First up for this year’s Weplay Coach of the Week is multi-sport coach, Ron Espinosa, who graciously shares his inspiring story about family tragedy and coaching compassion.

Having an athletic background and being able to spend time with his kids, an 11-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son, are the reasons Ron gravitated toward coaching youth sports. Coach Ron’s kids participated in baseball and softball at a young age. His daughter has moved on to competitive cheer and dance and his son, Steven “The Ironman”, was an Ace pitcher, second baseman and team captain for his baseball team.

Complications with Steven’s health caused a drastic turn for the Espinosa family when they learned Steven would have more to worry about than throwing strikes and leading his baseball team to victory. Steven was in a relentless battle with Leukemia.

“He swore to never quit, (even as he was not able to compete he helped me coach), and he made me promise to do the same,” Coach Ron says.

Steven battled Leukemia with help from his courageous sister through a bone marrow transplant and beat the disease. However, on May 3, 2011 Epstein Barr Virus infected Steven and his immune system was not able to fight it off. Sadly, Epstein Barr Virus ended Steven’s life.

“He was the fiercest competitor I have ever known,” Coach Ron says,  “He played 9 and under ball from the time he was 6 years old and really is the impetus behind my coaching.”

I used to coach for my son, but now Steven is the reason I will continue to coach, declares Ron. Team Steve is a fan page on Weplay, dedicated to the memory of “The Ironman”.

“While I miss him terribly, I carry on his credo of ‘never quit’ by continuing to teach and coach his friends and their teammates,” he says.  “It is my hope that I can instill a bit of [Steven’s] spirit in each of my athletes.”

Coach Ron still coaches two of Steven’s best friends, Nick and John.

“Stevie made me promise to never leave them,” Ron says.

It is evident Coach Ron has infused his son’s philosophies into his coaching style based on his team’s longevity and accomplishments.

Coach Ron is general manager of the Frozen Ropes Avalanche Tournament Baseball Program located in Elmsford, NY. He coaches the 11-12 and under team. Coach Ron says his teams have won local and regional tournaments throughout the East Coast for the past eight years.

Coach Ron is also the vice president of the Mid Hudson Conference and is President of the Pop Warner Cortlandt Panthers, a team in the Mid Hudson Conference. In 2010 the team earned the Junior Pee Wee Division football championship title and in 2011 qualified for the Junior Pee Wee Division Eastern Regionals.

Coach Ron would like to give credit to his friend and long-time coaching partner, Ronnie Ferrara for all of the coaching help and support throughout the years. The coaching duo looks forward to coaching their first baseball tournament of 2012 next month.

An exciting future is shaping up for Coach Ron and his wife of almost 13 years as they are expecting their third child, a boy, in late February.

“So, it looks like I will be at [coaching] for a long time!” Ron admits.

Coach Ron’s Three Coaching Tips:

1. Never underestimate the power of a child's determination.  Do not sell them short, give them the tools to achieve!

2. Believe in your system before you ask your players to believe in you.

3. Remember why you coach!

Click here to nominate the next Coach of the Week!

Earning the coveted honor of Coach of the Week is no easy task. When you snag this Weplay acknowledgment a second time, like Stephen Buzzard has done, you know you’re working above and beyond what is required of a coach and mentor.

As basketball season bounces into play, Stephen is busy getting his teams ready for the 2012 season. Stephen is Director of Buzzardball: JRNBA/WNBA and currently coaches the ADV-NBA Celtics 7th-8th grade boys and the SR-WNBA Lynx 5th-8th grade girls. He is entering his 7th year as a youth sports coach.

“I coach because it gives me an opportunity to be a part of my children’s lives in a special way,” Stephen says. “It’s a great connection for me and my kids.”

Stephen says watching his kids, 16-year-old Toph, 8th grader Max and 5th grader Rileigh grow up playing sports, winning championships and teaching them some tips along the way has been one of this best coaching experiences.

