We are very pleased and excited to welcome Jonathan Karacozoff to the Soccer Shots Los Angeles team.
Jonathan is a recent transplant to Southern California and currently lives in Marina del Rey. He grew up in Sacramento, and began playing soccer at the ripe old age of five. After high school he attended UC Berkeley where he majored in political science and minored in education. Growing up Jonathan played every sport, but soccer quickly became one of his favorite sports. While in high school he became actively involved in rugby, and translated his soccer skills over to the rugby pitch (rugby was a spin off from soccer). He still has a passion for both sports, and is excited to see them grow in the United States of America.
Growing up in a house with a physical education teacher as a mother led him to have a life long passion for teaching.
While at Berkeley he had the opportunity to work with the Sage Project, which is a non-profit charity that mentors young children in the bay area.
Having had such a positive experience through the Sage Project, Jonathan is proud to continue teaching the youth of America through Soccer Shots.
In addition to Soccer Shots you can find him working for the company KozFit, which is an enterprise he founded with his brother. In his spare time he can be found playing sevens rugby, soccer, working out, pursuing higher knowledge, and hanging out with family and friends.
We are very pleased and excited to welcome Lindsey Munce to the Soccer Shots Los Angeles team.
Lindsey grew up within a household surrounded by sports and fell in love with the game of soccer when she was 8 years old. Whether playing alongside her father, winning trophies with her team or simply trying to keep up with her older brother she knew at a young age that soccer would always be a part of her life.
While attending the University of Oregon, Lindsey participated and helped lead a summer program for kids on military bases around the world. This program ignited a passion for not only working with children but culture and travel as well. Since then, she has lived and/or studied in Italy, England and most recently Ireland of which she retains dual citizenship.
In the summer of 2009, she left her home and event management career behind for Belfast, Northern Ireland. There she volunteered for Habitat for Humanity for 3 months and joined them to film their 15th anniversary project in Romania in which 250 volunteers built 10 homes in just 5 days. From this life changing experience, she produced an award-winning documentary that appeared in film festivals around the world as well as a promotional film that has globally increased volunteerism in a number of Habitat for Humanity affiliates.
In Soccer Shots, Lindsey has found the perfect combination of a love of kids and passion for organizations that strive everyday to make a difference and is thrilled to be a part of the team!
(Guest post from Coach Alia at Soccer Shots Los Angeles)
Encouragement is the gift that every child should receive. Although this statement seems obvious, encouragement really does make a difference in a child’s life.
I was coaching at Life House Preschool and about two sessions into the program a new child enrolled in my class and I was absolutely thrilled! The kid who was new to the class seemed apprehensive about playing soccer however he came along and attempted to play in all the games. About midway into the session I noticed that he was crying and I went over to him to see what was wrong. He informed me that he was sad because he did not think his mom would pick him up after lunch. I informed him that he had nothing to worry about because he would see his mom soon.
During this situation I saw more than the need for his mother, I also saw a kid who was easily upset and scared. I could easily relate to this child because when I was younger I was very much like him. I was very shy and was often afraid to talk to other people so I was quiet and kept to myself. What really helped me when I was younger was to have somebody encourage me and let me know I was doing a good job in whatever I was doing.
I knew that this child needed encouragement.
What made the situation even more perfect was the fact that the word of the week was encouragement! During the session I explained what encouragement was and had all the kids cheer for one another throughout the session. At the end of the session I also had everyone clap for this kid to show him that he did an amazing job that day at soccer.
During the following week to my surprise this kid did not cry at all!
Instead he was laughing and having a great time throughout the whole class.
I was very excited about this because I know that the other kid’s encouraging words made a difference in this child’s life. It doesn’t take much to encourage a child but it can make an enormous impact on their life in a positive manner. Each and every day, no matter how small it is, encourage a child. It may seem trivial however it can make giant impact in a child’s life.
(Guest post from Coach Alyssa at Soccer Shots Los Angeles)
As I teach Week One curriculum to my soccer kids, I can’t help but hum “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” in my head a little bit each time. When I ask the kids to define respect, I get a myriad of answers, ranging from, “do what’s right” to “treat other people nicely”.
In the back of my head, I hear my own parents reminding me to treat other people the way I want to be treated.
This past week, I began a mini-season at a preschool in the San Fernando Valley, where other students have already been enrolled with another coach at a different time. The school and the students were warm, inviting, and welcomed me right away. As I gathered the students, and walked over to the field, a child and their parent approached me. The child was visibly upset and kept saying they didn’t want to play. Their parent explained that they had taken their iPhone from the child, as it was time to play soccer, but this had caused the young boy to get upset. I responded that it was quite alright, and we could give him some time to watch, calm down, and join in at his own pace. His parent even participated in the warm up with us, to show him that soccer would be much more fun than the iPhone. As the child watched his parent hop around, pretend to be a tree swaying in the wind, and run from sideline to sideline, the tears kept streaming down his face.
