Staff & Coaches
Coaching Staff
Our young athletes benefit from training with head and assistant coaches who are experts in their field. Our coaching staff is adept at relating to athletes, regardless of their skill level, at motivating them to give their best effort, and then recognizing those efforts. Our entire staff believes in the importance of providing positive reinforcement and creating a fun environment, encouraging players to try new things, challenge themselves, and learn from mistakes. Skill advancement and an increase in self-confidence are a natural outcome.
The coaches at Maccabi Sports Camp fall into two categories: Head Coaches that are charged with leading each core sport, and Assistant Coaches, those that serve in a dual capacity of camp counselor and jump into a supportive coaching role during core sports.
Core sports training and activities are led by our highly experienced head coaches. Each of our head coaches has coached their sport for many years at the high school or collegiate level.
Many of our assistant coaches are still in the prime of their sporting careers, playing at the collegiate or club level. They have extensive involvement playing competitively and working with children in a structured environment. Our assistant coaches also serve as camp counselors, responsible for campers’ safety and wellbeing and spending time together at meals, cabin times, and during other daily activities outside of the core sports.
All of our coaches are adept at building individual relationships with athletes that help yield the best in their play on the field and their growth in practice.
Our top-notch coaches are an integral part of the camp community, here to:
- Create a supportive camp environment
- Help athletes achieve personal goals to advance their game
- Offer guidance on becoming better teammates
- Motivate every athlete to reach their full potential
- Infuse life lessons and values into sports experiences that may be utilized off the field
You can read the bios of many of our Counselor/Assistant Coaches and Head Coaches on our blog.
Head Volleyball Coach: Brooke Armida
We are so excited to welcome Coach Brooke Armida as the Head Volleyball Coach. Brooke grew up in Orange County, New York and has since honed her coaching skills through various roles. Brooke brings a wealth of knowledge and dedication to player development, on and off the court. She is eager to impact not only volleyball basic and advanced skills, but also crucial life lessons and values. We can’t wait to see what she does at Maccabi Sports Camp!
Head Soccer Coach: Yuval Obsfeld
This will be Yuval’s third year on staff at Maccabi Sports Camp, and first year as Head Coach. Yuval is from Jerusalem, Israel and originally came to camp in 2021 as one of our shlichim. Since then he’s tried to come every summer to his new home in America. This year, he is eager to impart his wisdom of soccer and help campers hone their skills, both on and off the pitch. We can’t wait for him to come to camp!
Head Baseball Coach: Will Chapman
Will Chapman joins the Maccabi Sports Camp for his fourth summer as he continues to pass along his love and respect for baseball to our campers. Will played baseball in college, receiving a Division 1 scholarship to play at the University of California at Davis, finishing his college career at Gallaudet University, where he was twice named a first-team Jewish All-American. Will then played professionally, traveling around the US (three seasons of Independent Minor League baseball) as well as to Australia, Japan, Czech Republic, and Poland. Will has coached baseball at all levels from Little League to college and played for Team Los Angeles at the 2002, 2003, and 2004 JCC Maccabi Games, winning the team MVP award in 2003.
Head Tennis Coach: Ethan Weiss
Coach Ethan has been playing tennis for 12 years, and coaching tennis for the last 5 years. Ethan has been a part of the Maccabi Sports Camp family for the last 8 years, having started as a camper, then a junior counselor, then counselor, and is now our Head Tennis Coach. Ethan hails from Danville, CA and is a rising sophomore at the University of Arizona. We can’t wait to see him again this summer!
Head Basketball Coach: Justin Tarplin
Coach Justin was born and raised in the Metro-Detroit area. He was a two-sport athlete in high school and college, playing collegiate basketball in Webster University and later Quincy University. After two torn ACLs, Justin had to give up his playing career. However he saw this as an opportunity to sit on the sidelines and see aspects of the game he hadn’t gotten to see before. With this new perspective, he shifted his mindset from player to coach. This summer, Justin is excited to share his knowledge of the game and training with the next generation of players through fundamentals as well as advanced skills. We’re thrilled for Justin to join our team this summer!
Head Swim Coach: Ryan Klages
Coach Ryan hails from the east coast, born in Long Island, NY and went to college in Manhattan College, NYC. Ryan has been a competitive coach for 8 years, and has developed All-American swimmers, state champions, and NCAA championship qualifiers. During the school year Ryan is a social studies teacher, and is a trained pool and beach lifeguard for the summers. Ryan is excited to share his knowledge and experiences to develop the next generation of swimmers. He is looking forward to training swimmers both physically and mentally.
Head Multi-Sport Coach: Liza Asch
Coach Liza grew up in Westchester County, NY and fell in love with a multitude of sports from an early age. She is now in her 23rd year of teaching elementary school physical education, has her National Board Certification, hosts various clubs at school, and coaches at both the junior varsity and varsity levels. Liza comes with many years of overnight camp experience, mainly on the east coast. She has family in the Bay Area, so she can’t wait to come to our sunny west coast CA camp. We’re excited to have her!
