FTG 0072 – Crushing Coaching and Community Development with Penn State Field Hockey Coach and Alumna Laura Gebhart ’15

Overview:

Penn State Field Hockey Associate Head Coach Laura Gebhart ’15 Agr visits the Following the Gong studio to discuss all things field hockey, coaching, and community & economic development. Laura grew up in Lancaster County and came to Penn State and the Schreyer Honors College as a Scholar Athlete. She shares how she worked to find the right major for her, got involved in THON, and won a Big Ten Title in Field Hockey. Laura gives her advice for Scholars and student athletes on navigating perfection and demanding schedules, and provides insight on life after athletics, which looks different for everyone. She also pulls back the curtain on coaching an Olympic sport and talks about NIl and gender equity in sports. This is a must watch/listen for any Scholar – especially those unsure of what comes after College, is heavily involved on campus, dealing with rejections (like hers from the US national team,) and those who are interested in coaching or community & economic development careers. It’s also great for any student athlete, whether a Scholar or not. Laura’s full bio and chapter markers detailing the topics discussed are below.

Guest Bio:

Laura Gebhart ’15 Agricultural Sciences is the Associate Head Field Hockey Coach at Penn State, where she engages in all areas of the program – from player development and on-field coaching, to recruiting and operations. Before coming back to Penn State, Laura coached at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island – first as the assistant coach, and then as the head coach. Prior to that, Gebhart led a career in economic development, working with two separate non-profits: EDC of Lancaster County (Lancaster, PA) and the Montpelier Development Corporation (Montpelier, VT). Along the way, Gebhart trained with the U.S. Women's National Team, coached a high school program, and volunteer coached at the University of Vermont.

Gebhart earned a B.S. in Community, Environment, and Development (Community & Economic Development Option) with Honors from Penn State in 2015. Gebhart is also happy to speak further about ice cream, birding, and crocheting. Please feel free to connect with them at @coach_gebhart on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Episode Topic & Chapters

00:04       Introductions and how Laura discovered field hockey

02:38       Pursuing playing D1 college sports

03:44       Collegiate sports recruitment

05:36       Selecting the CED major in Ag Sciences from being undecided

07:18       Planning for life beyond being a Scholar Athlete

08:33       Balancing life as a Scholar and as an Athlete

09:27       Roles of different advisors

10:20       Additional campus opportunities

12:01       THON as an athlete

15:31       Reflecting on athletic accomplishments

16:53       The Honors Thesis

18:37       Transitioning to life as an alum

22:59       Overcoming setbacks

24:08       Full time roles in economic development

25:58       Getting into coaching

28:42       Volunteer coaching

31:52       Taking a step back to take two forward by returning to Penn State

34:25       The roles of the coaching staff

37:19       Year in the life of a Division I coach

40:42       Day-in-the-life of a coach in-season

42:33       Challenges of coaching and supporting high-achieving students

46:01       The impact of NIL on athletics

53:07       Jump here for post NIL discussion to the Olympics

55:25       Coaching against former teammates - personal vs professional in the workplace

57:32       Fundraising and facilities

59:55       Things not asked

01:04:02                   Biggest successes and failures

01:09:27                   Laura's thoughts on mentorship

01:11:12                   Shoutouts

01:12:36                   Work life balance

01:15:13                  How to connect with Laura

01:15:37                  Laura's final piece of advice

01:16:20                  Which Creamery flavor Laura would be and why

01:18:23                  Final thoughts

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Upcoming Events 

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Make a Gift to Benefit Schreyer Scholars 

Join the Penn State Alumni Association 

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Credits & Notes:

This show is hosted, produced, and edited by Sean Goheen '11 Lib (Schreyer), '23g Bus.

The artwork was created by Tom Harrington, the College’s Web Developer. 

The sound effect is “Chinese Gong,” accessed via SoundBible used under Creative Commons License.