#17 Lynn Kachmarik, First Female to Coach a Men's NCAA Division I Team Sport, On Protecting Our Children in Sport

Way of Champions Podcast

Lynn has over 45 years of experience in youth, high school, collegiate, and professional sports. Lynn was an All-American water polo player and swimmer at Slippery Rock University where she received her BS and MS Degrees in Physiology and Education. She was a 12-year member of the United States National Water Polo team, and then served on their Executive Committee. Throughout an 18 year career at Bucknell University, Lynn held various coaching positions, including serving a decade as the head coach for the Men’s and Women’s Water Polo and Swim teams. Lynn served as the Athletic Director at Saint Mary’s College for 10 years, and moved on to become the Vice President and General Manager of the South Bend Silver Hawks Minor League Baseball Team. Most recently, Lynn served as the National Outreach Director for Play Like a Champion Today. Under her guidance, the program was transformed from a small organization focused on educating Catholic youth coaches and parents into one of the top educational programs serving public and private elementary and high schools around the world. Lynn has been inducted into 6 Athletic Halls of Fame, including the United States Water Polo Hall of Fame, Bucknell University Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Collegiate Water Polo Coach Hall of Fame. She resides in Mishawaka, IN where she and her husband Scott are the proud parents of 3 college-aged children.

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Show Notes

4:30 It all started with teaching kids how to shake hands and what we can control

8:30 “You better win or you’re fired” - the wrong focus can create the wrong culture

11:30 You win, but at what cost?

15:30 On the lack of women in coaching - “we hire what we are comfortable with”

19:30 We need to build the pipeline, not hire based on what someone is

24:30 Kids are less likely to stand up to a bully today than 20 years ago - Why?

27:45 There is a fine line between bad coaching and bullying

32:30 It is not about YOU when you become a leader or coach

37:30 On bullying - what happens when other students intervene?

42:30 Lynn’s touching story of why we need to protect our children from abusive coaches

49:30 Lynn’s Rule of One

Finding Lynn

Website - True Brand Sports

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