Presentation Summary: Often times what makes us effective as coaches is not our knowledge of anatomy, periodization schemes, or training methods, but rather, it is our ability to deliver this information to our athletes in a way that resonates at the individual level. In this presentation I will discuss what makes a great coach, the process of coaching, and different coaching cues that will lead to performance. These techniques will be explored from my viewpoint coaching Olympic, Collegiate, and Professional athletes over the last decade.
Biography: Sarah Cahill is a strength and conditioning coach for the USA Women's Olympic Ice Hockey Team and InnerCity Weightlifting a nonprofit in Boston Massachusetts. Prior to her work with the Women's National Team Sarah was a strength coach at Northeastern University in Boston where she was responsible for Women's Ice Hockey, Track and Field, Men's and Women's Soccer, and Swimming and Diving. Before her stint at Northeastern, Cahill spent two years years as the Head Performance Specialist at Core Performance Center, a branch of Athletes' Performance, in Santa Monica, CA.
Prior to her post at Core Performance, Cahill was the strength and conditioning coach for the women's softball, volleyball, soccer and men's and women's tennis teams at the University of Oklahoma. During her first year at OU, the volleyball team flipped its record from 3-18 to 20-3, resulting in the biggest turnaround in Big 12 history. Cahill also guided the top-ranked softball team to a Big 12 championship in 2006.
Cahill holds certifications from both the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.
She began her career working for Michael Boyle while attending the University of New Hampshire and captaining the Division I lacrosse team her junior and senior years. As a Wildcat, Cahill was a two-time America East all-conference midfielder. As a senior in 2004, she captained the Wildcats to the America East title and an appearance in the NCAA Division I tournament.
Cahill received her bachelor's degree in exercise science at New Hampshire and went on to complete her master's degree at Springfield College.
Originally from Lexington, Mass., Cahill has shuffled closer to Boston and now resides in Cambridge.
