CARY — The North Carolina High School Athletic Association held its fall 2014 Coach-Captain Retreat the weekend of October 4-5, the 34th in the history of this program.

                  The event, part of the Association’s Student Services program, was held at the Embassy Suites in Cary and attracted students from all over North Carolina.

                  Retreat teams include student-athletes who will be captains or leaders of their athletic squads in the coming year, a coach from the school and a parent representative. The retreats are designed to promote the concept of “teamwork.” Issues such as leadership development, alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, violence prevention strategies and academic success are addressed at these retreats, the first of which was held in the spring of ‘95.

                  The retreats are designed to help student-athletes define leadership qualities, identify key issues that affect them, learn to communicate effectively with other students and adults about these issues, and then to understand what captains can do to use their influence to prevent problems and promote healthy lifestyles.  

                  "The Coach-Captain Retreat is just one example of the tremendous programs offered through the NCHSAA for our member schools," said Davis Whitfield, commissioner of the NCHSAA. "Our staff and the facilitators do a great job of developing the content for the retreats and coordinating the activities, so this program will reach schools and student-athletes all over the state."

                  Facilitators included the following NCHSAA Student Services Trainers: Faye Corbin, teacher and coach at Hope Mills South View High School; Teresa Coleman, teacher at Bladenboro Middle School and Central SASI director; Mike Greene, teacher and coach at North Wilkes High School; Shelba Levins, teacher and athletic director at Woods Charter School of Chapel Hill; Larry Ratliff, teacher and coach at Southern Guilford High School; and P.J. Taylor, a retired teacher and coach from the Martin County Schools and the Northeast SASI director.

                  Coach-Captain retreats are organized and administered by NCHSAA assistant commissioner Mark Dreibelbis and director Chiquana Dancy.

                  “Student Services is the ‘value-added’ division of the NCHSAA,” said Dreibelbis. “The Coach/Captain Retreat emphasizes the responsibility of student-athletes to take their leadership skills and implement programs promoting positive life skills and total development through athletics to both their school and community.  Having the opportunity to develop these initiatives and assist in their implementation is what Student Services is all about. Our programs make a difference and create winners for life.”

                  Teams always conclude their retreat experience by developing an action plan, to be taken back and executed in their local school. Among the components of the action plan could be bulletin boards in the school, public service announcements for the school intercom, a community service project, a special newsletter for student-athletes or other school/community ideas generated by the team itself.

                   In addition to the staff, there were 70 participants in the retreat, with a total of 51 student-athletes and 19 adults attending. The adult total included 12 coaches or administrators and seven parents of athletes.

                    Teams at the retreat represented the following 11 schools:  Alexander Central, Cape Fear, Gates County, C.E. Jordan, McDowell, Mountain Island Charter, North Wilkes, South Brunswick, Voyager Academy, West Brunswick and West Iredell.

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