Sharon Drake Petro, Ph.D., sport psychology consultant and Director of Head Coaching, draws on decades of experience to help coaches and athletes gain the Mental Advantage. She has a rich and diverse background as an athlete, teacher, counselor and coach. Dr. Petro created Head Coaching in 1998 to share her passion for sport psychology with others. Head Coaching is based in Central Virginia in Charlottesville, home of the University of Virginia.
Dr. Petro understands first hand the pressures of competitive sport; she has competed in several individual and team sports as an athlete and coach. In her 17-year coaching career she was successful at the state level with her high school teams and at the national level with her collegiate teams. Dr. Petro coached women’s basketball and women’s tennis at the University of Notre Dame and was awarded the NCAA Division II Wilson Intercollegiate Tennis Coach of the Year. She served as an Assistant Athletic Director at Notre Dame before pursuing her doctorate in sport psychology.
Dr. Petro earned her Ph.D. in applied sport psychology at the University of Virginia as well as her training as a Professional Counselor. Additionally, she holds an M.S. and B.S. in Health and Physical Education and an M.S. in Administration. She is the author of The Tennis Drill Book.
As a former Notre Dame coach and breast cancer survivor, Sharon was the featured speaker at the Pink Zone luncheon on February 12, 2012 at the Purcell Pavillion.
