Some of the participants.
Franklin, Indiana – Some Franklin College students were recently introduced to the sport of cricket and the skills necessary to help teach the sport. The students who are pursuing degrees in physical education at the college completed an online cricket training program and a practical session on cricket skills, and are now eligible for the “Basics of Cricket” coaching certification.
Franklin College became the third college in Indiana after Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Ball State University, to launch cricket education programs. The program is designed as a work-study exercise with take home quizzes, followed by two in-person technical coaching sessions on basic cricket skills and game preparation.
The camp session was conducted by a trio of young and talented coach/players Parag Pandya, Dhaval Patel, and Vivek Patel of Indy Legends; an American Cricket Federation member club. This is the third batch of college participants; part of four ongoing college cricket education projects in Indiana this year, which is expected to produce certified cricket coaches from the newly designed program. Mark Britner, Kris Sandlin, Jordan Finke, Karissa Lory, Brandon Sheets and Blake Williams, all students with Franklin College, along with faculty staff member Kim Eiler – Assistant Professor of Physical Education at Franklin College, were present and participated in the entire coaching clinic, becoming certified cricket instructors for the future student coaches.
After Indiana introduced the statewide school “Cricket Study Guide for Physical Education Teachers” last year, the program has expanded to other colleges and educational institutions in Indiana by Jatin Patel, an ICC Certified and Cricket Australia accredited coach. Patel pioneered the cricket coaching education program in Indiana and is now leading the American Cricket Federation’s nation-wide cricket coaches training initiative. Jatin Patel is a member of the Federation’s Advisory & Judiciary Committee.
Franklin College’s Assistant Professor of Physical Education, Kim Eiler said, “Thank you so much for sending your coaches out to Franklin College to teach us about Cricket. They did an outstanding job and our students had an awesome time learning about and playing cricket. We would love to have you come back in the fall when we can have more students participate. We appreciate all your hard work, introducing cricket to our area.”
For more information visit:
American Cricket Federation: http://www.americancricketfederation.org
United States Youth Cricket Association: http://usyca.org/
Indiana Youth Cricket Association: http://www.indianacricket.org/