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Monday, October 9
Mandatory Babe Ruth League Coaching Certification Program
There is no one single action that can have more of a positive impact on our players than improving the quality and knowledge of our managers and coaches. It is a fact that managers and coaches are the ones who spend the most time interacting with our participants and the ones who can make a childs experience in youth sports fun and memorable. Therefore, it is very important for youth coaches to be properly trained to focus more on the childs baseball and softball experience and less on winning games. With this in mind, the Babe Ruth League/Ripken Baseball Coaching Certification Program was developed. Under the program, all baseball and softball coaches must complete coaching education before July 31, 2008. The Babe Ruth League/Ripken Baseball Coaching Certification Program consists of the Level 1 coaching certification online courses Coaching Youth Baseball: The Ripken Way for Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken Baseball Coaches and Coaching Youth Softball: The Ripken Way for Babe Ruth Softball Coaches. Babe Ruth League, Inc. and Ripken Baseball, Inc. exclusively endorse these online courses, which are being developed by the American Sport Education Program. The courses will be available in the coming months, so youll have ample time to complete certification requirements prior to the July 31, 2008 deadline. Coaches who complete the Level 1 course with a score of 80% or better will receive the Babe Ruth League/Ripken Baseball Coaching Certification Program Level 1 certification for baseball or softball and will be able to print a certificate of completion and wallet card from the Web site. The Level 1 certification is valid for three years.
"At Babe Ruth League Inc., we feel there is no one single action that can have more of a positive impact on our players than improving the quality and knowledge of our managers and coaches. Every manager and coach has an obligation to provide players with the best instruction and leadership possible. It is a fact that the managers and coaches are the ones who spend the most time interacting with the players and are the ones who can make a childs experience in youth sports fun and memorable. This is the driving force behind Babe Ruth League's partnership with the American Sport Education Program."
Steven Tellefsen
President/CEO Babe Ruth League Inc.
"Volunteer coaches are the lifeblood of our sport. If a kids first experience with the game of baseball is a positive one, the chances are much higher that he or she will fall in love with the game and stick with it. If we can educate more coaches about how to teach the game of baseball properly as well as how to make it fun, safe, and exciting for the kids, we will have much more success increasing participation and retaining young athletes. For these reasons and for the betterment of the overall sport experience, we are requiring that all of the Babe Ruth Leagues coaches successfully complete a coaching education program."
Cal Ripken Jr.
President/CEO Ripken Baseball Inc.
Frequently Asked Questions:
The requirement is that all baseball and softball coaches affiliated with either organization must become certified by July 31, 2008.
What are the online courses being offered through ASEP? Coaching Youth Baseball: The Ripken Way for Babe Ruth Baseball Coaches Coaching Youth Softball: The Ripken Way for Babe Ruth Softball Coaches
When will the courses be available for purchase? The courses will be available late December or early January 2007, allowing coaches a full 18 months to gain certification prior to the July 2008 deadline.
How much does the course cost? The courses are $19.95 each. The certification will be good for three years (breaking down to $6.65 per year), making it affordable for each coach to pay for their own online program.
How do I purchase the course? Visit www.BabeRuthCoaching.org, click on "For coaches" link under "Quick Clicks" section of the home page, and follow the prompts. You will need a Visa or Mastercard credit or debit card to make the purchase through the website.
What is the format of the course? The courses are PDF-based courses, meaning course takers do not receive any ancillary course materials (no book, CD, or video) in the mail. All course content is delivered electronically through the course.
How long is the certification valid? By taking the ASEP course, coaches are certified for three years. At the end of three years, coaches will need to renew their certification by participating in a to-be-developed course.
How long does the course take to complete? The average is 6-8 hours to complete the course. This assumes the user completes all the suggested reading.
Can someone not affiliated with Babe Ruth League or Ripken Baseball take the course? Yes, but we would recommend the coach consult his or her organization to ensure that the Babe Ruth/Ripken version will satisfy the coaching education requirements of the non-affiliated organization. If a person is taking the course for his or her own professional development and not to satisfy a requirement, the coach would simply select "Other" from the drop-down menu during the registration process.
Will coaches receive a certificate of course completion? Coaches will have the ability to print a certificate of completion and wallet card directly from the site. However, we will not be mailing certificates.
Will there be a National Coaches Registry for the site? Yes, there will be an NCR, but it will not be open to the public. Only administrators will have access to the registry to run reports for their individual leagues.
Handout:
Coaching Certification Program Announcement
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