienced as well. Not every part of AI has the highest reliability and validity, but with the development of one’s knowledge in education, alongside the interplay of AI, an appropriate training plan may be developed to better the athletes that myself, as a future strength coach, will work with. By continuing my education, I am exposed to critical thinking that will benefit me when trying to navigate the nuances of an everchanging season filled with highest and, hopefully minimal, lows. Interacting with athletes in a lab and weight room can appear different but the coaching, preparation, and objective remains the same: How can I increase your performance, while ensuring your safety, today? I aim to contribute to the field of strength and conditioning by taking on the challenge of integrating research-based sports science and being cognizant of both the practicalities of a “coaches eye” and well supported research. Staying in the know with AI’s role in the field of strength and conditioning will help myself as a current and future strength and conditioning professional be better suited to integrate those technological systems into a high-performance setting. If I could look into the future, I would see many professionals who are strength and conditioning “practitioners” who, like myself, are furthering their knowledge of human movement to better help ensure that athletes are developing to their own optimums through sound athletic programs built on appropriate testing and monitoring training decisions.

To make a change, one must be the change. To me, that is what being a strength and conditioning coach is about. Being able to take initiative by impacting others through leading by example and embracing hard work and effort. After earning a degree in exercise science and biology, multiple internships with various athletes of differing shapes and sizes, a masters degree in biomechanics, working in professional sport, and starting a PhD, I’ve developed a well-rounded perspective to see how athletes have been trained by different performance coaches who take different training approaches. The “one size fits all” method is not always an appropriate form of training. Simplicity can be the biggest ally when training as foundational movements can always be progressed or regressed depending on the comfortability and training age of an athlete. Training athletes in places where a stopwatch and a Vertec is the most objective forms of feedback for testing can definitely bring out the competitive nature of athletes as they desire to improve upon their previous tests. Similarly, in places where access to technology to quantify athletic development is more prevalent, it can make a positive impact on both the athletes as well as key stakeholders of each athletes’ performance. As technology advances, the ability to give athletes feedback and monitor their training will be crucial to ensuring each individual athlete is progressing in their own optimal way. As forms of feasibility tools, Artificial Intelligence (AI), become part of many industries regular workflow, finding ways to stay up to date on how AI will affect the fitness industry is important for myself and other future strength and conditioning professionals. By learning how to interact well with new AI system integrations will better make transitions into full AI systems much easier. As a strength and conditioning professional still must be able to assess, program, and coach their athletes appropriately, understanding that algorithms that may take each athletes testing and create programs to address their discrepancies can have equal, lessor, or even greater benefit than a coach designed program. Humility is a moral that must not only be taught by coaches but experienced as well. Not every part of AI has the highest reliability and validity, but with the development of one’s knowledge in education, alongside the interplay of AI, an appropriate training plan may be developed to better the athletes that myself, as a future strength coach, will work with. By continuing my education, I am exposed to not only deeper levels of critical thinking, but the ability to quantify movement on varying athletes on both a microlevel and a macrolevel. Interacting with athletes in a lab and weight room can appear different but the coaching, preparation, and objective remains the same: How can I increase your performance, while ensuring your safety, today? My contribution to the changing field of strength and conditioning and the integration of sports science is developing as a coach who also is trained and versed in the research and science of human movement. Staying in the know with AI’s role in the field of strength and conditioning help myself as a current and future strength and conditioning professional be better suited to integrate those technological systems into a high-performance setting. If I could look into the future, I would see many professionals who are strength and conditioning “scientists” who, like myself, are furthering their knowledge of human movement to better help ensure that athletes are developing to their own optimums through sound athletic programs built on appropriate testing, monitoring, and training tools.

