USA Wrestling's National Coaches Education Program (NCEP) proudly announces a joint venture with Northern Michigan University to provide coaches with the opportunity to earn graduate credit for career advancement.     Coaches who are certificated for K-12 education will be able to earn up to 4.5 graduate credits for participation in NCEP, a sport specific education program designed to build knowledge of issues relating to the sport of wrestling.    Graduate credit through Northern Michigan will be available for three of the four NCEP levels. Coaches will find that the coupling of graduate credits with the valuable knowledge disseminated through NCEP will offer them another great incentive to participate in coaches education offered by USA Wrestling, the National Governing Body of amateur wrestling.      "USA Wrestling's coaches education program wants to help coaches nationally who also serve as educators by giving them an opportunity to learn more about the sport of wrestling and advance professionally," said NCEP Manager Ted Witulski. "In many school systems, teachers that complete graduate credit are can move up on the pay scale.  Consequently, the graduate credit availability with NCEP will be a valuable incentive for teachers involved with wrestling."    For successfully completing the Bronze Level, participants are eligible to receive .5 credits (1/2 credit). The Bronze Level course, which is the second level of the NCEP program, is offered at the state level and involves in classroom instruction, technical mat-work, and a home study test. The course can be completed in as short as a day.  For more information regarding the Bronze course and locations of future clinics, contact the state chairperson in your area.      For members of USA Wrestling who are actively pursuing completion of the Silver Level, 2.0 graduate credits are available.     Coaches who attend a Silver Level Coaches College sponsored by USA Wrestling can receive 1.0 credit.  Each year USA Wrestling offers five-day intensive Coaches Colleges for detailed study of topics relating to wrestling.  In the summer of 2001, USA Wrestling will sponsor a Silver Level Coaches College in Cincinnati, Ohio prior to the World Team Trials.  Coaches who attend the sessions of the Coaches College in Cincinnati are eligible for 1.0 credit. The fees associated with the graduate credit opportunity are additional to the fees for participating in the programs offered through NCEP.      After attending a Silver Level Coaches College, participants are eligible to complete the Silver Level tasks. Coaches completing eight of the Silver Level tasks, and then successfully organizing and teaching a Bronze Level clinic, will be certified as a Silver Level Coach by USA Wrestling.  Participants that complete the Silver Level can receive 1.0 credit for obtaining the Silver Level.     Participants involved with NCEP that complete the Gold Level, the highest level offered by USA Wrestling, may receive an additional 2.0 graduate credits.  In order to obtain the Gold Level, Silver Level coaches must complete the remaining twelve tasks of the program.  Receiving the Gold Level certification is the highest level of achievement for wrestling coaches.    USA Wrestling looks forward to helping coaches advance professionally as well as learn more about amateur wrestling.  The National Coaches Education Program certifies over 2,000 coaches annually.  Those coaches who also are certificated to teach at the K-12 level have an exciting new chance to receive graduate credit for participating in wrestling-specific education.       To learn more about the National Coaches Education Program please contact Ted Witulski, NCEP Manager, by e-mail at twitulski@usawrestling.org or by phone at (719) 598-8181.  If you are interested in attending a Copper or Bronze clinic, please contact your local state chairperson.    NCEP Graduate Course Registration Process  NCEP Gold Level Graudate Course  NCEP Silver Level Graduate Course  NCEP Bronze Level Graduate Course  NCEP Silver Level Coaches College