USA U-20 National Team Assistant Coaches Named
Posted: December 8, 2011 01:34 PM
USA Ultimate is proud to announce that the assistant coaches for the open and women’s
U-20 USA National teams have been selected by the head coaches. Coach Ben Van Heuvelen brings Chase Sparling-Beckley and George Stubbs on board to the open team, and Coach Kyle Weisbrod is joined by Jamie Nuwer and Leila Tunnel for the women’s team. The assistant coaches will help with team selection, training, and competition at the 2012 World Junior Ultimate Championships in Dublin, Ireland.
Open
Chase Sparling-Beckley is one of the most accomplished leaders and Ultimate players in the game. He has coached high school and college teams on both coasts, and worked alongside Ben Van Heuvelen as assistant coaches on the 2006 open U-20 USA National Team. Van Heuvelen notes that Chase "has earned his wins the right way -- understanding that Ultimate is a test of not only athleticism and skill, but also character."
George Stubbs won two world championships as a player on the U-20 National teams in 2006 and 2008. Since then, he has led Harvard deep into the college championships and won recognition from his opponents, who voted that he should receive the 2011 Callahan Award. Stubbs has also studied ultimate coaching academically: his undergraduate thesis pioneered a promising methodology that might be used to gain insight into leadership techniques.
Women’s
Jamie Nuwer returns to the U-20 women’s team as an assistant coach after assisting as a trainer for both national teams in 2010 in Germany. Nuwer will help ensure that the U-20 women have top-notch physical preparation and will provide tactical insight on both sides of the disc.
Leila Tunnel also brings invaluable experience at the international level as a player on both the 2004 and 2006 national teams and will act as the 2012 team’s offense strategist. As a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill, she was also recently voted upon by her peers to receive the 2011 Callahan Award.
Coach Weisbrod says of his staff, "Both assistants have no shortage of experience building the mentality of championship contending teams as each has done so time and again in their Ultimate captaining and coaching careers. I could not have asked for more capable assistant coaches to help lead the 2012 US U-20 Women's team."
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