A legendary collegiate basketball coach and a renowned expert on barriers experienced by female coaches will be keynote speakers at the Pass It Forward Women's Coaches Clinic on Sunday, Sept. 19, at the Augusta Civic Center.

Joanne McCallie will deliver a morning talk and Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi will speak in the afternoon session of the clinic hosted by the Women’s Basketball Coaches in Maine group. 

McCallie, the 2005 AP National Coach of the Year, earned 646 victories and made 21 NCAA Tournament appearances in 28 seasons at the University of Maine, Michigan State and Duke University. After stepping away from Duke last summer, the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame member wrote “Secret Warrior: A Coach and Fighter, On and Off the Court.” 

LaVoi directs the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota. The former collegiate athlete and coach researches the under-representation of women in coaching and gives talks worldwide about gender and sport and recruiting and retaining female coaches. LaVoi wrote "Women in Sports Coaching" and co-produced the Emmy Award-winning documentary “Media Coverage & Female Athletes: Women Play Sports, Just Not in the Media.”

For UMaine women’s basketball coach Amy Vachon, increasing the number of women coaching basketball in the state is important. 

“The Pass it Forward clinic is just the beginning of a long pursuit in making sure women coaching on the sidelines is a common sight,” she says. “When young girls see someone coaching who looks like them, they realize that coaching as a profession is possible! I am so excited for female basketball coaches to be able to learn from the best out there.” 

Vachon, a three-time America East Coach of the Year and member of four halls of fame, also is one of the best. In her four years as UMaine head coach, she’s guided the Black Bears to a 94–42 overall record, three league regular-season America East titles, two America East Championships, and two appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

At the clinic, Vachon’s presentation will include on-court skills and drills with the Black Bear squad.

In spring 2020, Vachon started the Women’s Basketball Coaches in Maine group with Kissy Walker (Husson University), Karen Magnussen (Maranacook Community High School), Lynne Hasson (South Portland High School) and Adrienne Shibles (then at Bowdoin College, now at Dartmouth College) to boost the number of women coaching basketball in the state.

The 122-member group has met monthly via Zoom throughout the pandemic. 

"The coaching group has given me the opportunity to meet and learn from so many women coaches, share our experiences and struggles, but most importantly ask each other for advice,” says Kristin Cronkite, junior varsity girls’ coach at Camden Hills Regional High School and former coach of the girls’ basketball squad at Camden-Rockport Middle School.

“Being able to have so many women to support and help build each other up is just the beginning of a long legacy of great female coaches to come out of this group. Having the opportunity to attend this clinic will definitely catapult all of us to another level of knowledge, awareness and personal growth.” 

When Jeannine Paradis entered the coaching ranks, there were fewer than 10 women leading varsity girls’ basketball programs in Maine.

“Slowly, over the years, that number has increased, but not by much,” says Paradis, now the girls’ varsity coach at Morse High School. “I have long been an advocate for young women to break the mold and be as passionate and fiery as our male counterparts. I am thrilled to be part of a group sharing the same vision and goal.”

Sharing a vision and goals as well as team bonding will be part of a clinic breakout session with Ellen Geraghty and Erika Valek, mental health counselors and former college assistant coaches. Valek played at Purdue University, was drafted by the Detroit Shock of the WNBA, and played professionally overseas. Geraghty starred at UMaine and also played professionally overseas.

Toby Martin, who played professionally in Germany, as well as at Franklin Pierce University and Maranacook Community High School, will lead a breakout session about individual training and improving player skill sets, confidence and basketball IQ.

Martin directs Basketball Performance at PRIME360. She’s a former assistant coach for the Bowdoin and the University of Southern Maine women’s teams.

Attendees also can choose from a variety of 10-minute table tip presentations, including skills and drills for youth and middle school programs, out-of-bounds plays, devising a practice plan, coaching moms, tips to transition from player to coach, best practices for dealing with challenging parents, managing timeouts, and qualities of an effective assistant coach.

"As an assistant coach, I believe you have to always be learning in order to effectively make the program you are a part of better,” says Courtney England, who was recently promoted to associate head coach of the UMaine women’s basketball team.

“Whether you are pushing yourself to learn more about X's and O's, or trying to learn how to develop genuine relationships with your student-athletes, it's important to keep growing. I believe that representation matters. 

“Our athletes see us coaching as women, wives, and moms, and they see something they can strive to become. I think this clinic gives female coaches in our state a unique opportunity to learn from, engage with, and support other women in our field. I encourage any woman who is coaching or may want to coach in the future to invest in yourself and learn from amazing women in our field."

The clinic, which runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., is for female coaches in Maine and beyond, as well as girls and women interested in coaching, at all levels. For those who register on or before Aug. 1, the cost is $105. For those who register after that date, it’s $130. Attendees will receive lunch, a copy of “Secret Warrior” and a swag bag. Click here (https://form.jotform.com/211436688699171) to register.

Julie Veilleux Sinclair, a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, says the clinic is designed to benefit leaders and coaches at all ranks, as well as those like herself who have stepped away from an active coaching role.

“Coach Amy Vachon has done a remarkable job taking her desire to see more women in coaching roles and leading by action. It has really sparked a collaborative effort and has built a supportive women's community that is making a difference,” says Sinclair, who coached at Colby College and assisted at Bowdoin and Navy after a stellar playing career at Cony High School and UMaine.

“I am inspired to be a part of this mission and I believe the Pass It Forward Clinic will help take Amy’s goals and the community of female coaches to new levels.”

For clinic updates, follow @passitforwardwbb on Instagram, @passitforwardw on Twitter, and the Pass It Forward Women's Coaches Clinic page on Facebook. For additional information, email passitforwardwbb@gmail.com

As of June 23, clinic sponsors are the Emily Ellis Team, official Home Team of the Maine Black Bears at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices | Northeast Real Estate; Kennebec Savings Bank; Golden Pond Wealth Management; Maine Basketball Hall of Fame; O’Connor Auto Park; and Jamie Clark, owner of The Willie Wags and Levant Corner Store.

"We are so thankful for all of the people and businesses who have committed to sponsoring this event,” says Vachon. “We’re still in discussions with others who want to help out. It’s clear that people in Maine are just as passionate about this endeavor as we are!"