CHAPEL HILL— The North Carolina High School Athletic Association is initiating a new program that it hopes will be of great service to its member schools, especially to younger or new coaches.

     North Carolina has a wealth of talented, experienced coaches in a variety of sports, and there has been discussion for some time on how those coaches, with their expertise and experience, could benefit their less experienced counterparts across the state.

     So the NCHSAA has established a coach-mentor program. Numerous coaches and administrators across the state were contacted to get suggestions of coaches who might be good to serve in this capacity.  Then many of those were contacted to see if they would be willing to participate in the program and would be available to answer questions or provide assistance.

     The mentor list includes coaches in a variety of sports, in each of the eight regions of the NCHSAA, and all four classifications.  The list is available to coaches on the NCHSAA web site.

     So if a coach has a question about how to handle a situation or other suggestions, he or she can look at the mentor list and contact a coach to get some guidance or insight that could be tremendously beneficial.

     “When I began my career in athletic administration, I had the fortune of learning from some icons who were willing to invest time and effort in my growth process,” said NCHSAA commissioner Davis Whitfield. “We have many coaches in our programs throughout the state with a wealth of valuable knowledge who are willing to share that with others.”

     About 180 coaches across North Carolina have agreed to serve in the mentor capacity thus far and the list will continue to be updated.

     The coach-mentor program was one of the goals established in the NCHSAA’s Strategic Plan, approved by the committee that formulated the strategic plan and then by the NCHSAA Board of Directors. It is hoped that this program will be utilized by coaches at many NCHSAA member schools.