Cooperstown Central School Hosting Leadership Training Program for Area High School Athletes

(COOPERSTOWN, NY) – To get to the Hall of Fame, the game’s greatest legends all benefited from strong leadership.

On March 1, future leaders and legends will get a taste of those Hall of Fame qualities at Cooperstown Central School’s Annual Student-Athlete Leadership Conference.

The Cooperstown Central School Leadership Training for Athletes Program will welcome approximately 300 student athletes along with their Athletic Directors representing more than 50 school districts around Central New York at the day-long conference, entitled “Sportsmanship: What Makes a Good Athlete GREAT” and to be held at Cooperstown’s Clark Sports Center.

“New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance in conjunction with the Cooperstown CSD Leadership Training for athletes program and Section III Student Athlete Advisory Committee are excited to be partnering with the Clark Sports Center and the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum to host our ninth annual Leadership Conference," said Monica Wolfe, Section III SAAC Advisory & Conference Planner. “The leadership conference exists to foster a positive atmosphere and serve as a platform for student-athletes to recognize how leadership application in athletics affects their daily lives. In turn, that creates a ripple effect to be applied through the student-athlete’s life and shared with their teams/teammates, their schools and their community.”

Also on March 1, athletic directors and teachers from the participating schools will take part in professional development seminars at the Hall of Fame, experiencing the Museum’s award-winning curriculum.

Hosted by the Cooperstown CSD’s Leadership Training for Athletes Program, the program for high school juniors will feature several workshops as well as speakers including keynote speakers Matt Hazzard, Herkimer College women’s basketball coach and SUNY Oneonta sport management professor, and Kevin Brooks, nationally acclaimed author and motivational speaker.

“The Clark Sports Center is pleased to be the host site for the upcoming Student Leadership Conference,” said Brenda Wedderspoon-Gray, Clark Sports Center director. “We recognize the importance of developing young leaders within our schools and communities and are excited to be a part of it.

Participating high schools include: Berne-Knox-Westlo CSD, Brookfield CSD, Charlotte Valley CSD, Chenango Valley CSD, Cherry Valley Springfield CSD, Clinton CSD, Cooperstown CSD, Corcoran High School at Syracuse City SD, Downsville CSD, Duanesburg CSD, Edmeston CSD, Fabius Pompey CSD, Fonda-Fultonville CSD, Fort Plain CSD, Frankfort Schuyler CSD, Galway CSD, General Brown CSD, Hamilton CSD, Hannibal CSD, Henninger High School at Syracuse City SD, Herkimer CSD, Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central, Ithaca City SD, Maine-Endwell CSD, Marathon CSD, Mayfield CSD, Middleburgh CSD, Milford CSD, Morris CSD, Morrisville Eaton CSD, Mount Markham CSD, New York Mills CSD, Northville CSD, Norwich CSD, Nottingham High School at Syracuse City SD, Odessa-Montour SD, Oppenheim-Ephrata-St. Johnsville CSD, Owen D. Young CSD, PSLA at Syracuse City SD, Richfield Springs CSD, Sauquoit Valley CSD, Sharon Springs CSD, Sherburne Earlville CSD, South Kortright CSD, Trumansburg CSD, Union Springs CSD, Utica City SD, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill CSD, Watertown CSD, Waterville CSD, Waverly CSD, West Canada Valley CSD, Whitney Point CSD, Worcester CSD and Representatives from Section II, III & IV.

The program is hosted by NYS AHPERD and sponsored by Section III Athletics, NYSPHSAA, Chobani, Upstate Bar & Grill, Private Sponsor, NYCM, CCS Leadership Training for Athletes, Cooperstown Chapter of SADD, Stewart’s and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

For more information on the Museum’s leadership programs and funding available to bring student groups to the Hall of Fame, please contact the Hall of Fame’s Education Department at baseballhall.org/learn.