Colorado Springs, CO – The National Strength and Conditioning Association is proud to announce that Jay Dawes, PhD, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT,*D, TSAC-F,*D, FNSCA, has been selected as the NSCA’s Tactical Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year for 2021. Award winners are selected by a volunteer committee, the NSCA’s Awards Taskforce, who determine the winner based on their contributions to the NSCA and their community, and whose influential contributions to the field result in its advancement in a measurable way that exceeds the outcomes achieved by others.

Are you a young professional looking to broaden your knowledge and career horizons by working with a professional strength and conditioning coach? Apply for the NSCA Foundation Assistantship!

Our governing body, the CASCE Board of Directors, guides our efforts and accreditation practices. The Board is comprised of nine members: three Educators in Strength and Conditioning Programs, two Practitioners, one Public member, one Administrator, one NSCA Affiliate Representative, and one NSCA Board-Appointed Representative. Additionally, the Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary/Treasurer serve as Officers. Directors serve a term of three years and may serve no more than two full consecutive terms.

Colorado Springs, CO – The National Strength and Conditioning Association announces that Eric McMahon, MEd, CSCS, RSCC*D, has been named the organization’s new Coaching Program Manager. In this role, McMahon will represent professional, collegiate, high school, and private sector coaches who are part of the NSCA’s community. In addition, McMahon will work with leaders in the field to advance the coaching profession, evaluate existing NSCA resources and programs, and provide new resources to better serve coaches and their needs.

The NSCA is proud to name 30 new strength and conditioning coaches who have obtained the prestigious Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach® Emeritus (RSCC*E) designation in 2022, growing this exclusive group to a total of 213 coaches.

Long-Term Athletic Development (LTAD) models have provided a youth sport framework for more than 2 decades, aimed at improving skill progression, training outcomes, and athlete preparation. Although influential, traditional LTAD approaches are limited by their sport-centric orientation, linear design, and focus on elite performance, leaving them less relevant for most youth and adults who do not pursue competitive sport. In response, we propose reframing LTAD as Long-Term Activity Development (LTActD), an accessible and flexible model designed to promote lifelong engagement in physical activity, including recreation, exercise, and sport. LTActD emphasizes 5 dynamic phases—Explore, Develop, Apply, Sustain, and Thrive—that accommodate diverse pathways, periods of inactivity, and opportunities to re-enter active living at any age. Represented as a curvy road, the new model underscores that participation in physical activity is rarely linear, more like a winding journey shaped by health, motivation, environment, and social context. LTActD bridges sport science and public health, positioning physical activity as a lifelong resource for health, independence, and fulfillment. LTActD offers a practical framework to empower individuals of all ages and abilities to discover meaningful ways to move, re-engage, and embrace active living throughout the life course.

Congratulations to the 2020 NSCA Award Winners!