Date & Time: July 22, 2025, 9am – 3pm
Location: CESA #3
Cost: $200
Keynote Speaker: Geoff Steinbach, former athletic director, Arrowhead High School

About the Workshop

Coaching Beyond the Game is a one-day professional learning series designed for coaches, athletic directors, and school administrators who want to strengthen their programs through evidence-based coaching practices.

Athletic coaching goes far beyond wins and losses—it’s about shaping students into resilient, engaged, and successful individuals. This workshop will tackle critical challenges in interscholastic athletics, including:

Communication across programs, parents, and schools
Fostering a positive team culture
Reducing bullying and negative behaviors
Recruiting and retaining student-athletes
Defining success beyond the scoreboard

Through expert-led sessions, interactive discussions, and hands-on strategy-building, you’ll leave with practical tools to elevate your coaching approach.

Register today –>

What You’ll Learn

• Strategies for engaging and retaining student-athletes
• Techniques for difficult conversations with students and families
• Ways to foster a culture of winning and losing with grace
• How to develop a coaching playbook aligned with your program’s vision and values

Who Should Attend?

• Coaches and Advisors (Varsity, JV, Youth, Club)
• Athletic Directors
• School Administrators
• Leaders invested in student success through athletics

Keynote Speaker: Geoff Steinbach, Retired Activities Director, Arrowhead High School

Geoff Steinbach is a distinguished leader in athletic administration and coaching, with a career spanning over five decades in Wisconsin and beyond. A dedicated advocate for student-athletes and coaches, Geoff has served in numerous leadership roles, including President of the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association (WADA), President of the Wisconsin Track Coaches Association, and a founding facilitator of the National Senate of Track Coaches Associations.

His impact extends to shaping state and national athletic programs, serving as a liaison to the WIAA Board of Control, and coordinating one of the most respected track coaches’ clinics in the country. Throughout his tenure as an Activities Director and Athletic Director, Geoff fostered excellence in school athletics, mentoring countless athletes and coaches. His contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including induction into the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association Hall of Fame (2025) and the Arrowhead High School Hall of Fame (2015).

A lifelong educator, Geoff earned his M.S. in Physical Education Administration from California State University, Long Beach, and a B.S. in Physical Education and U.S. History from Carroll College. Even in retirement, he remains actively involved in coaching, professional development, and supporting the next generation of athletic leaders.

Register Today!

SCHEDULE

8:00 – 8:15 AM: Welcome, Introductions, and Opening Remarks

• Workshop introduction and objectives
• The impact of athletic participation on student success, K-12 and beyond
• The importance of cultivating a coaching mindset, not just Xs and Os

8:15 – 8:50 AM: What does it mean to be a coach?

• Explore the coaching competencies and their connection to athletics coaching.
• Differentiate between the different types of coaching
• Set an intention to begin redefining one’s capacity and identity as a coach

9:00 – 10:15 AM: What Successful Programs Do to Recruit and Retain Student Athletes and Coaches

• Aligned Coaching Competencies: Equity Mindset (1), Change Facilitation (6)
• What makes people join and stay? Define the conditions that support participant and staff commitment while mitigating absenteeism and other challenges.
• Where are we going? Clarify your program’s vision, related success outcomes, and the potential obstacles toward defined success markers.
• How do we get there? Develop a practical plan and timeline for achieving your goals.

10:30 – 11:45 AM: Effective Communication Strategies for Students, Parents, and Community Members

• Aligned Coaching Competencies: Communication Skills (3), Coaching Conversation Facilitation (5)
• Identify best practices for communicating with student athletes and program partners, especially families and club members.
• Try out approaches for proactively reducing behavior issues and promoting reflection, positive reinforcement, and growth.
• Apply communication strategies to a specific case study or real challenge in current context.

11:45 AM – 12:30 PM: LUNCH

12:30 – 1:45 PM: Create Your Performance Coaching Playbook

• Aligned Coaching Competency: Knowledge Base Development (4), Reflective Practice (7)
• Develop personalized improvement plans that align with the specific needs of student athletes.
• Unpack tools such as protocols and routines that can be applied to any program.
• Empower student athletes to become self-determining learners through regular reflection and goal setting.

2:00 – 3:00 PM: CLOSING KEYNOTE WITH GEOFF STEINBACH, FORMER ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT ARROWHEAD HIGH SCHOOL

• Aligned Coaching Competency: Relationship Development (2).
• The power of extracurricular activities in student development
• “Winning kids through sports” – beyond wins and losses
• The lasting impact of effective coaching

WHAT PARTICIPANTS WILL GAIN

• Practical strategies to build more consistent athletic programs
• Tools for effective communication with student-athletes and families
• Methods to align program values with coaching practices
• Resources from WIAA and professional coaching organizations

Register today to transform your coaching system and build programs that develop successful student-athletes both on and off the field!