IRONTON -- The Ironton Recreation Department and Ohio University Southern, Ironton campus will host a volunteer coach training clinic for area youth basketball coaches starting at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21. The clinic will be held in the Academic Center room 122 on the Ironton campus.

The clinic is being offered through the National Youth Sports Coaches Association, which has trained more than 1.8 million volunteer coaches worldwide.

This training program will give coaches information about the psychology of coaching children in sports; safety; first aid; maximizing athletic performance; legal liability; the coach as a role model; how to organize fun and interesting practices; tips on teaching the proper techniques of the sport and how to help steer children away from drugs, alcohol and tobacco, among other topics.

To complete the program, coaches must pass a written exam on the material presented and sign NYSCA's Coaches' Code of Ethics pledge, which stresses the importance of placing the emotional and physical well-being of players ahead of any personal desire to win.

Coaches who successfully complete the program receive $1,000,000 of liability insurance; a membership card; four issues of the Youth Sports Journal; eligibility for the National Volunteer Coach of the Year award; and can receive discounts at various theme parks, motels and rental car companies.

The cost of the clinic is $20. For more information or to register, contact Steve Call at 740-533-4559, 800-626-0513 ext. 4559, or call@ohio.edu.

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