Eshana France
*Eshana is a 2013 Leadership Academy alum and attended the Up2Us Coach Across America Institute in Chicago this month to train as our Lead Coach for our upcoming Leadership Academy. Read her thoughts on the whole experience here!
“Visiting the great windy city of Chicago is a great experience in itself, from having delicious deep dish pizza, to visiting famously known tourist attractions such as The Bean. My own experience there was made richer, however, with the exposure to many things I have not known, in the realm of coaching. Up2Us sports incorporated a whole lot of useful information into a jam packed weekend that was full of fun, new activities, fresh ideas, and various cultures that ultimately blended into one for the sake of being the most effective coaches for our youth. The environment we learned in was full of warmth and excitement as we took in information like how essential it is to differentiate the kid from the behavior, how to ask calming questions when a child is in a state of anger, and what it is to focus on progress rather than performance. Our common goal to all have the title of a Sports-Based Youth Development Coach made small talk easy and drove us to explore the differences in our individual cultures. For instance, I met an instructor from Seattle who coaches rowing and I also met an individual that coaches skiing, in the same day. Our access to certain terrains and temperatures correlate with the sports we have access to but one vital thing I learned from that is that no matter how different the sports may be, the same essential life skills can be taken from them. With an effective coach, one can gain patience, good communication skills, and much more. All in all, this coach training was deemed as a success in every aspect for me.”
