32-year-old Jon Vinson is giving the residents of Oakland, California something to be proud of.  For more than 15 years, he has worked to improve the opportunity and potential of youth in his community through basketball.  He has developed a city recreation league and even coaches high school and junior high basketball.

Our Coach of the Week wrote that he noticed a severe lack of community activities for the younger kids in his neighborhood back in the 1990's. At the time, Coach Vinson was just a teenager himself, but age was no barrier.


   
"The kids asked me to give them something to do," he wrote. "They were fighting a lot and wanted to escape the neighborhood drama."

He believed then and he believes now that the underserved youth in Oakland are bright, ambitious and athletic.   His legacy has been creating and maintaining the DBC Basketball Club.  He also coaches at Arroyo high school and Frick Middle School in association with the Oakland Unified school district.

Coach Vinson wrote that each of his teams are doing well this season and in particular, his players are continuing to show growth and potential.  Although his greatest accomplishment has been helping each player score well in the classroom and build a path to college.  

"To see them make it to college brings a great deal of joy to the community," wrote Coach Vinson. "We are an inspiration to youth everywhere."
 
Like many programs across the nation, Coach Vinson's league budget is limited.  Rather than let his athletes suffer from lack of equipment or a travel fund, he encourages them to seek out fundraising opportunities and support from the community.  He highlights in the team's fundraising letter that participation and education are key.  He wrote, "Every child that wants to participate will be able to.  We help with tutoring where needed and make their education and intricate part of the requirements for continued participation."



Coach Vinson's Keys to Success:

• No child should be turned away.

• Each player deserves the opportunity and experience to play.

• Coaches have an obligation to teach the game of basketball as well as provide life skills and support at all times.

Thank you Coach Vinson for you assertive attitude and commitment to your community!

Weplay's VP of Engineering, Luke Melia happens to be an avid volleyball fan.  A life-long supporter of the game, he even advocated for a men's volleyball team during his junior high and high school years.  He continues to play regularly and often invites the Weplay team to join him or just learn more about the game.

In fact just this morning Luke passed along an article concerning a new youth volleyball league in Louisville, Kentucky.  Basketball and football participation in the area far out number those playing volleyball.  In an effort to change this, President of the Kentucky Volleyball Academy, Kathy Elswick, took on the head-coaching role for the girls volleyball program at Bullitt High School.



The Bullitt women's volleyball team is participating in the first year of the Kentucky Volleyball Academy program schedule, in hopes that enthusiasm and interest will return to the sport.  Coach Elswick's main hope is that her participants gain a greater knowledge of the game and improve their skill set. 

I think Coach Elswick's goal is a great one.  The memories, passion and lessons learned while playing youth sports can last a lifetime, just take Luke for example.  

Are there any coaches or organizers in your area working to revamp a sports program? Or, is there a sport that is not offered in your area, but you wish it was?  If you've helped rebuild or start a new program, what are your suggestions for others who want to help promote a sport in their community?  

Saturday night the 145lb boxer from the Philippians, Manny Pacquiao, made history landing the TKO verses Miguel Cotto on boxing's biggest stage. 

Pacquiao, 30, took home his record-setting seventh division title beating Cotto for the Welterweight crown in what most would agree was a bloody, physically demanding match. 

What was surely one of the most historic fights in recent boxing memory is also a controversial one.  After suffering two knockdowns, one in round three and another in the round four, Cotto was on dangerous ground.  The 29-year-old Puerto Rican boxer landed a few more hard punches in the fifth round, but Pacquiao was taking charge.

For the remainder of the fight, Pacquiao continued to dominate, leaving Cotto in bad shape.  Cotto's trainer Joe Santiago and his father, Miguel Sr both wanted to call the fight after the 10th and 11th round, but Cotto insisted otherwise.  Referee Kenny Bayless finally called the match 55 seconds into the 12th and final round.

My question to you is, when is enough, enough?  How do we help protect boxing competitors when the dangers seem too great? If you're a youth boxing coach, what sort of methods do you teach your fighters about safety?

I grew up watching, attending and celebrating the sport of boxing. But viewing Cotto's beat down on Saturday night got a bit uneasy for me in the later rounds.  I'm all about safety first.  What are your thoughts?

What does paraskevidekatriaphobia mean you ask? (can you even pronounce this?) If you're superstitious and are paralyzed by fear on dates that fall on unlucky number 13, then you're one!

I personally am glad college footage games are mostly played on Saturdays. I'm a devoted University of Oregon football fan and after my Ducks fell on their beaks to Stanford (yes, Stanford!) last Saturday, we can use all the good luck possible tomorrow, the 14th, verses Arizona State.