Stephen remembers coaching his oldest son Toph’s final game as an 8th grader and recalls an emotional moment when he realized the game would finalize a long period filled with many memories of a father coaching his son.

“That same moment will take place this year with my 8th grade son, Max,” Stephen says. “I hope I’m better prepared the second time around.”

At least Stephen has the option to go back in time, to some extent, if he chooses. Having used Weplay as a resource to manage all of his teams, he will be able reminisce through old team photo galleries and remember the time shared with his sons, daughter and the rest of his players.

Stephen has been a full-time teacher for 17 years at St. Michael’s School in Carmichael, CA and director of Buzzardball, which is comprised of a basketball league, basketball camps and DJ entertainment. He has been married 18 years to his wife, Kristin.

It seems rather fitting that a two-time winner of Coach of the Week would use a quote by one of the most beloved basketball coaching legends of all time to remind everyone what is really important.

“Reputation is what others perceive you as being, and their opinion may be right or wrong. Character, however, is what you really are, and nobody truly knows that but you. But you are what matters most.” --John Wooden.

Stephen Buzzard’s Keys to Success:

1. Make sure that the kids get the best experience possible.

2. It’s not about you.

3. Enjoy every moment.

Click here to nominate the next Coach of the Week!

Being a youth sports coach is much more than showing 10-year-olds how to dribble a ball, swing a bat or kick a goal. Weplay’s newest addition to Coach of the Week, Trent Cooper (far right), will tell you no matter what sport you coach, the challenge is to make such an impression that your players take the lessons they learn beyond the court, diamond or field and give 100 percent in every area of their lives, personal, professional and beyond.

Trent of Virginia Beach, VA is a pharmaceutical representative and father of two active kids, a 9-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter who participate in a wide range of sports. In fact, Trent caught the coaching bug about four years ago when he signed up to be the coach for his son’s soccer team. Since then, Trent has coached basketball, football and his daughter’s soccer team.

Trent believes his continued passion for coaching so many different sports after all of this time is because of the players he has been involved with for the past four years.

“I have been lucky to get a good group of kids and luckily have been able to take them with me from sport to sport and watch them progress,” Trent says.

Like any proud coach, Trent admires his teams saying they are always competitive and have a strong will to win every contest. He also admits that he is lucky to have a son and daughter who are not only diverse athletes, but also like having their dad for a coach.

A quick browse through Trent’s Weplay page will prove he is well versed in the coaching arena. He has coached nearly 10 teams.

“Weplay is my ‘communication’ outlet to my parents as well as a scrapbook for myself and my parents to look at when they are recalling the events of the season,” Trent says. “It is very gratifying having one of the kids come to practice and say, ‘Hey coach, I saw the video of our game on Weplay. It was awesome!’”

Trent’s most recent coaching stint is with the 8-9 year-old Courthouse Basketball Timberwolves who are prepping for the quickly approaching season and eager to hit the court.

Trent Cooper’s Tips to Give your Players:

1. First and foremost give 100 percent all of the time in everything including at practice and in the classroom.

2. Have good sportsmanship. Always win with grace and lose with honor.

3. HAVE FUN!  There are some pretty intense settings for 8-9 year boys to play in, and a lot of  times you have to remind the kids that ultimately whether they win or lose, having fun, and being a good sport are the lessons that are going to make them a good teammate as well as a good person when they grow up.  

Click here to nominate the next Coach of the Week!

The dedicated coaches who keep youth sports dreams and opportunities alive are the types of coaches who earn the Weplay Coach of the Week title. This week, Allie Levine, cheerleading coach for Signal Mountain Xtreme Cheer receives the honor for refusing to let any cheerleading dreams die in Signal Mountain, a community located just outside of Chattanooga, TN.

Allie, along with another parent decided to take over and coach the small cheer program when the original teacher of the class was unable to continue coaching midway through the season. Since taking over coaching duties, Allie has played a major role in the expansion of the Signal Mountain Xtreme Cheer program.

