We asked parents and athletes who use CoachUp to choose our most outstanding coaches to win awards for their service. We received hundreds of nominations and narrowed it down to three finalists for each award. We left the voting up to you, and have determined the winners:
The CoachUp MVP winners will receive some fresh CoachUp gear, an MVP certificate, and bragging rights aided by a press release we’ll distribute to local news outlets.
Most Motivational
These coaches improved your confidence. You know when you work with these coaches you’ll be working hard to achieve your goals. They push you to reach Another Level. Read a few of the nominations we received for Coach Frankie, Coach Kashif, and Coach Justin, and vote for who you think should win the MVP award for Most Motivational.
Coach Kashif Reyes (Winner!)
“My 12 year old daughter previously had a coach that did not support her at all. She loved the game but hated to go to games or practices because she knew she would be sitting on the sidelines. Since she has been going to Coach Kash, her love for the game has returned. She is stronger and more confident then ever. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, she is in the game scoring and assisting others to score. We owe this to Coach Kash!!!” [maxbutton id=”20″]
Coach Justin Burks
“Coach Burks is an amazing football trainer. Because of the continuous motivational energy and words of encouragement my son consistently receives from Coach Burks, his overall performance on and off the field has optimistically shifted. Coach Burks’s energy is on 10 every single practice, and he always has a positive “you can do it” attitude. My son looks forward to every practice, and he knows that Coach Burks is going to motivate him, push him to his limits, and encourage him along the way. My son has had some up and downs with football and since we have hired Coach Burks, my son’s athletic performance has improved greatly, his physical endurance has strengthened and his overall mental focus has shifted which has allowed my son to regain focus and go even harder to achieve his ultimate goal. My son and I recommend Coach Burks to every student athlete who is looking to improve their football agility and sharpen mentally. I am extremely happy with the amount of dedication, time, effort and energy Coach Burks continuously pours into my son and we are very grateful to CoachUp for being that gateway for all athletes to find quality coaches who love what they do.”
Coach Frankie Jones
“Frankie is by far the best individual coach I have trained with. One of the main things I struggle with is confidence in my game, and Frankie continually helps me become more confident with every session. Frankie is an incredibly engaged coach and takes on the role of a teacher for the game of basketball. With every drill and move I learn he makes sure that I understand why I am learning it and how I can adapt it to my own game. He is a great individual coach as he has taken the time to assess my specific strengths as a player and teach me how to use them more effectively, as well as working on my weaknesses. When teaching me a new move he always asks if the move feels natural to me because he understands that not every move works for every player. Frankie has such an encouraging way of coaching that has helped me to improve my confidence especially with my shooting. In fact, I often think of him as not only my basketball coach, but also my confidence coach. Frankie is really helping me to reach my potential in basketball and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to train with such an outstanding motivational coach.”
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Most Impactful
These coaches had a serious impact on your game. You saw significant improvement and wouldn’t be at the level you are now without their help. Check out what a few clients had to say about Coach Chase, Coach Courtney, and Coach Eric, and choose who you think should win the Most Impactful award.
Coach Chase Wickham (Winner!)
