Since 2006, a group of highly dedicated and trained individuals have served as coaches for the participants in the Sports Plus basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, gym and swimming programs. The goal of the coaching staff is to work as a team to provide the best sports and social experience possible for all participants-all while having a lot of fun! Our staff constantly works to engage and instruct the children by alternatively offering help, challenge or even slapstick humor depending upon the needs of the particular participant. They teach sports and athletic skills while also emphasizing the valuable social skills of teamwork, sportsmanship and peer to peer communication. As a result our coaches help to not only increase fitness and athletic skills but also help to build self esteem, confidence and social skills through sports, play and fun that have lasting benefits far beyond athletic fields, gyms and pools. Our coaching staff brings a great deal of experience and talent from a wide variety of different disciplines that blends together to effectively carry out our class curriculum week after week. We thought you might like to see a summary of some of the collective experience and credentials of our Sports Plus coaching staff. 

  • Five are NSCA Certified Personal Trainers
  • Three are former college softball players
  • One is a former college basketball player, one is a former college lacrosse player, one is a current college lacrosse player, one is a former college swimmer, three are former college soccer players and one has played soccer professionally
  • Three are special education teachers, one is secondary school teacher and three are special education instructional assistants for classes of children with autistic spectrum disorders
  • Three have finished marathons and six regularly compete in area road races
  • Thirteen have carried out ABA or other therapies for autistic children on a one to one basis
  • Five have been awarded Masters Degrees from George Washington University-two in Exercise Science and Nutrition and three in Public Health
  • Three have been awarded Masters Degrees in Education from Johns Hopkins University, Marymount University and American University respectively
  • One is a certified speech-language pathologist with a Masters Degree in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology
  • Five have autistic children in their families
  • One is a high school softball coach in Virginia and one is a former high school volleyball coach with two years of Junior Olympic volleyball experience
  • One is a children’s party entertainer extraordinaire that has lead hundreds of parties and another has helped lead dozens of children’s parties
  • Fourteen have extensive coaching experience in neurotypical sports programs for children
  • Three have earned Water Safety Instructor certifications and eight have earned lifeguard certifications
  • Two are certified yoga instructors and one is a certified BOSU training specialist
  • Three hold black belts in karate
  • One is a certified Tai Chi instructor