Graduate Assistant/Assistant Coach
Resume:
COLTON COWAN
YUKON, OK *****
405-***-**** · *************@*****.***
EDUCATION
MAY 2019
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
MAY 2017
BACHELOR BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION-ACCOUNTING, sOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY (cum laude)
WORK EXPERIENCE
GRADUATE ASSISTANT, MEN’S AND WOMEN’S GOLF, SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY NCAA DIVISION II, GREAT AMERICAN CONFERENCE.
WEATHERFORD, OKLAHOMA
AUGUST 2017 – MAY 2019
MAINTENANCE, QUAIL CREEK GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA
MAY 2018- AUGUST 2018
TEACHERS ASSISTANT, ALLIED HEALTH DEPARTMENT, SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
WEATHERFORD, OKLAHOMA
AUGUST 2014-MAY 2017
MAINTENANCE, LAKE HEFNER GOLF COURSE
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA
APRIL 2013 – AUGUST 2016
WORK RESPONSIBILITIES
Maintenance:
My duties consisted of any form of agronomy aspects of maintaining a golf course, this includes but not limited to maintaining soil moisture, fertilizing (greens and tee boxes), topdressing, over-seeding, irrigation maintenance, maintaining the condition of the equipment. As well as golf course maintenance duties such as mowing and cup changing.
Coaching:
As a graduate assistant/assistant coach my duties consisted of assisting the head coach, traveling with men’s and women’s teams for tournaments, monitoring eligibility and academic progress, recruiting (Certified through the NCAA), preparation, conduction, and direction of practices, assisting the duties of hosting tournaments, youth camps, and fundraising.
I am also in charge of mowing, fertilizing, watering, top dressing, aerifying, and verti-cutting at the Everett Dobson SWOSU Golf Training Facility.
Golf Experience:
Within my golfing career I have received the honors of becoming an Oklahoma All-State Selection (2013). I started off my collegiate career at Southwestern Christian University (NAIA) in which we qualified for the 2013 NCCAA National Golf Tournament. My sophomore year (2014), I transferred and walked on to Division II Nationally competitive Southwestern Oklahoma State University, to not only be a part of a more competitive golf program, but to also achieve my educational goals.
COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2018 NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN’S CENTRAL REGION, Missouri Bluff GC, St. Charles, Mo.
May 7-9. 6th place
2018 NCAA DIVISION II MEN’S CENTRAL/MIDWEST SUPER REGIONAL. Findley CC, Findley, Oh.
May 7-9. T-11th place
2019 NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN’S CENTRAL REGION, Muskogee Golf Club, Muskogee, Ok.
May 6-7. 1st place
2019 NCAA DIVISION II MEN’S CENTRAL/MIDWEST SUPER REGIONAL. Hot Springs CC, Hot Springs, AR. May 9-11. 7th place
2019 NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP STROKE PLAY, PGA National Champions Course, West Palm Beach, FL. T-4th
2019 NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MEDAL MATCH PLAY, PGA National Champions Course, West Palm Beach, Semi-Finalists
SPECIAL PLAYER AWARDS
Gloria Choi - WGCA All Central Region Team ( ’17-18, ’18-‘19)
Elin Wahlin - WGCA All Central Region Team ( ’17-18)
ALL-AMERICAN
Women:
Gloria Choi (’18-’19)
3 Academic All- Americans
ORGANIZATIONS
Golf Coaches Association of America, Fellowship Christian Athletes (2015-2017), Volunteer Assistant Coach for SWAT Lady Rebels (2016-2018)
COACHING PHILOSOPHY
“A good coach can change a game; a great coach changes a life” – John Wooden
As Bobby Jones once said “Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots, but you have to play where the ball lies.” That is the beauty of the game, it’s always calling us back to perfect the game. What we ignore is that perfection is unattainable, but why is that what we strive for? It is human nature to be average, but those that truly succeed and are great, are the people who put in the extra effort. I’ve always had the philosophy that talent is limited, if not correlated with hard work. Anything is attainable, but you have to be willing to roll with the lip-outs and bounce back after the bad breaks. One does not simply lose, they either win, or learn from the situation.
As a coach, winning is great, but is limited to worldly possessions, that really doesn’t teach much. If emphasized correctly, through the game of golf, we can present these young adults with the skills to not only play golf at a high level, but also allow them to build the charisma it takes to lead companies and be wildly successful in today’s society. Tony Dungy says it best “leaders help develop the strengths of individuals.” I aspire to be just that, a leader. A coach is someone who gives instructions in some athletic setting, a leader is someone who not only instructs but also demonstrates what they are teaching based off of their own actions. Through my time as a player and a coach, I have learned lessons and continue to learn and grow as a Christian, a Coach, a Player, and a student of the game, that has built my foundation of my life style.
1.My job is to lead. First and for most, as a coach, we need to lead by example. I will not expect anything from my players that I do not already expect of myself. This includes everything from preparation for practice and workouts, all the way to time management. Tony Dungy made this a main focal point in his book Mentor Leader, providing the concept that as a coach, our only job is to make our players better. If we do not hold ourselves to the same standard as our players, any form of credibility is broken.
2.My job is to build character. Help my players develop their overall strengths and weaknesses. This to me, is the biggest overall goal for my players. This comes within golf and life. Golf is a great simile of life. There are times where good shots turn bad, and vice versa. Providing an environment for my players to grow mentally, physically, and emotionally will propel them in their short-lived careers in my golf program but set them up for their lives.
3.My job is to serve. Donald Miller once said, “Young kids with positive male role models have something to live for, somebody who is proud of them, somebody who cares about their well-being.” This is my role for every player that I coach, to be authoritative when I need to be, but to also be a support system for them. Knowing that they have someone who is willing to get into the trenches with them and help them through some of their toughest times of adversity.
4.My job is to efficiently communicate. One thing lacking in today’s society, is the ability to properly communicate with one another. In a high-powered system, any form of miscommunication can be detrimental not only for the individuals but also the entire unit. Within my team, I will properly communicate what is expected from them, and what they should expect from me. They may not necessarily need to know my every waking thought, but they will not be blindsided by certain decisions that I make.
5.My job is to build resiliency. Do not be content with average. There is to much potential lost in the whirl wind of average. To not settle for good enough, but only be content with “I did my best.” Nothing extraordinary happens within the first mile of a journey, it’s the extra mile and the extra effort where we start seeing hard work paying off. It’s not the easiest, but through my life and understanding, nothing worth having should come easy.
6.My job is to adapt. As my core values of coaching should not vary, my coaching tactics and schemes may as time continues to pass, and new forms of coaching schemes have been created. Working with high level athletes, it is important to ask for their feedback. I take complete responsibility for what we do as a team, but providing my players with a voice, not only shows my players respect for their knowledge of the game, but also provides new ways for my coaching schemes to evolve.
REFERENCES
Brad Fleetwood, Head Coach, Men’s and Women’s Golf, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford, Oklahoma
Scott Varner M.S., Director of Golf, Head Men’s & Women’s Golf Coach, Strength & Conditioning Coordinator, Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, Oklahoma, 7764
918-***-**** ext. 3923
Chris Garrett, Head Superintendent at Quail Creek Golf & Country Club, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 405-***-****
Daniel Mills, Head Superintendent at Duncan Golf and Tennis Club, Duncan, Oklahoma
John Mulholland, Head Men’s Golf Coach, Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa, Iowa
800-***-**** ext. 1494
Contact this candidate