By Ernie Derrera~ CHSAA Assistant Commissioner, CHSCA Liaison Coaches, with the end of the year approaching, I would like to take a moment to thank you for all of the hard work that you and your colleagues do on behalf of Colorado’s student athletes.    As you prepare for the 2018-2019 school year, I want to inform you of some of the approved changes in the CHSAA’s bylaws. The one that will affect coaches the most is a new bylaw surrounding education for first year coaches. The CHSAA 1st-year Coaches course will be mandated for all coaches who are CDE-certified teachers who haven’t coached at the high school level in the last 3 years, or for those current coaches who are not CHSAA certified coaches.  This course was recommended by the CHSAA coaching education committee as a means to provide professional development for high school coaches, and to highlight the differences that exist between coaching education based athletics and athletics at the club, college, and recreational level. We expect the course to be available on-line starting June 1st.   This course will take the place of the coaching certification process that currently exists and should cost prospective coaches less to complete.   The committee believes that professional development on an ongoing basis is an important aspect of coaching at the high school level.  The CHSAA will partner more closely with the CHSCA and CADA to provide professional development opportunities for coaches in the future.  I highly encourage you to take part in the CHSCA‘s sports clinics to continue your own personal education to improve your coaching craft.  Professional development on an ongoing basis is an important aspect of coaching at the high school level. A note from CHSAA