After warm up, the parent and I agreed that the child could sit by my equipment, while they went and sat somewhere else. We talked about control or stop position, and passed out soccer balls; I even made sure to give that boy his own ball to ponder joining us. As we played one of my favorite games, the “Body Part Game,” in which the kids have to stop the ball with various parts of their body, he began to smile. We stopped the ball with our noses, and our ears, and our elbows. Soon he was laughing with us as we all stopped the ball with our bottom!
Huddled together, I took this time to ask the kids if they knew anything about the word “Respect.”
Another child raised their hand, and said “treating other people nice.”
I commended this response, as oftentimes I get blank stares when I ask kids to explain the meaning of a character word. I then asked all the kids to repeat after me, “treating others the way you want to be treated” and “treating others the right way”. Next, I took
time explaining that in the next game we would all get a chance to score a goal, but we had to practice respect by watching our friends and cheering for them, so they would do the same for us.
I looked over to my equipment, where the child had been sitting, and now he was standing, almost ready to join us. I asked him if he wanted to join us, but he was still hesitant, so we started taking turns cheering and scoring goals. After every one had gone once, he spoke up, saying he’d like to go now. Of course we high fived and we all cheered for him as he dribbled down the field and scored a goal. We did this one more time each, as the group was relatively small, and this child got to and wanted to go first!
I gave each child a high five and thanked them for respecting their friend, letting him take his time to join us, and then making him feel welcome when he did join us.
It was a subtle, yet poignant reminder that we are all a little different, take our own time to warm up to things, and deserve to be respected for that! It just so happened that respect was also the character word of the day.
The kids even shared cones as they collected them at the end of practice, another great way of showing respect!
As I left that day, the boy shouted to me, “See you next week for soccer!”
We are thrilled to have Adam Marino join our team here in Los Angeles as an Area Manager & Instructor. As a native Californian, Adam brings to Soccer Shots the most important component for your children’s success…Passion.
With extensive experience in elementary schools, Adam will focus on introducing our unique “older” kid” skills program* (designed specifically for kids ages 6-8) to elementary schools throughout Los Angeles. He graduated with a Bachelors Degree in History and went on further to obtain his Masters Degree in Education from UCLA. Since 2009, Adam has worked in public schools teaching grades 6th through 12th and coaches his niece’s under 6 soccer team. He expands his passion and skills for teaching into every child he coaches.
With his diverse background, Adam looks to spread the name of Soccer Shots, and bring the program to grade school age children throughout Los Angeles.
“I feel very fortunate to be able to bring my love of soccer and teaching to the Soccer Shots team. My philosophy in life is to find your passion and give everything you have to make that passion a reality.”
From this philosophy, Adam strives to ensure that his students and players practice honesty, perseverance, teamwork, and patience. Above everything else, he aims to have kids understand and embrace these beliefs.
* Our “older kid” program is an excellent compliment to AYSO and other soccer leagues. We recommend at least one season of Soccer Shots before beginning a competitive league.
(Guest post from Coach Matthew at Soccer Shots Los Angeles)
Character Word of the Day: Sharing
The class with “SHARING” as the character building word is one of my most rewarding as well as one of the most challenging. Many 3-5 year old children are at the stage where everything is “Mine”. To reinforce the concept of SHARING, I instituted two exercises back to back. I began with explaining the definitions of SHARING. In one instance, a child (who we will call “Danny”) who typically grabs for the white soccer ball and never gives it up, explains to my surprise that SHARING IS CARING. I initially wondered if this would actually translate into practice for this little boy.
That day, I started out with a Halloween game where I throw all the cones onto the field and tell them that all these colorful cones are treats and their job is to dribble to each cone, control the ball, and pick it up. The object is to pick up the most cones. When all the treats are collected we sit in a circle and count how many cones each child has. “Danny” happened to pick up the least amount of cones and was visibly upset. So I said to the group, “who wants to share”? Three children gave him cones! Then I had each child share a treat with another child. Of course after someone shared, the recipient had to say “thank you” and give a high five. We kept doing this until everyone was laughing and high fiving one another.
The next game was going to be the big test. This was the exercise called “Switch” where the children dribble, and when I whistle, everyone runs to another soccer ball because we all SHARE. “Danny” was a little hesitant in giving up his ball until we reminded him about our friends that shared their cones. After that reminder “Danny” enjoyed sharing with his friends because SHARING IS CARING! His Mom even reported that “Danny” shares better at home with his siblings.
We are extremely pleased to announce that Paul is now the West San Fernando Valley Director! For the past two years Paul has coached and managed the Soccer Shots program in the San Fernando Valley at an extremely high level. He truly represents the absolute best of what Soccer Shots is all about. Kids, parents and the staff at our schools all love Coach Paul!
