Women's Coaching Alliance changes the game for Bay Area youth sports
BURLINGAME -- An organization on the Peninsula is working to bring more young women into positions of leadership in Bay Area youth sports.
You might say Pam Baker created her own field of teams inspired by her late husband. She started the Women's Coaching Alliance.
"He passed away from cancer three years ago, so we started this really in his honor," said Baker. "It was really based on my husband. He was a dedicated coach. He loved coaching our twin daughters and he would work to get more women into coaching sports with him. He could see it was important for these girls to have a female role model."
Nicole Tobar is in high school and is part of the coaching alliance.
"There are so many aspects that go into it. You have to plan out the lesson plan, get early to set it up and you have to deal with parents at times," said Tobar.
The main goal of the Women's Coaching Alliance is to create leaders on and off the field. Olympic champion eater polo player Ellen Lee is part of the alliance. She serves as a mentor.
"I help them see that maybe they have a hard conversation with a referee, and they are getting feedback on their players from that referee. I said 'Well, this is exactly what I dealt with this week where I got feedback on my employees from another manager.' I showed them that they are picking up skill through coaching that can translate into the working world," said Lee.
High school junior Lucy Caron says her coaching experience will definitely help her in the work force.
"I have always wanted to be a teacher for primary grades, so this is perfect for me," said Caron.
Hands-on experience during game days and workshops during the week help participants hone their leadership skills.
"It is so amazing to see it go from an idea to reality and to see these kids out here having a great time under the leadership of these young women is really awesome," said Baker.
More information on the organization can be found on the Woman's Coaching Alliance website.
