USAW/DC High School Coach Course Launched

On Saturday, June 7, twenty-four DC area athletic coaches participated in a USAW High School coach course at Anacostia High School. Presented by Olympian Cara Heads Slaughter and assisted by USAW coach and national-level lifter Eve Voltaire, the course was designed to provide coaches to school-age athletes the fundamentals of age appropriate program design as well as a greater understanding of the proper teaching progressions for safely instructing the weightlifting movements. The program also helped launch the partnership between USA Weightlifting and DC Public Schools to introduce the youth of Washington, DC to the sport of Olympic weightlifting. Phil Andrews, USAW Director of Programs and Events, and Clark Ray, Statewide Director of Athletics for the District of Columbia also attended the kick off effort. Cara is excited to support and develop ongoing programs to foster interest in Olympic-style weightlifting and develop a pipeline of competitive school-age athletes and skilled coaches in the months ahead. This initiative is in line with Washington's ambition to bid for the 2024 Olympic Games, and it is hoped this program will be a footstep on the way to developing Olympians who will be able to compete in their home city in 2024.