Women’s Coach Development Weekends Scheduled for 2025

COLORADO SPRINGS - USA Weightlifting has added two Women's Coaching Development Weekends to the 2025 calendar. Six-time national champion Jackie Black will host the first course Feb. 6-9 at Pinnacle Weightlifting Club in Colorado Springs, and Sydney 2000 Olympian Cara Heads-Slaughter will follow with a April 24-27 course at CH Fitness and Performance in Washington, D.C. Participants can earn their Level 1 Coach Certification, their Level 2 Coach Certification, or take advantage of the opportunity and complete both certifications over four days for a special discounted price. Each weekend will also feature a Friday-night gathering for course attendees to connect and build community.

“Building community and belonging increases the likelihood of women staying in coaching,” said Anna Swisher, USAW Director of Sport Science & Coach Development. “We want to see more women coaching in not just weightlifting, but across all sports, and these women’s weekends help us reach that goal. We’re grateful for Coach Jackie and Coach Cara’s eagerness to share their time, expertise, and passion for weightlifting.”

Two scholarship opportunities are available for coaches taking the Level 1 coach certification course: 1) the Women in Coaching Scholarship Program, and 2) the Youth Coaching Scholarship. The Women in Coaching Scholarship Program is available to female coaches with a demonstrated need and commitment to coaching weightlifting and is made possible through the support of a generous USAW donor. The Youth Coaching Scholarship, made possible by  the Susan Crown Foundation’s Million Coaches Challenge, which aims to train one million coaches in positive youth development by 2026, is open to coaches who work with youth athletes in underserved communities.

Both scholarships cover the tuition cost of the Level 1 certification course as well as one year of USAW membership. Cut off for scholarship applications is 30 days before each course starts, and participants will be notified of scholarship awards no later than three weeks before a course begins.

Registration links:

Feb. 6-9 | Colorado Springs

Click here for Level 1 registration

Click here for Level 2 registration

Click here to apply for the Women in Coaching Scholarship and/or the Youth Coaching Scholarship

April 24-27 | Washington, D.C.

Click here for Level 1 registration

Click here for Level 2 registration

Click here to apply for the Women in Coaching Scholarship and/or the Youth Coaching Scholarship