From the three finalists for National Coach of the Year, Paralympic Coach of the Year, Developmental Coach of the Year, Volunteer Coach of the Year and the "Doc" Councilman Science Award, the recipients in each category will be announced during a dinner on Friday, June 24, as part of the 2011 National Coaching Conference in Colorado Springs.

The 2010 finalists are:

National Coach of the Year
: Dave Jarrett, nordic combined skiing;
Adam Krikorian, water polo; 
Brian Shimer, bobsled.

Paralympic Coach of the Year
: Craig Griffin, cycling; 
James Gumbert, wheelchair rugby
; Ray Watkins, skiing.

Developmental Coach of the Year
: Bob Gunter, diving; 
Barbara Nelson, basketball; 
Michael Nyitray, bowling.

Volunteer Coach of the Year
: James Coombe, archery; 
David Farmer, rugby
; Alex Mathew, badminton.

Doc Counsilman Science Award: Nicholas Bohanan, bowling; 
Alberto Salazar, track & field; 
Grant Schaffner, skeleton.

The USOC Coach of the Year award was initiated in 1996.

The programme was developed using the philosophy that, to succeed in Olympic sport, athletes must strive for excellence almost from the moment they begin to compete.

At every stage of their careers, coaches empower athletes to rise to the next competitive level of sport.

If coaches do their job well, their athletes will ultimately receive the highest accolades for their achievements and become better human beings along the way.

The USOC Coaching Committee developed the criteria for each Olympic sports organization to follow in selecting a Coach of the Year in both the elite and developmental categories.

The volunteer category was added in 2003.

The 2011 National Coaching Conference takes place in Colorado Springs, Colo., from June 22-25, 2011.

The theme of the 2011 conference is "Educate, Collaborate, Celebrate."

Among the speakers scheduled for the conference are Shellie Pfohl, executive director of the President's Council on Fitness, Sport & Nutrition; Istvan Balyi with the National Coaching Institute in Canada; Robert Chapman, associate director of sports medicine and science for USA Track & Field; Dr. Laurence Chalip, professor of kinesiology and health education at the University of Texas; Dr. Patrick Duffy, professor of sport coaching at Leeds Metropolitan University; and ESPN correspondent and author Tom Farrey.