I wouldn't say I'm a Paraskevidekatriaphobe, but I'm pretty darn committed to my sports team.  Any force that tries to bring them down, like Friday the 13th, is unwelcome in my books.

I know many of you Weplayer's have games on Fridays.   Are you worried about getting the win on Friday the 13th?  Better yet, do you have any stories from past sporting events played on Friday the 13th?

Share 'em with us.  

Coach Charlie Minesinger is a life-long athlete.  From team sports to running, he has maintained an active lifestyle, fueled by his competitive nature.  In fact just this year, at age 41, he completed a full Ironman triathlon in Couer d' Alene.
 
Like many adult athletes, his passion for sports was embedded in his DNA at a very young age.  He first hit the soccer field at age five, which he continued to play through his high school years.  Not to be typecast as a one-sport athlete, he also took up wrestling and even played JV lacrosse in college.  Though he wrote that running and triathlons have been his focus over the past 15-years.

A father of three, Kayla, Neela and Luke, Coach Charlie took his love of sports in a new direction in 2005.

"As my daughters' athletic "careers" expanded, I could not resist being involved and supporting them," he wrote.  "I was compelled to coach because I really enjoy working with kids."

This season our Coach-of-the-Week accepted the challenge of coaching his younger daughter Neela's, competitive travel team.  The U9G Blue Flames are based in Northern Virginia but play in the Washington Area Girls Soccer League.  Coach Charlie has enjoyed coaching a competitive team so much, that he is working to recruit a second team this winter. 


The Flames are a strong passing team and tend to control the ball well.  Coach Charlie wrote that the team's most prominent achievement is that nine of his 11 players have scored a goal.  He also has five competent goalies, with two more players who want to tackle the position as well.  

Coach Charlie and his team also created a "Juggling Patch Program" to help encourage players throughout the season.  He awards patches to players who reach 5, 10, 25 and 50 juggles.  Currently, half the team has reached five juggles.  

"We are all going to get some ice cream when all 11 achieve five juggles," wrote our proud coach.  

Besides using incentives to motivate his team, Coach Charlie is also a member of the US Youth Soccer Association.  He currently holds a "D" level-coaching certificate, which focuses on the consolidation of techniques and tactics.  He's hoping to qualify for the next level, the "C" license within a year or two.  Further accreditation should come in handy as he works with his eldest child, Kayla, who's also on a competitive travel team as well as with his son Luke who will begin a U5 program next fall.  

When he's not on the field with his children, Coach Charlie works in technology sales and business development.  

Coach Charlie Key's to Success:

First and foremost, Coach Minesinger believes that foot skill development is essential for young players.  He outlines specific practice drills that focus on the points or techniques he wants to traget each day. He also works to provide each player with personalized technical instructions session whenever possible.  

• Encourage players to communicate among themselves on the field

• Provide encouragement and clear feedback to players

• Communicate with parents to keep everyone involved on the same page

• Soccer should be fun, especially for younger players

• Organized practices - clear rules, good transitions and disciplined communication

Thank you for the example you've set for living a healthy active life Coach Charlie! This is one goal we should all work to achieve.

Five-year veteran coach, Dave Owens, 29, is usually running up and down the sidelines cheering on his players as they make a great play or tackle.  A member of the Positive Coaching Alliance, Coach Dave believes in bringing a productive attitude to the field no matter what the scoreboard reads.  And he's been doing so, coaching flag football, soccer, baseball and now tackle football for his son's team.


"That look of excitement on the players face and the team roaring for the kids, keeps me coming back year after year," wrote this week's Coach-of-the-Week.

Coach Dave is the defensive coach for the Thalia-Malibu Dolphins Rec tackle team.  This is both Coach Dave's first year as a tackle coach as well as the first time an 8-9-year-old tackle team has been offered in the Thalia-Malibu area.  It appears the Dolphins will just miss the playoffs, but they had a great inaugural season facing many teams that have been playing tackle for up to five years already.  

Before coaching his son Isiah, now 10, on the Dolphins, he was the head coach of a flag football team in the area.  For three consecutive seasons, his 5-9 year-old teams played in the championship game and twice won the title.

The one year his team lost the championship was one of the more rewarding coaching experiences and challenges for Coach Dave.  His team was in last place going into the playoffs, but Coach Dave knew what to do.

"Too often kids give up on sports because they've developed a distaste for it from all the pressure they receive." Wrote Coach Dave.  "I told them [the players] that the losses didn't define who they were individually or as a team."

Sure enough his team bounced back and battled their way to the Championships.  Though they lost, that season is one of Coach Daves' favorites.  He learned to apply his coaching style and found the rewards of working with and listening to each player individually.

On a personal note, Coach Dave has been married to his wife Anna for ten years.  They have three children.  Son Isaiah, 10, and two daughters ages five and two.