“Our son has been playing soccer for about 10 years now. We have met many, coaches in my son’s career, but Coach Chase stands way above the rest. Not only has Coach Chase been an incredible soccer coach technically from day one, but he is a person of great character as well. When we met Coach Chase, we could immediately see his true love for soccer. Each and every session he naturally teaches with his heart and is excited to see his student get to the next level technically. He makes soccer fun and exciting with his “world records” challenges that help each student to strive to beat other player’s times. Coach Chase comes in with a plan and follows up almost immediately with a detailed report of the session for the parent. There is no question that he wants true success for his student. Since Coach Chase has played soccer professionally, he has an amazing knowledge of the game and he also has the wonderful gift of teaching as well. To have both of these qualities is a rare find in a coach. Coach Chase is extremely responsive not only to his students, but to the parents as well. We cannot say enough about Coach Chase. We have recommended him to so many of our friends because we see his true talent, and the sprit he possesses goes beyond words. We are so happy that we found Coach Chase.” [maxbutton id=”22″]
Coach Eric Bellamy
“When I first contacted CoachUp to find my son a trainer, it was for a lot of reasons. Although he’d played flag football for several years, he was beginning his first season of tackle. He had some general skills and is pretty quick, but his confidence was shot because his teammates were voting him “most likely to be a bench warmer.” I knew my son could be a better player, but he really needed some help. That’s where Eric came into our lives. We’ve not had nearly as many sessions as we all would like due to crazy weather and work schedules but when we DO get time with Eric, it’s always very well spent. He gives a great workout, he gives helpful advice and pointers, and he seems to really care that he is having a positive effect on my son. When we don’t have sessions, he is still out there ready to give encouragement in an email or praise when my son deserves it. He even took time to watch my kid play in a real school game. I found out after that he was there, and when my son found out he was SO thrilled you would have thought it was Pete Carroll that had come to watch him. Eric fixed the confidence issue right at session one. He is a great motivator, but what I was trying to get to was the “physical proof” part. My son who in the very beginning of his spring season was ridiculed by the teammates. At the end of season banquet, the school coach got up and started talking about this one kid who had come so very far over the course of the season; how he had the confidence to volunteer for any position that needed a warm body due to someone being sick or injured or just tired… the ONLY kid on the team to raise his hand when they needed a center. This kid that came so far and earned the respect of all the kids on his team to the point that they voted almost unanimously for him to be the “Most Improved Player” on the JV team. There is no way my son would have received that plaque to hang on his wall had we not found and brought Eric into his life. Eric is where his confidence came from and where some of his fancy footwork is coming from. The IMPACT over just a couple of short months and not very many sessions is HUGE. Eric Bellamy is the best coach I have encountered with either of my two sons. This week my is doing football camp… it’s a full day thing with tons of work. He compared a day at camp to sessions with Eric. He said, “One day at camp is equal to about two sessions with Eric.” So obviously Eric is doing a great job if it only takes 2 hours with him to equal a full day with a professional camp.”
Coach Courtney Eads
“My 7 year old daughter has been taking private swimming lessons with Coach Courtney for over a month now. She is currently on a swim team and began swimming competitively. We began seeing Coach Courtney help her improve her techniques with her swimming stroke so that she can swim competitively. We are nominating Coach Courtney for most impactful coach because of how much she has helped my daughter improve. She is a great teacher who is very attentive and gives clear instructions. All the swimming advice and techniques she has taught my daughter has had a tremendous impact on my daughter swimming. My daughter recently competed at a swim meet and did exceptionally well. My daughter did not just improve her time by a few seconds but by more than 10 seconds in two events. She received a ribbon for all 5 events she was entered in; two 1st place, one 2nd place, one 3rd place, and one 6th place. This was not my daughter’s first time competing, but ever since we started working with Coach Courtney, this was her first time receiving ribbons at the swim meet. Coach Courtney is knowledgable about swimming and is an excellent teacher. My daughter always looks forward to swimming with Coach Courtney.” [polldaddy poll=”9001255″]
Most Innovative Training Methods
These coaches gave you new drills and taught you to think in ways you hadn’t thought of. We want to hear about those awesome training techniques. Coach Ryan, Coach Ben, and Coach Mercedes each received some high praise from their clients. Vote for who you believe should take home the award for Most Innovative Training Methods.
Ryan Patterson (Winner!)
