As you look at the pictures below, I know what you are thinking: "How can a bunch of eight, nine, and ten-year-old kids run sports camps?" Yeah, we get that a lot.
This is our crew, our team—the glue that holds it all together. We come from all over the country and many different backgrounds. Before landing at Skyhawks we held a variety of interesting jobs as HR professionals and rental car agents, consultants and lawyers. Some were coaches and some worked in Parks & Recreation. Point is, we all have one thing on common: we are passionate about youth and sports. The average tenure of our team is nine years. That says it all. Every person on our team works all year long to ensure that your child has a safe and positive camp experience, regardless of his or her athletic abilities.
Our company mission statement reads, "We teach life skills through sports." In addition to sports skills, we want to make sure your child walks away with an understanding of teamwork, respect, sportsmanship, responsibility, and leadership—all critical life lessons that strengthen children both on and off the court. Every day at every camp, our team is committed to making sure your child walks away from a Skyhawks program with new skills, new friends, and a lifelong love for a healthy, active lifestyle. From our family to yours, welcome to Skyhawks.
Jason grew up in Cincinnati, OH where he learned the true meaning of patience and blind loyalty by being a Reds and a Bengals fan. He graduated from Ohio State University (he's one of the few people who doesn’t use "the") - with degrees in Management Information Systems and Economics. – GO BUCKEYES! After graduating, Jason began working for Ernst and Young and moved to California with his wife, Nikki. It was there that he realized it's not fun sitting in a cubicle all day long. In a life-altering move, he began with Skyhawks in 2002, realizing a dream to combine his two biggest passions – athletics and working with kids. After surviving stints in San Francisco and Seattle, Jason moved back to Ohio, where he became the Director of the Skyhawks Franchise company. In 2017 Jason moved to Spokane to assume his new role as president and COO of Skyhawks. His biggest passion is spending time with his kids, Aaron and Zoe, who always keep life in perspective. Besides acting like a big toy for his children, Jason enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, playing soccer, and sleeping (when his kids allow it).
Born and raised in San Jose, CA, Matt has always been involved with sports and recreational activities within the community. Growing up, his favorite sports were basketball, football and golf. To this day, he has a passion for sports and maintaining an active lifestyle. When he is not working or spending time with his wife and two young sons, Matt enjoys playing a round of golf, getting a good workout or cheering on his 49ers, Giants and Sharks. Matt holds a degree in Business Management from Menlo College and his career is highlighted by roles in sales and customer service leadership. He has a passion for training and developing the skills of individuals. In joining Skyhawks, he saw the opportunity to grow a business that teaches children valuable life skills through sports and the importance of leading an active, healthy lifestyle.
Tracy was born and raised in a small town in Iowa. As is typical in the Midwest, she participated in all the school athletics available: softball, basketball, track, and swimming. Her early accounting training came from counting eggs—thousands and thousands of them on the family chicken farm. Graduation from the University of Iowa—GO HAWKEYES!—with a degree in accounting led her to Colorado, practicing as a CPA for 13 years both in the Rocky Mountains and later in the Pacific Northwest. As a result of an ultimatum from her husband in which he stated that he was not going to do another tax season with another baby, Tracy finished her Master’s in Health Policy and Administration at Washington State University—GO COUGARS!—and worked in the health field for several years before joining Skyhawks in 2007. Tracy and Jim are the parents of three boys who keep them busy with activities ranging from soccer and basketball to being roadies for a garage band practicing out of their house.
Andrew Chapman (Chappie) was born and raised in Bremerton, Washington. He grew up in a running family giving him the natural endurance to play soccer. His love of soccer began at the age of 5 and has yet to stop. Andrew is a graduate from Eastern Washington University with a Masters in Science in Physical Education. Directly out of his master’s program, Andrew was hired on as the Coach and PE coordinator for Peninsula College in Port Angeles, WA leading the soccer team to six divisional titles and three college championships. He also has been the GM and head coach of the PRO team, The Kitsap Pumas, taking them to the 2014 PDL Championships. Andrew is returning to Skyhawks after having previously worked for Skyhawks as a coach and director between 1997 and 2003. Andrew is married to Heather who he met in a speech class at Eastern, and they have two boys named Kadyn and Skyler.
