COACHES
Basketball
erica hallman, greg cannon, cassaundra thorpe, rebecca bryant, courtney tucker. Rob simmons
Our Basketball program is led by Erica Hallman, owner/lead trainer of “In The Gym LLC” has been closely working with athletes the last three years to enhance basketball fundamentals. Erica was Miss Kentucky Basketball 2002. She played for the University of Kansas 2002-2006 and was in the top 10 statistical categories as she majored in accounting. Our Basketball staff is rounded out with local high school, youth coaches and trainers in the area.
Soccer
hunter grace, ian kerr, danny combs, cindy adams
Our Soccer program was designed in partnership with Erika True and SAY Soccer. It is designed to teach soccer skills and life skills all while using a soccer ball. Our staff has a variety of experiences from current collegiate athletes to over 30 years of experience. The soccer staff is focused on helping to teach the girls to use their voice and the importance of teamwork on the soccer field.
Track
stevonne spivery, darren braddix, shaunice steele, jim engel, arin gentry, tim crooks, zariah hodgkins
Our Track organization was started with Stevonne Spivery, Darren Braddiux, Jim Engel and Shaunice Steele creating a program for 3-8th grade girls in which they can learn, and demonstrate their growth through a team track meet after the camp sessions. Our life skills which are focused on embracing being girl and never giving up! The track program will not formally run in 2020.
Volleyball
JAi’lA NORED, BRI WINN, JESS BOGAN, tim hankins, maggie bell
Volleyball will be added for the 2019 program. The program is being developed by a team of coaches. The focus for Volleyball will be on fundamental skills with the life skills being connected to taking a stance and playing fair. The camp life skilll is focused on equality and fairness.
Other Track Volunteers: Shay Steel, Darren Braddix, Jim Engel, Withrow Track Team Members
ADMINISTRATION
Cassaundra Thorpe
Creativity coordinator
Cassandra Thorpe has worked in athletics for over 6 years. She was also a student athlete during her 4 years of her collegiate career. She has spent her professional career working with collegiate athletes on their academics, personal development, and community engagement. Cassandra’s GRIT role is to establish program objectives and development for each Girls With GRIT site, budgets, retrieving data regarding programming, and needed resources. She will also co-manage community partnerships with Director of Parent Engagement of Skill Development.
Tracey Stanton
administrative lead
Tracey Stanton has been a volunteer with Girls with GRIT since 2016 and has consistently been a support in high school and AAU programs in Cincinnati, OH. Tracey has spent the past several years working in Human Resources and has a special knack for project planning, prompt customer service and strong execution. Tracey’s role is to maintain and lead the administrative activities of the program such as camp registration, scheduling and coordination of staff and volunteers.
Eric Hankins
operations and parent engagement
Eric Hankins has worked in youth athletics for over 20 years. He has experience working with administration, parents, and players. He truly believes that driving partnership and engagement from parents will lead to successful students. Eric has personally seen the impact that this mentality has had and is focused on developing these relationships in the Girls With GRIT community.
Khisha Asubuhi
Marketing Lead
With over 14 years of experience as a Strategic Marketer, Khisha Asubuhi is dedicated to empowering young girls through sports at Girls with GRIT. She leads social media marketing efforts that effectively promote the organization's mission and engage the community. Focused on forging strategic partnerships and implementing innovative marketing techniques, Khisha aims to inspire participation and garner support. Her primary goal is to develop marketing strategies that not only foster a supportive environment but also cultivate resilience, confidence, and leadership in the next generation.
Additional Volunteers: Tracey Stanton, Earline Corbitt, Harry Corbitt, Sandy Tucker, Jaliyah Moses, Tia Roberts, Montrail Roberts, Siri Huey, Sarah Borton, and Talita Braddix