Advice for Aspiring Collegiate Strength & Coaches: Thoughts on how to advance from one stage to the
Katrin Koch was named Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports for UGA Athletics in May 2004. Since her arrival at the University of Georgia Koch worked directly with teams that have won 11 NCAA Championships, 15 SEC regular season titles and 6 SEC tournament titles. During her tenure the full-time staff member positions for the Olympic Sports S&C staff has grown from two to six staff members, as well as UGAA replaced the hourly student coaches with one fully funded Graduate Assistant Coach position and 2 Professional Intern positions. With input from the S&C staff UGA Athletic Association started a sport nutrition program in 2009 that was elevated to full department status in 2011. In 2007 Koch and her staff were able to help design a brand-new facility for Olympic Sports only- featuring 16 platforms, a turf area and open space for plyometrics, MB training and soft tissue work. The room is also featuring sport science technology along with other specific training equipment for all sports. Prior to her arrival in Athens, Koch competed and worked at Indiana University. She was a student- athlete from 1988-1992 and upon graduation she became a member of the strength and conditioning staff for more than a decade. As a student-athlete she was part of the 1991 Big Ten Championship team and in1992 she won the shot put at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships with a Big Ten record. All told, she was a nine-time All-American and a five-time Big Ten Champion in the shot put and discus. She served Indiana University from 1993-1998 as a Strength and Conditioning Coach and from 1998-2004 as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coordinator for Olympic sports. At Indiana Koch directly worked with teams that won 3 NCAA Championships and 21 Big Ten titles. While at Indiana Koch also was a guest lecturer at the University and was the co-director of the Champs Life skills program. Koch received two degrees from Indiana, a bachelor's in Fine Arts (Studio Art) and Art History in 1993 and a master's in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sports Psychology in 1997. Koch is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, as well she holds certifications by the USA Weightlifting Federation, FRC, USA T&F CC Coaches Association and National Academy of Sports Medicine. Koch, a native of Neuffen, Germany, is a single mom to two sons: Alexander and Christopher.