Coach Dave's Keys to Success:

B- Brains (You have to be a smart player on the field and in school)
E- Effort (You have to give everything you have win or lose)
A- Attitude (Be prepared to work and be excited about the game and your  teammates)
S- Sportsmanship (show good sportsmanship to your team and opponents at all times)
T- Teamwork (Don't just be on the team, be a member of the team)



Coach Dave created the acronym for B.E.A.S.T while brainstorming with his wife.  He uses it as a positive reinforcement tool for the kids.  Each time his players perform to the best of their abilities fulfilling each letter of B.E.A.S.T they receive a special sticker on their helmet or patch on their jersey.  He wrote that this incentive not only fires up the kids, but also helps them understand that each element of B.E.A.S.T is necessary. 

Coach Dave wrote, "I really liked this because even though it's meant to teach the kids it also involves the parents in encouraging and keeping it positive at home and on the field."

Coach Dave also wanted to share his first time experience using Weplay.  
"It is honestly the best site for team sports and we've looked around." Wrote Coach Dave.  "This site helps so much in keeping everyone connected and informed. I love that everyone can contribute and upload pictures and discuss things with each other. Weplay will definitely be the site I continue to use for all of the sports teams that I coach and definitely one I will refer to others!

Coach Dave, thank you for your dedication to your community and the many young players you have influenced over the years and the years to come.  You are a wonderful addition to the coaching community and valued mentor.

From 1999- 2004, Tom Ricketts did what many of his peers thought was impossible.  He re-built a university club team and led them to the National Championships.

In his final season as General Manager of the Oakland University Grizzles Hockey Club, Tom's team won the Division II title.  The Grizzles dominated New York University 5-1 in the final game of the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Tournament.  The Grizzles have since won two more national titles in 2006 and 2007.  Tom was also inducted into the Oakland University Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006. 



After stepping down to be with his family, Tom found himself back on the ice.  Two of his three sons, Joey, 8, and Adam, 6, began playing hockey for the Royal Oak Hockey Association.  Tom immediately took on the role of head coach and hasn't looked back since.  For this reason, Coach Ricketts is our Weplay Coach-of-the-Week.

During his inaugural season coaching, Coach Ricketts and his assistant coach Robb Bolio, lead the "Mini-Mites" to a league playoff title.  Last year they faced a much more competitive league at the "Mite" level.  Now in their third year as a coaching combo, they are hoping to lead the 9U Royal Oak Rebels to another league championship.

Coach Ricketts and Coach Bolio's Keys to Success:

• Make sure the kids have fun

• Build a strong foundation for skills

• Encourage player sportsmanship 

Coach Ricketts recognized his hockey family writing, "Royal Oak Hockey is a great community of coaches and parents and I have a lot of fun being a part of it."

Congratulations Coach Ricketts!

To nominate your coach, send an email with a link to his or her Weplay profile: nominate@weplay.com

39-year-old Chip Ramsey has been coaching youth football nearly as long as his youngest son Luke, 9, has been alive.  Now in his seventh season with the Coffee County Youth Football League, Coach Ramsey has been a staple coach and supporter of the game in his community.  For this reason, he is awarded Weplay's, Coach Of the Week. 



Coach Ramsey currently heads up the Cowboys 9U team in his hometown of Manchester, TN.  With a season record of 4-0 the Cowboys, led by his son, quarterback and strong safety #5, are playing extremely well.  There are six returning players from the '08 season, which have helped provide the leadership and experience needed on a winning team.

Coach Ramsey wrote that he motivates his players saying, "The game, like their lives, must be played to the fullest; that it is a game of joy and ferocity; rewards and consequences."

Coach Ramsey maintains his love of the game and coaching writing that it is his, "calling".  He believes football is rich with lessons for all age groups and that these lessons of life will last forever.

His passion for football can be traced back to the age of five.  He wrote that he couldn't remember a time when he wasn't playing, watching or dreaming about football or the "greatest game on earth" as he calls it.

At the age of 10, Coach Ramsey made his player debut on the football field.  He continued to play through his senior year of high school.  After he and his supportive wife Beth had children, his role naturally shifted to coach.  

His children have followed in their father's footsteps and enjoy being active.  Daughter Bliss, 15, is a Pioneerette for Warner High School.  Son Charlie, 13, plays the clarinet for the Westwood Junior High Band and nine-year-old Luke has shown an incredible aptitude for the game of football.

When he's not coaching, Coach Ramsey and his wife own and operate, The Saturday Independent and publish TSI ALL Sports, a paper focused on youth sports in the 50,000 strong Coffee County.   He also serves as treasurer for the football league's board of directors.

