LOUISVILLE, Ky. – One of the most popular features of the annual NFCA Convention program is the diverse array of speakers that cover topics from both inside and outside the world of softball. In week three of our convention countdown, we highlight our pre-convention seminar lineup- NFCA Hall of Famer Cindy Bristow and the Assistant Coaches University.

Bristow will conduct a pitching seminar, while the Assistant Coach University returns after its well-received debut last year in Atlanta. Held simultaneously from 12-4 p.m. on Dec. 7, the seminars will be a prelude to the 2016 Convention, Dec. 7-10 at the New Orleans Marriott.

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Cindy Bristow

NFCA Hall of Famer Cindy Bristow has been involved in virtually every facet of softball throughout her 30-plus year career in the sport. She is the founder of Softball Excellence, which she created to extend the anyplace-anytime convenience of the internet to softball coaches, parents and players at all levels and across all continents. 

A passionate educator who loves to share and pass on knowledge, Bristow is a popular author, clinician, speaker and television analyst, who has held many leadership positions in softball, including with the ASA, NFCA, USA Softball and the International Softball Federation.

A Coaching Tools package created specifically for the NFCA by Bristow and Softball Excellence is included in all Association high school, travel ball and youth memberships.

After her playing days, Bristow turned to coaching, holding numerous collegiate and professional softball coaching positions including an assistant coach position at Arizona State, head coach at New Mexico State, head coach at Wichita State, head coach and assistant general manager of the Georgia Pride, which later became the Florida Wahoos in the Women’s Professional Softball League.

Bristow has held national and international leadership positions in softball including President of the NFCA, National Director of Junior Olympic Softball for the Amateur Softball Association, Director of National Teams and Coaching Development for USA Softball, and Director of Development for the International Softball Federation (ISF), the world governing body for the sport of softball.

A passionate educator who loves to share and pass on knowledge, Bristow has authored eight softball instructional books, produced 18 training videos, authored countess online instructional materials and articles including the seven-level Softball Excellence Coaching Certification Program. In addition, she has been a featured speaker, organizer and leader of thousands of softball clinics both in the U.S. and abroad, and has been a color analyst for ESPN’s college softball coverage.

Besides her induction into the NFCA’s Hall of Fame, a few of the many milestone accomplishments in her softball career include the guiding of the selection of the United States’ first-ever Olympic Softball team that won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympic Games, coordination of the Greek Olympic Softball Team’s creation and first-ever appearance in an Olympic Games, working with three different Olympic Softball Teams — USA, Greek and Chinese, and the leading of the Florida Wahoos to a WPSL championship, which resulted in Bristow being named WPSL Coach of the Year. In addition, Bristow has worked closely with Softball Australia to create and establish Pitching Excellence Schools, with Softball Canada to develop a Skills Development Pathway for players from Olympic level to 8-year olds. She also has traveled the world to help increase the level of softball coaching and play on a global level while working with the ISF’s 125+ member countries.

As the founder of Softball Excellence, she created the anyplace-anytime convenience of the internet to softball coaches, parents, and players at all levels and across all continents. Softballexcellence.com offers on-demand softball instruction and has the largest online repository of softball drills, skills, practices, and clinics in the world. Softball Excellence is a premier “online destination for all things softball,” and the first place to go for any type of softball instructional information or training aids.

Assistant Coaches University

In a special four-hour session, a variety of successful coaches will help assistant coaches become a valuable member of their team’s coaching staff and provide them with the skills to thrive under their head coach’s leadership. The panel features three head coaches- Jacquie Joseph (Michigan State), Rachel Hanson (Stanford), Larissa Anderson (Hofstra)- and three assistant coaches- Lindsay Leftwich (LSU), Diane Miller (Nebraska), Randy Schneider (Iowa State)- with 111 years of combined coaching experience, including 55 at the helm of a program.

Joseph will talk about how she transformed a mess into her message, while Miller will discuss the benefits of being a longtime assistant. Hanson will delve into creating systems that result in team excellence, while Anderson will talk about the transition from assistant to head coach. Leftwich will offer five non-negotiable for assistants going to consecutive postseasons, while Schneider will inspire thinking out of the box to reach players.

There will also be a live Q&A discussion where the presenters will address any questions or concerns that may not have been answered already.