The mission of Up2Us Sports is to “engage, train and support sports coaches to transform youth, programs and communities.” We have made tremendous strides in the field of Sports-Based Youth Development, but sometimes the people that are in the field can go unnoticed and unnamed. In order to show our appreciation, we have created Coaches' Corner, a place where people can get the shine and appreciation that they have worked so hard for. In our first post, we were able to introduce and learn more about two wonderful coaches from Grassroots Tennis, Jayanne and Laura. Today, we have the pleasure of meeting Jada Cooper who is serving at Harold Hunter Foundation.
Give a brief introduction of yourself. Include where you're from, how old you are, if you are in school or not, and other similar characteristics about yourself.
Hi, my name is Jae (she/her). I am a 21 year old skater from NYC, and I serve at the Harold Hunter Foundation. I’ve been skating in the city for a little over a year and I’ve been so surprised at how powerful the girl/queer community is.
What are goals for the future, and how does your work with Up2Us Sports connect with that?
Since this experience began, I’ve wanted nothing more than to build and better my community. The coaching position at Up2Us Sports puts me at such a perfect spot to do so, as I can directly serve the specific community I want to help improve.
“Coaching has made me more intentional and more patient, which makes it easier to build rapport with my youth and mentor them more effectively.”
Are there any lessons that you learned from coaching that you plan to use in your future work?
Through Up2Us Sports, I’ve learned many things about being a mentor figure in a young person’s life. Coaching has made me more intentional and more patient, which makes it easier to build rapport with my youth and mentor them more effectively.
What are two random facts about you?
I love noodles and succulents!
“My work with the queer community boils down to trying to be there for queer youth. Whether they need someone to skate with or someone to listen to, I think the key is the community, so I try my best to better understand each skater and their respective stories.”
Please describe some of the work you do with the LGBTQIA+ community? Feel free to go into detail; you can describe the challenges, triumphs, and overall importance of representing the community in sports.
My work with the queer community boils down to trying to be there for queer youth. Whether they need someone to skate with or someone to listen to, I think the key is the community, so I try my best to better understand each skater and their respective stories. Being as I am queer and female, there’s a lot I can understand and connect with. New York City queer women skaters have given me the safe space we all need, and I want to ensure other young queers and girls have that same chance.
Jada has been serving as Up2Us Sports coach since February 2021 at Harold Hunter Foundation in New York City thanks to support from AmeriCorps.