Coach Ramsey you are a wonderful addition to the Weplay coaching roster and we thank you for your dedication to youth sports in your area.

To nominate your coach, send an email with a link to his or her Weplay profile: nominate@weplay.com

Coach Krystal Hamon has been part of the cheerleading world since 1993, participating in Pop Warner, High School Squads, Competitive Cheer, and now coaching!  Having been a lover of cheer from the beginning, she is now excited to be able to give something back to it. She said she had always hoped to be able to share her positive experience with other girls, and she now feels a great admiration from her cheerleaders, parents and other coaches.

For the past four years Coach Krystal has helped coach for the Argonaut High School Jr. Mustangs Cheer program, located in Jackson, CA. As a coach, she has strove to help her cheerleaders gain self-confidence, and said she has been thrilled to watch the program grow in both numbers and strength.



This week's Coach of the Week shared with Weplay, "I believe that I am a hard working coach who wants my cheerleaders to be the best, but I wouldn't have the best squad if they weren't willing to work hard to achieve that goal too!" For that she wanted to give her squad a shout-out and say, "Thank you for being the best you can be! You come to practice willing to learn and ready to succeed! I can't wait to see where cheerleading takes you!" 

One fun way that Coach Krystal motivates her squad is to give out a Spirit Award each week to a Mascot, a JV Cheerleader, and a Varsity Cheerleader! Check out their team page to see all the recent recipients. What a fun way to reward your cheerleaders!

Outside of cheer, Coach Krystal is a stay at home mom with a 20-month-old daughter (future cheerleader), and she runs her own business as an independent consultant with PartyLite Candles. While she doesn't have any children involved with the high school program, she has a passion for cheer and takes great joy from coaching.

She wrote that is was a great honor to be selected as the Coach of the week on Weplay!

Weplay thanks you for your dedication to the sport of Cheerleading, and for being a positive role model to the young girls on your squad!

(Article Courtesy of Lauren Magistro)

While most coaches played sports as kids, there are also those who walk into the game as adults.  That's just what Coach of the Week, Edward Blanchette of Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania did.



When his daughter, Danielle, 12, took up the sport of soccer four years ago, Coach  Blanchette knew this was his opportunity to get involved and study the game he knew little about.  And over the years his dedication to sports and coaching has only grown stronger.
 
Coach Blanchette was a bit apprehensive when his then eight-year-old daughter Danielle wanted to play a sport.  His older daughter had previously tried karate, but didn't stick with it.  Still, he and his wife Barbara decided it was only fair to offer Danielle the same opportunity to play, and here they find themselves four years later.

Coach Blanchette expressed that his daughter's first coaches were great role models and he admired the way they taught the game.  It was because of them, particularly Coaches Corey Gilmer and Rene Kohler that he decided to get involved with the team and later down the road, start coaching.

Because his job in sales requires a great deal of travel, Coach Blanchette and his wife began as volunteer "Assistant Parents".  They enjoyed running flags for the team and helping out the coaches when needed.  Since he was new to soccer, it was a great place for him to learn the game.
 
Soon after, Coach Blanchette became the Secretary for the Conrad Weiser Youth Soccer Club, a position he has held for the past three years. His first true coaching role was as an Assistant Coach for Coach Gilmer.  At the end of June 2009, Coach Blanchette was nominated to serve as Head Coach for the U13T3 Girls Team, now known as the Golden Goals. 

He wrote, "I was a little surprised, as this to me was a big honor as well as a big responsibility. I accepted and Matt Coldren was named and is my AWESOME Assistant Coach."
 
As far as a coaching philosophy, Coach Blanchette stressed, "I try to teach unity and teamwork. My rules are simple, give me 100%, always try - never give up."  His other Keys to Success are:

• An assist is just as important as a goal.

• All girls on my team must get along.  When we are on the field there are no clicks, no bickering, and no one is above another.

• As a team we must work together to compliment each other...no big spotlights.

• When we are off of the field we are respectful to each other even through our differences.

The Golden Goals are coming off a 7-0 win and have five games left this season.  The team started off a little short-handed, but things have been moving smoothly after some help from U11 and U12 players in their club.

"They had a few ties early on." wrote Coach Blanchette. "To me a tie is just as good as a win.  They played hard and I was proud!"
 
Coach Blanchette was very gracious in accepting this nomination, and shared a few words with Weplay writing, "For me to be nominated as a Coach of the week is great, but I am only as good as the people and players around me. Believe you me, they are an outstanding bunch and I am very fortunate and blessed to be affiliated with a great community of Parents and Coaches at the Soccer Club, and finally the most important of all...my family and my team. With out them you wouldn't be reading this now. Again, I thank you."

(Article Courtesy of Lauren Magistro)