“Coach Ryan has an innate ability to come up with creative and innovative methods to improve my skills on the court. I have trained with multiple coaches but haven’t had one with this capability. This helps me develop skills and also implement them independently. An example of this is suicides with dribbling. It sounds simple, but coach Ryan had me touch the close and far free throw, half court, and baseline lines, and on the way back, he played defense on me. This helped me on my transition offense game but also with handling and deliberate movement to get by him. This really challenged me and felt like I was competing in a real game. Another example is defensive slides then coming off a screen. He had me run one line of the paint, pivot, defensive slide across the free throw line, pivot again, then hustle and come around to the elbow for a jump shot. This put me in a simulation of coming off screens for a mid range jump shot. Being a shooter, it is an imperative skill to have in my reperotire and I heavily developed it. These are few examples of Coach Ryan’s training methods and I feel that I have gotten to a different level because of it.” [maxbutton id=”26″]
Mercedes Fox-Griffin
“Mercedes helped motivate me to become a better player. With different workouts every session she helped me work on my weaknesses and refined my strengths. She did all this in a quiet and confident way. My skill level has more than doubled since I have been training with Mercedes. I can’t say enough about what she has done for me and my game.”
Ben Sonley
“Coach Ben is absolutely the most creative swim coach I have ever worked with. Any time there was a technique I could not execute, he thought of ways to describe it so that I could do it. For instance, my body position was bad – my hips would always sink. During one session he suggested that I imagine there was a string through my body from the belly button that was dragging me across the pool. Well, the zip line concept stuck. And, now I am always checking for my support line. During the four months I trained with Coach Ben there were many other innovative training methods he used that set him apart from all other coaches. Thanks to him, I improved from barely swimming 50 meters without stopping to completing the 750 meter open water swim leg of my first triathlon. This would not have happened without his skillful training.” [polldaddy poll=”9001296″]
Goes Above and Beyond
“These coaches do it all, whether it be going to your games, sending you spreadsheets with drills, or staying in touch to see how you’re progressing. Coach Alexis, Coach Andre, and Coach Craig each go above and beyond. Vote for who you think goes above and beyond the most!”
Alexis De La Cruz (Winner!)
“We knew from the first time we met Alexis that she was going to be a perfect fit. Alexis is very organized from warm-ups to time drills. After only one session Alexis had already mapped out several drills that not only challenged my daughter but made her step out of her comfort zone. Alexis has gone above and beyond just being a coach — she has freely shared her own personal experiences from playing soccer through club, high school and college, allowing our daughter to understand that she is not alone; that many have faced similar stresses and struggles from time to time. Seeing the smile on our daughter’s face and hearing her talk about her sessions with Alexis is priceless.” [maxbutton id=”30″]
Andre Speech
“Coach Andre is a highly skilled, enthusiastic, smart and talented coach. He excels at helping your player meet their max potential, regardless of their skill level. He has great drills, keeps his training sessions moving, and packs more into a session that you would ever expect. We have watched our player become more confident, more skilled, and a better all-around player since he has been working with Coach Andre. He coaches at the high school that our son will attend, and he invited us to come watch one of their games, which was a great experience to motivate our son to work as hard as he can to possibly be able to play there one day. Our son always comes away from a session with Coach Andre happy, positive, exhausted in a good way, and with things to work on until the next session. Coach Andre is also great at providing good, usable feedback to parents after every session. He is a great guy, great with kids and teens, and a fantastic coach. We recommend him whole-heartily to everyone we run into who is looking for a great coach to help their child achieve their goals and take their game to the next level in a healthy, hard-working and positive manner.”
Craig Johnson
“Coach Johnson has been nothing short of amazing for my son. My son has had to deal with very difficult high school coaches and Craig keeps my son’s head level. My son has questioned himself and his ability to play the game to the point of wanting to quit. Craig helps keep his confidence up and has taught him how to deal with difficult situations and difficult coaches in a positive way. He is always there for him, just a text or a phone call away. When my son has had a bad day he will sometimes just call Craig to talk things out, even if it doesn’t have to do with football. He even takes time to “break down film” on Hudl with my son after his games, and they plan what they are going to work on in their next training session from faults they find in the film. Also, he helps Eric make his highlight film. He has not only taught my son football skills but life skills as well. My son has been attending some college prospect camps and has been getting great feedback on his technique from the coaches. He also got an invite to the AAG Football University Top Gun this year. We owe that to Craig’s commitment to my son and helping him to succeed. I don’t know of any other coach that deserves this award more than Craig Johnson.” [polldaddy poll=”9001312″]
