University of North Carolina Athletics
Trailblazers Share Coaching Experiences With UNC Students
February 19, 2016 | General
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – UNC students who are interested in careers in coaching got the opportunity Thursday evening to discuss the profession with three Carolina graduates who have risen through its ranks. “A Conversation About Coaching” featured a Q and A with Sharon Couch-Fikes and Phil Ford and was moderated by Harlis Meaders, the Tar Heels' track and field coach.
Couch-Fikes, who competed in track for UNC and as an Olympian, began coaching her sport after years of competing and working in the business world. She has coached on the middle school, high school and collegiate levels. Ford, who played basketball for the Tar Heels and in the NBA and also as an Olympian, has coached in the collegiate ranks and in the NBA. The two are being honored on Saturday as Tar Heel Trailblazers, and Thursday's panel kicked off the weekend's events.
Held in the Loudermilk Center's Blue Zone, the program included advice on ways to break into coaching, the role of networking, and the importance of being prepared before opportunities arise. The three also spoke at length about the many non-coaching aspects of the profession, such as maintaining diversity on staffs, creating work-life balance and the difference between managing vs. coaching players.
“I enjoyed the intimate setting and feeling so connected to the coaches and the rest of the audience,” said Victoria McGee, a senior on the Carolina rowing team who attended the event and plans to coach after graduation. “Hearing coaching perspectives from different levels, sports, backgrounds, etc. is a way I've started to expand my own coaching knowledge. I particularly enjoyed the advice each of the three coaches gave us, and the emphasis each placed on culture. I think coming from a Carolina background, that culture is engrained from the beginning and that's something I want to take with me as I transition from a student-athlete to a coach.”
Despite the many challenges the profession presents, all three panelists spoke of the joys coaching has brought them. “It's a wonderful profession,” Meaders said, “and I can't think of anything I'd rather do with my life.”
Couch-Fikes and Ford will be honored at halftime of the UNC men's basketball game against Miami on Saturday. They are part of the third class of Tar Heel Trailblazers, an annual recognition of African-American UNC graduates who have been pioneers during their time in Chapel Hill and beyond.
Players Mentioned
