Meet The Coaches

Coach Jen grew up in Brookfield, Wisconsin where she began playing soccer at the age of eight. She played travel soccer for the Brookfield Soccer Association through high school, where she was able to play teams from all over the country and world. Jen continued her soccer career at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Clair and began to pursue her degree in education. During this time Coach Jen coached camps for the Milwaukee Wave and a U-14 travel team. Once her playing career ended, Jen focused on her career in teaching. Jen has taught children of all ages, but has focused on early childhood education for the past 10 years. With a love of teaching and being active, Jen was looking to teach children in a different way, and decided to continue her education by getting her Bachelors in Kinesiology – Exercise Science. Coach Jen moved all the way from Chicago to become part of the Soccer Shots Kalamazoo team! She says the best part about coaching with Soccer shots is “Seeing the children gain confidence each and every week.”

Coach Taylor grew up in Grand Haven, MI with a love for the sport of soccer. She recently graduated from Western Michigan University and studied Child and Family Development. Taylor has a strong background in childcare as she was a Children’s Ministry Coordinator and an Assistant Preschool Teacher. Some of Taylor’s hobbies outside of playing and coaching soccer, are snow skiing and home decorating. Her favorite foods are pizza and chocolate chip cookies and her favorite color is green. Some fun facts about Taylor are that she lived in Mexico for two months and backpacked along the Appalachian Trail. Her favorite aspects about coaching are “building a relationship with the children and seeing them show up excited to play every week.”

Coach Sarah grew up in Marshall, MI. She is currently attending Western Michigan University, studying Child and Family Development. She has a passion for volunteering specifically with Special Olympics programs and living an active lifestyle. Her favorite foods are macaroni and cheese and green bean casserole and her favorite color is purple. A few fun facts about Sarah are that she has two donkeys back at home and has three older brothers. She says, her favorite aspect about coaching is “being able to be a part of the kids growth throughout the season.”

Coach Jack grew up in Ballina, Ireland where he grew his love for the sport of soccer. He resided in Ireland until the age of 22 and has been to 8 different countries in Europe. Jack gained his experience in childcare by working at a summer camp in New York for 3 consecutive summers. His favorite food is pasta and favorite color is red. His hobbies outside of soccer include running/hiking and watching sports. Jack’s favorite thing about coaching children’s soccer is “seeing the joy on the kids faces when they score a goal and complete a new soccer move.”

Coach Caleb is a Kalamazoo native. His favorite hobbies outside of soccer, are doing projects around the house, reading books, and playing with his great dane, Hobbes. His favorite food is BBQ chicken pizza and his favorite color is forest green. A few fun facts about Coach Caleb are that he loves to travel, can play guitar and is married to an opera singer. His favorite things about coaching are, “providing an environment where kids can have fun, express themselves, and master new skills.