Bridging the gap between Research & Reality with Quality Sport.

In this Just Go Play podcast episode, Matt Young speaks with Wade Gilbert on Bridging the gap between Research & Reality with Quality Sport.

Dr. Wade Gilbert is an internationally renowned coaching consultant and sport scientist and an award-winning professor in the Department of Kinesiology at California State University – Fresno. Gilbert holds degrees in physical education, human kinetics, and education, and has taught and studied coaching and talent development at the University of Ottawa, University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA), and Fresno State. He is author of the highly acclaimed book Coaching Better Every Season and Editor Emeritus of the International Sport Coaching Journal.

Coaching Better Every Season that is applicable for coaches, parents, and anyone who wants to be a better leader and team member. 

Wade combines his academics with real-life experiences to provide realistic advise on how to make improvements in sport organizations. 

The biggest challenge he experienced was realizing that organizations who may seem professional may not execute best practices. The downfall of this is having people who may not have the right experience be in certain roles. 

Decisions in sport organizations are often made based on emotional and financial investments so hear the discussion on how coaches, parents, and all stakeholders can work together to create a better environment including:

Be patient: change doesn’t happen overnight. Educate yourself: listen and ask questions to understand why things are done the way they are. Credible Resources: share materials from credible resources to understand what can help impact grassroots sport experiences.Engaged Leadership: be involved and engage everyone in the process. Create a team environment that shares the same values and skills that are being taught to athletes (shared vision, communication, collaboration, etc.) 

Be inspired by the conversation on how to intentionally build a stronger organization that leads to quality sport experiences for kids.

Dr Wade Gilbert is recognized for his contributions to the field include the Dorothy V. Harris Memorial Award from the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, the Kristen Marie Gould Endowed Lecture on Sport for Children and Youth at Michigan State University, and the Cal Botterill Legacy Lecture at the University of Winnipeg. In addition to serving as consultant to many Fresno State and local high school coaches, Gilbert is a long-time advisor to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Coach Education Department and is the lead author of the USOPC Quality Coaching Framework. Gilbert has counseled coaches and sport organizations around the world spanning all competitive levels and in every sport imaginable including groups such as US Soccer, the Texas Rangers, Hockey Canada, USA Water Polo, US Ski & Snowboard, Softball Canada, Irish Rugby, Cricket Australia, the International Ice Hockey Federation, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Wade currently also serves as the mental performance coach for the Canadian Women's Softball team that will be competing in the Tokyo 2021 Summer Olympics.

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Just Go Play is the resource for parents, teachers, coaches, and athletes to understand how sports will help build skills for life. The mission is to help and encourage kids, parents, and coaches to enjoy sports and participate for life.