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Nominate Your Coach for the USOPC's Coach of the Year Awards

10/05/2022, 11:15am CDT
By Bryan Wendell

Nominations must be received by USA Fencing no later than Oct. 18, 2022.


Greg Massialas (left), seen here coaching his son, Alex Massialas, was the 2020 winner of Olympic Coach of the Year. (Photo by #BizziTeam)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Know a coach who skillfully supports each fencer's journey, helps grow the sport and makes a significant impact on the world of fencing every day?

Nominate that impressive individual for the USOPC's Coach of the Year Program

Each year, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee honors some of the best coaches in sports across eight categories:

  • Olympic Coach of the Year: a coach of a national-level team, or the coach of an elite athlete who competes at the highest level of their sport
  • Paralympic Coach of the Year: a coach of a national-level team, or the coach of an elite athlete who competes at the highest level of their sport
  • Developmental Coach of the Year: a coach at the youth club, high school or junior level, or a coach who is directly responsible for training athletes to reach the junior and/or elite level
  • Volunteer Coach of the Year: a coach who does not receive payment in any form for his/her involvement in coaching at any level
  • Doc Counsilman Coach of the Year: a coach who utilizes scientific techniques and equipment as an integral part of his/her coaching methods or has created innovative ways to use sport science
  • College Coach of the Year: a coach at the NCAA level
  • Service Provider of the Year: an NGB/HPMO affiliated service provider such as a strength and conditioning coach, physical therapist, sport psychologist, dietician or other that has made an impact in your NGB
  • Coach Educator of the Year: Nominee must be a coach educator or ADM sport educator who has made an impact in the coaching education space

To date, USA Fencing has had one coach selected across all categories. In 2020, Men's Foil National Coach Greg Massialas was named the USOPC's Olympic Coach of the Year.

Let's get another USA Fencing coach on the list!

How Nominations Work

The nomination process begins with the National Governing Body, or NGB. Each NGB can submit one coach per category.

To select the nominees we will submit to the USOPC, USA Fencing is asking for our community's input. Please review the categories above to consider who might be worthy of recognition.

Note that all accomplishments must have taken place between October 2021 and October 2022 and that nominees must be currently employed or in their first year of retirement.

Next, follow this link to submit your nomination. All submissions must be received by USA Fencing no later than Oct. 18. We will then review those submissions and send our final choices to the USOPC.

Tag(s): Updates