From seeing the most joy someone has ever had to seeing the complete opposite, those dealing with cancer know the feeling of how shrunk time can feel. Witnessing cancer's effect on others makes you realize that life is not something to take for granted. My sister was married 4 months prior to her cancer diagnosis. Seeing the joy she had on her wedding night was something that I never witnessed in all my years knowing her. She sang, she danced, and she was just starting to find a new journey in her life. Over the next couple months, I received word she was in the hospital to have some tests done due to some pain she was having. After a few weeks of keeping her in the hospital, I received news that she had stage 4 Neuroendocrine cancer that had metastasized throughout her body. I quickly had to travel across the country to see her. After talking with her and seeing how she was doing, I could see how quickly the surgeries, the cancer treatments, and the cancer itself had effected her ability to spend much time talking and expending energy that a healthy individual would have no problem expending. Little did I know that the conversation I had with her would be our last conversation here on earth. Less than 2 months after her diagnosis, she had passed away. Seeing how in just half a year, the vows that my sister and her husband had made of "till death due us part" really came full circle was hard enough on my family, but even harder on him. I realized through all this time of mixed emotions, there is still happiness to be had in that my sister made it to the next life. Her suffering is no more and she has a place of complete peace in heaven. Even though this happened 5 years ago, everyday I still think about her and how she changed my life, and my family members lives, for the better. She showed me sarcasm, love, and educated me on the intangible things in life. As her cancer was extremely rare, it has opened my eyes as there are many families that deal with cases like this all the time. With that being said, I realized the importance of getting involved in organizations that raise funds to fight cancer. The efforts that these organizations, and hospitals dedicated to cancer research, put forth to ensure that the quality of life of those with cancer is top tier shows that the fight against cancer doesn't have to be fought alone. As I write this essay, I say to whoever reads this, please take my sisters' story and use it as a guide to not take life for granted, celebrate your life and those around every day, and put love and God first in everything you do. Thank you, Angeleau Scott

To change lives, one must make an impact on others’ lives. To me, that is what being a strength and conditioning coach is about. Being able to impact others through embracing hard work and effort thus making the process worth the progress. From working with small children in youth baseball all the way to working with professional athletes, the one thing that never changes is the ability to build a meaningful relationship with the athletes that I work with to make their experience when training enjoyable and worth their time and effort. Education and great mentors have provided me with opportunities to give athletes a chance to build in their athletic development. My education has varied from hands on coaching to building models in statistical software’s. With this varied education, I tailored it so that I can evolve with the field of strength and conditioning that is incorporating the use of technology more often. From the time I was a student-athlete, human movement and how the body works internally and externally has peaked my interest due to the multiplicity of ways that each person develops and adapts as they grow. After earning a degree in exercise science and biology, multiple internships with various athletes of differing shapes and sizes, a masters degree of biomechanics, and jobs working in professional sport, I’ve developed a well-rounded perspective to see how athletes have been trained by different performance coaches who take many different training approaches. Training athletes in places where a stopwatch and a vertec is the most objective forms of feedback for testing can definitely bring out the competitive nature of athletes as they desire to improve upon their previous tests. Similarly, in places where access to technology to quantify athletic development is more prevalent, it can make a positive impact on both the athletes as well as key stakeholders of each athletes’ performance. With all this being said, the ability to make an impact on athletes through objective quantification of their development is part of why I am currently continuing my education through a PhD. From my experience, current research endeavors, and communication with professional coaches and athletes, the field of strength and conditioning is being improved everyday with the supplementation of technology prior to, within, and post training sessions. As technology advances, the ability to give athletes feedback and monitor their training will be crucial to ensuring each individual athlete is progressing in their own optimal way. The access to advanced technology does come with a price tag, leaving access to this technology for teams and facilities that can afford it. This, however, will leave previous versions of technology more accessible for other facilities on lower budgets. By continuing my education, I am exposed to not only deeper levels of critical thinking, but the ability to quantify movement on varying athletes on both a microlevel and a macrolevel. Interacting with athletes in a lab and weight room can appear different but the coaching, preparation, and objective remains the same: How can I increase your performance, while ensuring your safety, today? My contribution to the changing field of strength and conditioning and the integration of sports science is developing as a coach who also is trained and versed in the research and science of human movement. If I could look into the future, I would see many professionals who are strength and conditioning “scientists” who, like myself, are furthering their knowledge of human movement to better help ensure that athletes are developing to their own optimums through sound athletic programs built on appropriate testing, monitoring, and training tools.