United States Sports Academy alumnus and National Faculty member Dr. Dave Shrock recently was elected to a key leadership position in USA Track and Field (USATF) and also given a prestigious honor for his long-time leadership in the development of coaches in his sport.
Shrock was recently elected chair of the USATF National Associations Committee at the group’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. The committee administers the organization’s 57 governance associations in the United States.
Shrock was also awarded the McGill Legacy Coaching Award in recognition of his “passion and leadership nationally for the promotion of USATF coaching education.” The award is given annually by the USATF Coaching Education Committee.
“I am truly humbled to be given the opportunity to contribute to the leadership of our sport on the national level, and I will work diligently over the next four years to expand the opportunities for the membership in our sport,” Shrock said. “I am also honored to be presented the Legacy Coach award in recognition of my service to coaching education in the United States.”
Shrock, of Modesto, Calif., earned a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in kinesiology from San Jose State University. He earned a Doctor of Education degree in Sports Management from the Academy in 2009.
“When I first visited the United States Sports Academy I was very impressed with the program and the faculty,” Shrock said. “The classes I had at the Academy were challenging, stimulating and allowed us to ask questions and back them up with research and data. The education was rigorous, applicable and perfect for me because it acknowledged much of the knowledge I had already gained in the profession, as well as helping to further my understanding and hone my research and educational skills.
“The Academy helped expand my horizons of sport and how sport affects people on a global scale,” he added. “I still continually interact with faculty and alumni in the United States and around the globe. My doctoral program at the Academy included an internship at the United States Olympic Committee and getting my doctorate enabled me to take additional jobs with the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Track & Field.”
As a member of the Academy’s National Faculty, Shrock has taught sports marketing and sports leadership for the Academy’s international sport education programs. He has taught in Thailand, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Shrock has served in a number of leadership roles for USATF over the last four decades and he has coached internationally for the organization, serving as an assistant coach at the 2012 World Indoor Championships in Istanbul and the PanAm Cross Country Championships in Venezuela in March 2016.
He previously coached Modesto Junior College to two Northern California Community College Championships and three runner-up finishes in track and field. He has been named a coach of the year 10 times and coached 64 junior college All-Americans.
Shrock serves in numerous USA Track & Field leadership roles including president of the nation’s largest association, the Pacific Association; as USATF Coaching Committee chair; and as vice chair on the USATF National Association’s Executive Committee. He has educated more than 1,000 coaches throughout the country and directs track and field schools and clinics. His association work includes oversight of several national championships and hosting Olympic trials. His efforts have included coaching schools for youth, high school, college and elite levels.
Shrock has more than 40 years of track and field coaching experience, including 20 years as a college coach. Shrock began his college coaching career in 1976 at the College of San Mateo in his home town of San Mateo, Calif., before coaching cross country and assisting with track and field at Stanford and San José State universities.
USA Track & Field is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world’s oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit usatf.org.
