Clarksville, Ark.-Head assistant women's wrestling coach Parker Howell recently attended the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Leadership Academy in Florida. 

Howell, who is also an assistant men's wrestling coach, was among the rising coaches selected to attend the all-encompassing training. The academy allows participants to collaborate with some of the top wrestling coaches in the country.
     
"It was a great opportunity to learn from some of the best minds in wrestling," said Howell. "It was nice to hear new ideas that can be implemented into our programs. The leadership academy really opened my eyes to different ways of doing things. I'm looking forward to putting this gained knowledge to work this upcoming season."

The Eagles program emphasizes professional development among its coaches and has had several assistants selected to attend the academy.

"I was also able to build good relationships with coaches I would otherwise not have met," he said. "Being able to create these connections will definitely help me along my coaching journey."

Howell, who wrestled at Notre Dame College of Ohio, begins his second season at Ozarks. 

The NWCA, through a collaborative effort with internationally renowned coaching development expert, Dr. Dan Gould at Michigan State University, has constructed a gold standard leadership program to help coaches accomplish the following: Strengthen their CEO skills, strengthen the alignment of wrestling programs with educational values, and substantially improve the recruitment and retention of wrestlers in the scholastic environment.