Check out Coach Paul in action as he leads a group of 30+ kids with creativity and imagination! The kids have a blast using their giant bucket of water (soccer ball) to put out the fires (cones) as they fly (dribble) around the field in their helicopters!
Paul brings 25 years of experience working with children in sports and recreation for organizations including non-profit organizations, public schools and with the Disney Company. Additionally, he also operates a robust children’s party entertainment company with his wife. During Paul’s career his certifications have included youth sports coach and personal trainer and his lifetime of experience coaching youth soccer for preschoolers and older children began in 1986!
After the birth of his second son five years ago and following the acquisition of two additional party companies, Paul resigned from his role as an Executive Director with the YMCA to spend more time with family and with the family businesses. With his youngest son beginning kindergarten he took on a part time management role as Coordinator of the Topanga youth sports program in 2009 involving 200 children ages 3 to 13 in various sports including a rapidly growing soccer program in which he continues to coach several teams each season.
With a diverse and enriching body of experience well suited to coaching and working with young children, Paul began coaching for Soccer Shots at the beginning of 2010. His experience with sports and working with children has been a great match!
“Coaches are, first and foremost, teachers; they are among the most influential people in a young athlete’s life. Because coach’s are such powerful role models, young athletes learn more from them about character that about athletic performance.” – Unknown
In addition to teaching basic soccer skills, our newly designed curriculum places a high emphasis on character building and even offers a Character Word Of The Day. In this short clip Coach Alyssa demonstrates her creativity in reinforcing the “word of the day” as part of the team cheer at the end of the session.
We are extremely pleased to welcome Ali Lawson to the Soccer Shots Los Angeles team! Ali joins us having been highly recommended by a member of our very own Soccer Shots team. With the very busy fall season upon us, Ali is a much welcomed addition and we look forward to her experience, dedication, positive attitude and warm personality.
As the top PreK enrichment program in Los Angeles we strive to maintain a high level of program quality and service to the families and schools that we serve. Ali will play an important role in maintaining and enhancing these relationships. Ali will be in the Soccer Shots LA office Monday-Friday from 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, unless she is out with the kids coaching a session.
Please join us in welcoming Ali to the team! She can be reached by email at losangeles@soccershots.org or by phone at (310) 857-6560.
Ali is a native Oregonian that has recently relocated to Southern California. She brings with her a diverse range of experiences. Some of her favorites were when she traveled the world as a Corporate Flight Attendant. She also earned her degree in psychology which she believes has helped her to become the well rounded person she is today.
Through life experiences, Ali has developed the tools to deal with whatever comes her way. She embraces life’s challenges and looks forward to the future. She is thrilled to be employed with Soccer Shots and can’t wait to work with everyone, including parents, school staff, coaches and of course, the kids.
She enjoys many sports, including soccer and loves working with and being around kids.
“I find it so rewarding to see kids having fun playing while increasing their fitness levels. That’s one of the great things about kids, they don’t know that they’re actually getting a work out, because they’re too busy just having fun.”
She feels that their energy and zest for life is infectious, which is a great reminder to not take yourself or life to seriously.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her fiancé Neil and hiking with their Mini Australian Shepard, Maile.
This past weekend we joined over 70 other Soccer Shots franchise owners, directors, and corporate staff at our 2011 Annual Meeting in Charlotte, NC.
The two day meeting was full of insightful speakers and workshops, presentations of upcoming system wide improvements, and of course priceless interactions and conversations with individuals dedicated to the Soccer Shots community and the families that we are so fortunate to serve. Speakers included Dr. Dave Hood, President of iFranchise and former President of Auntie Anne’s and Greg Griffith from the U.S. Soccer Foundation. Looking forward we are excited to offer:
• New Email System consisting of custom templates.
• Custom Survey Tool which will be available for parents and site directors to provide feedback.
• Revised Curriculum with many exciting updates!
• New In-School Display, Posters, Brochures, and Weekly Updates!
Look for many updates and improvements in the coming months and year!
Soccer Shots is a leader in youth soccer development for children ages 3-5 & 6-8.
Offered at preschools, daycare centers, and parks, our nationally recognized non-competitive skills program offers a high energy, fun, age-appropriate introduction to the wonderful game of soccer.
Soccer Shots is owned and directed by Rian Heim and his wife Alyssa. Their passion for soccer and working with youth was their motivation for bringing Soccer Shots to Los Angeles. 2011 marks the fourth year that Rian and Alyssa have been running Soccer Shots here in Los Angeles. Together they make every effort to deliver a solid program that children, parents, and schools will benefit from and enjoy. They currently live in Playa Del Rey with their one year old son Charlie and dog Buddy.
Soccer Shots Los Angeles Blog
