After receiving several amazing applications, four candidates were selected to be part of Rush Soccer’s exclusive 10-month Mentorship Program. Check out the projects that these Rush Coaches will develop alongside some of our most recognized professionals!
The 2021-2022 cycle of the Rush Mentors Program is here! This 10-month exclusive Mentorship opportunity was created to support standout coaches and Rush professionals with a desire to have an impact in the development of our organization, and become experts and ambassadors of the Rush Way and the Rush organization overall.
In this opportunity, and after long consideration, four promising coaches were chosen. Meet below the selected candidates and their projects!
TIM DEAN (CHICAGO RUSH):
My project will be about creating a comprehensive Coaching Education program that will aim to implement the Rush Blueprint and new curriculum that Pablo Toledo (Rush Soccer’s Sporting Project Director) created. The goal will be to truly create a ‘Rush way’ of coaching methodology. Some of the aspects of the project I wish to develop include:
- Creating a shared vision of the player/teams we are trying to create.
- Evaluating and mentoring coaches.
- Holding coaches accountable for standards we set.
JOEL CASTRO (ALASKA RUSH):
The project attempts to identify the best way to build, run and maintain an effective, vibrant recreational program with the ability to scale to the size dictated by the local environment. I have identified certain challenges that may be unique to our environment here in Alaska such as staffing issues due to lack of available coaches, or seasonal challenges like the contrast in field availability between summer and winter sessions.
I hope to make use of the incredible amount of experience and knowledge in the Rush organization to create a model recreational program that can grow or shrink in size as the market demands, maximizing its ability to support the competitive side of the club with both income and a steady flow of athletes into our comp program as well. I hope to achieve this without sacrificing quality or the effectiveness of the curriculum and its presentation to the athletes.
FREDERICK HURTADO (BOLIVIA RUSH):
The idea is to make a Rush World Cup and it comes as a result of how Rush can unify its member clubs, give them sporting and competitive incentives where member clubs are proud to be part of the Rush family. Because you have to see what the problem is of having so many clubs worldwide, and that it is very difficult to be aware of everyone and even worse when there are clubs that do not know how to expand the brand in their community and take advantage of the services it offers. Rush. There are several factors that drive to create something unique where each branch club finds the great benefits of being a part of Rush.
The big challenge will be how to get countries to participate. Rush has member clubs in South America, Africa, and Asia, and most are low-income schools. What should be done after creating and having the bases of the tournament would be to see what Rush will offer to the clubs that participate in this World Cup. But the most important thing is how to give them the tools, advice and guidance on how they can self-manage their participation.
SEAN SANT (RUSH PIKES PEAK):
Developing our Coaches to better develop our players. Over my years of coaching I have noticed a major trend. As the US continues to focus on developing great players we have forgotten one major aspect of their development and that is developing great coaches.
My project proposal covers two different areas of Coaching and the importance of mentorship, training, and support.
First, the volunteer coach. This is such a critical aspect of developing our new players. Providing these amazing volunteers a base of education not only empowers them but ensures that our players are getting the correct base of knowledge and technical skills to develop. There is no place better than here to start implanting The Rush Way than right here.
Second, create and implement an accession program for our coaches within Rush. Not every coach is meant to be a clinic coach or a head coach but each coach has value. Finding what area that coach excels in is imperative to building the best inclusive training for our players.
Can’t wait to see the candidates improvement and projects coming true! For further information, please visit our Rush Mentors Program page.