Matt spent his childhood in a small rural town in Northwest New Jersey. As the seasons changed, so did the sport he played. Most of his time was spent on soccer, wrestling, and baseball. He was active in all three sports through high school, and continued to play soccer and wrestle at the collegiate level while pursuing a BS in Health & Exercise Science at The College of New Jersey. Over the years, he developed a passion for coaching and sports performance training, which led him to move cross-country and complete a MS in Kinesiology at Cal State Fullerton. He has been working in the youth sports and recreation field in Orange County since 2009. These days, Matt can be seen hanging out on the beach, playing co-ed softball, and rooting for his beloved Yankees and Giants.
A Washington State native, Erika graduated from Gonzaga University—GO ZAGS!—with a degree in French, completely preparing her for a career with a sports camp company. Alors bientôt nous allons commencer à offrir des programmes de camp de sport au Québec, non? Since joining the Skyhawks organization in 1994, Erika has held a variety of roles, including a brief stint as the Indianapolis Area Manager, team mascot, water girl and most recently as the Director of Franchise Support. In her spare time she can be found hiking the trails of Rattlesnake Ledge with her husband, two boys and the family dog, snapping scenery shots or in the kitchen cooking up some sort of culinary delight bien sûr!
Debbie was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She spent her summers camping & fishing at the local lakes with family in Oregon & Washington. Debbie was her high school Drill Team Captain in Spokane for two years winning several drill team competitions. Debbie graduated from Washington State University—GO COUGARS! Debbie and her husband Brian are the proud parents of three children who keep them busy with activities ranging from soccer, football and basketball to wrestling and track ... name a sport, one of her kids is playing it.
A graduate of Washington State University (Go Cougs!) where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sport Management, Madison is a true sports junkie. She lettered in five sports in high school. Madison played lacrosse at WSU and can often be found watching ESPN, Root or Fox Sports when she’s not on the field coaching. In addition to her love of sports, Madison enjoys travelling the globe to Tanzania, Romania and Italy. While in Italy, Madison discovered her love of Italian cuisine which she one day hopes to master in the kitchen. Madison enjoys attending Cougar football games, hiking and biking with her husband Kameron.
Born and raised in Newberg, Oregon, Nick Chapman also spent his early years living in Peru and Bolivia where his parents were missionaries. Nick graduated from George Fox University and later received his Masters in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University, Irvine. While Nick played most sports growing up, his favorite was soccer. Nick has been coaching high school and collegiate soccer since 2003, most recently as the Head Women's Soccer Coach at Beloit College in Wisconsin. Nick moved to Spokane to be closer to family in the Pacific Northwest and quickly began coaching various club soccer teams before starting with Skyhawks. Nick and his wife Lindsay (who allows him to paint a soccer field in the back yard) recently added their son Finn to their backyard soccer team roster.
Sarah grew up in Omaha, Nebraska with her father coaching any sport she wanted to play. He helped her develop a love for all sports with his kind, team oriented and fun loving attitude. Sarah and her family moved to Atlanta where they lived for 5 years before ultimately moving to Connecticut in 1996. She developed a deep love for volleyball in high school and went on to play in college while earning her BS in Recreation Management from St. Thomas Aquinas College – GO SPARTANS! Sarah joined the Skyhawks team in 2007 after going back to school to get her Physical Education degree. Sarah has been married to Mike, a former football/basketball player, since 2012 and is a proud mommy to their son, Jordan. She also is a head volleyball coach at a local High School during the fall and in her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking and anything active or outdoors.
Cameron was born and raised in Southern California where he grew up playing soccer, camping, hiking, and going to the mountains. He attended Cal State Dominguez Hills where he earned a B.A. in Kinesiology with a Teaching Option. While working on his degree, Cameron coached AYSO as well as worked at SoccerTots which ultimately developed his passion for coaching. Since joining the Skyhawks team in 2014, Cameron saw an opportunity for his passion to blossom into a career. In Cameron’s free time you can still find him playing soccer, camping, or going to any type of sporting event.
