How do you build a sustainable high-performance culture despite yearly assistant coach rotations and demanding schedules? Alice Read, Assistant Athletic Director for Sport Performance at Vassar College, shares expertise from managing 29 teams and 600 student-athletes while continuously "riding the rollercoaster" of Division III scheduling. Read explores strategies for maintaining program continuity, including matching assistant coaches to sports based on strengths and growth areas. She emphasizes advocating for daily staff lifts to test and refine programs firsthand. In a full-circle moment, Read, once an NSCA Foundation Assistantship Recipient, now serves on the committee awarding these opportunities, demonstrating the value of early professional involvement. She also discusses collaborative problem solving within the Liberty League Strength and Conditioning Committee and explains how the College Coaches Professional Development Group (PDG) provided boots-on-the-ground guidance for the 2024 NSCA Strategic Plan. Tune in for actionable insights on mentorship, collaboration, and longevity in collegiate strength and conditioning. Connect with Alice via email at aread@vassar.edu and on Instagram: @ajpr3 and @vassar_strong | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs

Contribute to the advancement of the strength and conditioning profession while earning CEUs when you share your knowledge and skills as a presenter.

The purpose of this article is to show athletes and coaches how plantar fasciitis is diagnosed, treated, and transitioned back to athletic training for the athlete.

Dr. Brian Shilling, Chair of the Kinesiology & Nutrition Sciences at UNLV and former President of NSCA Foundation, and Dr. Andy Galpin, Professor in the Center for Sport Performance in charge of the Biochemistry and Molecular Exercise Physiology Lab at California State University, Fullerton talk to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about the University programs that they work for, their involvement in research, and the and process of grants for strength and conditioning coaches.

This article discusses using the principle of specificity as an important component in tactical training programs to enhance performance, decrease injuries, and improve functional longevity of a tactical athlete.

This article reviews common risk factors for falls, discusses practical means to assess risks, and proposes training strategies and other avenues aimed at reducing the risk of falling in older adults.

TSAC Report 75, shares content on injury prevention exercises for first responders. Visit NSCA online to read articles on health science, tactical athlete and more.

Discovery Canyon High School’s Sam Melendrez explains how experts in his profession are having a profound impact on youth in sports.