COOPERSTOWN – Cooperstown Central School was proud to host the 11th Annual Student-Athlete Leadership Conference last Thursday, March 5, welcoming nearly 400 student-athletes, coaches and athletic directors representing 64 school districts from across central New York.

The conference, held at the Clark Sports Center and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, focused on the theme “Motivate From Within: Sportsmanship, Initiative and Determination.” Students participated in leadership workshops and heard from keynote and guest speakers who emphasized the importance of initiative, character and teamwork. Educators from participating schools also took part in professional development sessions through the Hall of Fame’s education program.

Cooperstown Central School would like to thank the many partners, sponsors and volunteers who helped make this annual event possible and continue to provide a valuable leadership experience for student-athletes across the region.

Please enjoy this selection of highlights from the event below. These include photos of a talk by conference organizer and Cooperstown senior Kayleigh Butler and fellow Hawkeye Bianca Adam of the Cooperstown CSD Leadership Training for Athletes (LTA) Program.

There are also photos of LTA president and Cooperstown senior Mia Pelcer introducing the conference's keynote speaker Sandy Zimmerman, who preceded her speech by successfully jumping over a pyramid of students on the Clark Sports Center gym floor. Zimmerman rose to fame as an eight-time American Ninja Warrior competitor and is now an inspirational speaker, coach and author. 

Cooperstown Central School's LTA Advisor Monica Wolfe, who oversees the planning of the Student-Athlete Leadership Conference, briefly stood with Zimmerman and thanked the sponsors, Clark Sports Center officials and employees and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, who all worked together to host the event and allowed it to run smoothly.