Innovator, teacher, motivator, sports marketer, fundraiser and visionary
Ruth N. Nelson put athletes’ opportunities first and gained over 50 years of experience, including successful coaching (16 years at the collegiate level: George Williams College, University of Houston, Louisiana State University, and the University of Iowa) with over 500 wins. She also had 3 University of Houston Players (Hyman, Crockett, and Magers) start on the 1984 Olympic Team and was the pioneer in recruiting minority athletes in the 70s. 5-time Olympian Danielle Scott was part of her first junior club program in Baton Rouge, LA (Baton Rouge Volleyball Club). In addition, Nelson was a USA National Team Player, USA National Team Assistant Coach, USA National Team Technical Advisor, USA Junior National Team Head Coach, USA World University Games Head Coach, and Dallas Belles Major League Volleyball Professional Team Head Coach. Nelson was the Head Coach of the USA Volleyball Senior A2 Team (now the A2 Collegiate Team).
INNOVATIONS have included the creation and development of the recent GoKids Youth Sports™ (GKYS™) Certification Program for ages 7-and-under and 8-and-up, the Bring Your Own Parent (BYOP®) Program with certifications for Ages 10 and under, the Nelson Aquatics Resistance Training (NART™) Program, the MVP Specialized Training Program (Jump Like an Olympian), and, just recently, the RNN Virtual Sports Gym™ specifically for teachers, parents, and kidz in Pre-K-4th and up to age 10. Over the past 23 years, Nelson has specialized in training 4–to 10-year-olds in her BYOP® Program and GKYS™. Ebony Nwanebu, an All-American starter at USC and Texas, was one of Nelson’s first BYOP® players at age four and a half. Others have included Mary Kate Marshall, PAC 12 Freshman of the Year at Oregon State. Still, others have succeeded at Cornell, Columbia, Binghamton, Barry University, Belmont, Indiana Wesleyan, Newman, UTSA, Georgetown, Stonehill, UMass Boston, Alabama State, Pepperdine, Midwestern State, TCU, and the University of San Diego.
Abilities
Nelson’s ABILITIES include not only analyzing individual fundamental skills but also teaching effective decision-making and implementing tactics within game strategies; unlocking athletes’ capabilities, developing their self-esteem and self-confidence and performance under pressure; jump training (yielding increased height in jumps and improved performance without injuries) and evaluating teams at any level of competition. Since her master’s thesis on “Statistical Analysis of Passing and Serving,” she has begun gathering data for ages 4-10 in jumping using the VERT™ technology. In addition, she has tested different sizes, textures, colors, and weights for the new line of Baden Softlight Series for BYOP® & GKYS™ volleyballs for 10U players. In 2021, Nelson created the 24/7 RNN Sports Gym™, a website filled with information, videos, programs, certifications, training equipment, and history for physical education teachers, recreational leaders, and youth kidz coaches. The First Worldwide Volleyball Virtual Gym powers this website, which was created in a Google Classroom atmosphere. Recently, rolled out the first 10U volleyball for competition.
Honors
Among her HONORS, Nelson has received two prestigious awards from USA Volleyball. 2011, she received the USA Volleyball Hall of Fame All-time Great Coach Award – Pioneer Division. In 1996, she received the George J. Fisher Hall of Fame Volleyball Award for significant service rendered in volleyball for at least 20 years. 2013, Nelson was inducted into the University of Northern Colorado Hall of Fame as a 5-sport athlete, and in 2014, inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame. Nelson was selected to give the acceptance speech for Flo Hyman’s induction into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the Southern California Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame. Recently, Nelson has been part of the AVCA History Commission Advisory Board (advisor in Black History).
PRESENTATIONS Because of Nelson’s experiences, expertise, and honors, she has conducted over 700 in-person presentations worldwide at various conferences, seminars, and workshops. Topics have included developing college-bound camps, high school motivational speaking, successfully training youth in volleyball, becoming knowledgeable in the college-selection process, marketing the student-athlete, developing fundraising programs for nonprofit organizations, telecommunications companies, corporate cause-marketing programs, and national sports governing bodies. Her most recent presentations have been at the AVCA Conventions (in-person and virtual), Art of Coaching (In-person and virtual), and Volleyball MasterCoaches Clinics. Hosted 83 Volleyball Weekly News Shows (MasterCoaches Wednesday Weekly BUZZ and BUZZ Reaction); Special Co-Host and Facilitator for March Celebration “Women in Coaching Series” powered by Todos Somos Voleibol – TSV shown live to over 26 countries (Spanish and English) with 34+ women; host of BYOP® on the Go! a monthly show geared toward players ages 10-and-under and parents, teachers and youth/kidz coaches and host of “PAT™ – Picture Analyze and Teach,” a monthly show analyzing skills, tactics, and strategies for kidz. In addition, feature articles on BYOP® (Bring Your Own Parent) in AVCA’s Volleyball Coaching 2.0, Junior Volleyball Association Blog, Sports Imports Blogs, and the first Coaching Wizard book released in December 2016. Since March 8, 2020, Nelson has conducted over 1,000 Virtual Zoom and Skype Events worldwide. She presented at the MiniVolley Congress with the Poland Volleyball Academy, translated into five languages; Volleyball Coaches of Canada with Dave Wildman Show (BYOP® and the Evolution of Kidz training); VTS Plus Marathon (Belgium Sport Vlaanderen Volleyball); and feature presentation virtual CEV School Project (European school teachers and coaches) and the Art of Coaching Legends Seminar (translated in Arabic to over 140 coaches in 26 countries).
Education
• George Williams College, Master of Science in Physical Education
• University of North Colorado, Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education & Psychology
• Concordia University, Montreal, Canada; studied comprehensive overview of the scientifically based system of sport and physical culture at the Moscow Institute of Physical Culture
