For the first time, the OSAA is offering its own certification course for new coaches.

Beyond the Scoreboard, a two-hour online course that includes voiceovers by state coaches and athletic directors as well as OSAA staff, became available last week. First-year coaches have the option of taking BTS or the six-hour NFHS fundamentals of coaching course, which has been used for certification for the past two decades, to fulfill the one-time requirement.

“We think it will be a positive,” OSAA executive director Peter Weber said. “It really focuses in on being an interscholastic coach. I feel like it's going to be helpful with that messaging, not Xs and Os, but how coaches prepare, their relationships with kids, and making sure they understand how they're dealing with kids that need that support.”

Wells athletic director Mike Nolan, who contributed to the voiceovers, said the course is “definitely something that was needed.”

“NFHS does a really good job keeping up with the current protocols, but the fundamentals course, to be quite honest, needed to be tweaked,” Nolan said. “This is more meaningful, more intentional. It's got more pieces to it that I think will fit today's coaching philosophy. It's about being more reflective and intentional about their practice, making things inclusive and fun and competitive.”

The idea for BTS came from Pete Lukich and Tom Bendt, the former athletic directors at Sunset and Aloha, respectively. They approached the OSAA with the idea for the BTS initiative two years ago, promoting it as an operating system for Oregon athletic programs.

“This is kind of the natural evolution of that,” Weber said. “We had some conversations about what that would look like, and this is one of the steps we wanted to take.”

Lukich, who retired this year after 27 years as Sunset's athletic director, is hopeful that the BTS course will encourage coaches to reflect on the scope of their responsibility.

“The NFHS course, while it was good, it was not inspiring,” Lukich said. “This course I do believe is inspiring. And it's shorter. If I put it into one big word, I think it's a catalyst. It's a catalyst for the coach to understand that there's more than just the first dimension of coaching, the Xs and Os, the wins and losses.

“The bottom line is you're coaching holistically and touching the hearts and minds in how you coach.”

The OSAA modeled the BTS course after one done by the Virginia association. Broken into 37 modules, the BTS course includes some of the same material covered by the NFHS course but addresses other subjects such as mental health and sportsmanship.

“It's definitely a separate course,” Weber said. “It's great stuff.”

The OSAA partnered with 3D Institute to develop the course. Nolan said that 3D Institute's coaching philosophy – 3D Coaching – is in line with organizations such as Proactive Coaching, InSideOut Coaching and Positive Coaching Alliance.

“It really targets more of a psychology of coaching and reaching kids, grabbing the heart,” Nolan said. “It gives you a structure and a framework, but I think it's more intentional and has more components that can make more sense and be more relatable.”

The OSAA has arranged with 3D Institute to offer the BTS course free to each of the state's athletic directors.

“We want them to buy into it, as well,” Weber said. “Most of the ADs took the NFHS fundamentals course, and we wanted them to have access to this course, too."

Wells, Ridgeview, North Valley, Pilot Rock and Silverton are participating in a pilot program with 3D Coaching, a project funded by the OSAA Foundation.

“All of our coaches are going to be 3D Coaching certified by the end of the year,” Nolan said. “Hopefully, it mushrooms from there and we get the whole state to be in tune with what 3D offers.”

As part of the pilot program, Lukich and Bendt will visit each school three times for a “summit” with coaches. They also will serve as consultants to the athletic directors.

Ridgeview athletic director Randi Viggiano said she is “excited to be a part of the pilot program.” She was among those who read a voiceover for the BTS course.

“I was honored to be a part of making the video, especially surrounding mental health and the whole athlete,” she said. “I think it's something that has been missing in our certification and our classes that we have to take. I'm really excited that we're focusing more on how to get the most out of our athletes and how to give our athletes the best experience.”