“Over the past five years, Signal Mountain Xtreme Cheer has grown from a small handful of kids, to a strong recreation league with over 75 cheerleaders between the ages of 5 and 12,” Allie says. “We have two squads that are divided by age groups and are starting our first competitive squad this spring.”

As the Signal Mountain Xtreme Cheer team grows, Allie says she relies heavily on Weplay to keep all of her team members and parents connected and informed about team events.

“The Weplay site has also been a critical link for our girls who have had to miss practice,” Allie says. “I can easily upload a video of the new cheers or dance sections we worked on at practice and the girls can practice right at home over and over.”

Before Allie started coaching, she was a cheerleader herself and says she experienced true joy while cheering. Now Allie has four daughters of her own, Lauren, Sarah, Hadley and Ava Katherine who are cheerleaders for Signal Mountain Xtreme Cheer. Clearly, cheer has become a great outlet for the whole Levine family. Allie’s husband, David, even cooks dinner for her on practice nights, she says.

Allie believes coaching is a privilege and this year is particularly special because her oldest group of cheerleaders will be heading to middle school next year. Some of these members are the first girls Allie coached when she took over the team. Allie knows that not all of the girls will end up cheering in middle school, but it is her hope that the core lessons she’s tried to teach about commitment, dedication, respect and encouragement will remain with these girls throughout their lives.

For the Signal Mountain Xtreme Cheer squad and coach Allie, this season has been full of good memories. Allie says she is looking forward to next year with a competition team in the works and she would also like to work with children with disabilities by forming a special needs cheer squad, that way every girl can experience the joy of cheer.

Allie would like to send, “a big sparkle and shine hug to all of my Xtreme girls! Always remember the words, of the great Bear Bryant, who said, ‘If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes real good, you did it.’ I'm so proud of you all!”

Allie Levine’s Three Keys to Coaching Success:

1. Give only as much as you want to receive.

2. Always try to learn something new. Challenge yourself the same way you challenge the kids you coach.

3. And finally -  Love it fully or leave it completely.

Nominate your mentor to be our next Coach of the Week!

For Alex Macpherson, coaching and running after-school soccer programs was a great source of income while going to school in Nottingham, England. Little did he know, coaching and running these programs would lead to an important career discovery. Four years of fostering a true passion for coaching and running teams is why Alex is Weplay’s newest Coach of the Week.

Originally from Solihull of the United Kingdom, Alex found his way to the United States by becoming certified to coach at American summer soccer camps. He also gained valuable experience working with Nottingham Forrest FC Academy. After completing school in 2010 he received an offer to come to the United States and work for Mass Premier Soccer (MPS) in Waltham, MA, as a professional soccer coach.

Currently, Alex coaches the MPS U10 Lady Knights and the MPS U13 Lady Knights.

Alex says, “Both Lady Knights teams have had positive seasons. The U10 and U13 teams are both brand new, being brought together during the summer, therefore it has been a developmental season focusing on technical ability and progression which has resulted in some excellent results for the girls.”

Weplay is a tool Alex has been using all season for both of his teams. He says organized scheduling and messaging allows the team parents to coordinate social events so they do not interfere with team practice or games.

“The team has bonded by bringing snacks and drinks for after games,” says Alex. “We also utilize the gallery section to upload photographs and videos of our season. The teams love feeling interactive.”

Most coaches will say that the best coaching moments are those that inspire and prove hard work does pay off. Alex says his best coaching moments are watching his teams effectively execute plays they have been working hard on in practice and of course, scoring the first goal of the season.

Adapting to the American lifestyle has not been a struggle for Alex. He loves to watch movies, eat wings and play soccer whenever he gets the chance. Alex is the youngest of his family, with one older sister. His parents are Christine and Colin Macpherson.

Alex Macpherson’s Keys to Coaching Success:

1: Patience

2: Confidence

3: Adaptability

4: Knowledge

Nominate your mentor to be our next Coach of the Week.