Up2Us Sports coaches are leaders in the field of sports-based youth development (SBYD), but they often don't receive the recognition they deserve. Coaches' Corner is our way to show our appreciation for our incredible coaches who make positive change in their communities every day!
This month, we spoke with Sheena, a coach through our partnership with the LA Dodgers Foundation in Los Angeles, CA.
Whether it’s their passion for the game or looking to lead a team, every coach begins their journey for a different reason. Up2Us Sports Coach and LADF Field Champion Sheena Flowers's journey into coaching began as a supportive parent.
Flowers saw her two sons flourish in sports during their youth and wanted to help their journey in any way possible stating, “my journey is more from a parent perspective, one of my boys is 16 and the other is 13 going on 14. Most parents can attest that boys are very rambunctious at a young age. They were involved in an after-school program with one in Coach Pitch and the other in Tee Ball. They didn’t have enough coaches for baseball so they reached out to me one day to coach the Coach Pitch team and the rest is history.”
Coach Flowers supported her sons as they grew from young baseball players into football, basketball, and even track runners in the years after baseball. Her involvement in her sons' lives never waned as she would come out to support the hobby that gave her sons drive in their day-to-day lives. She continued to coach as her sons grew and was then faced with a major roadblock that impacted many of us.
“When COVID hit, my sons were not active for about two years and I saw the socioemotional decline - not interacting anymore and not having care for sports during COVID. Sports have a way of connecting young adults like nothing else.”
“When COVID hit, my sons were not active for about two years and I saw the socioemotional decline - not interacting anymore and not having care for sports during COVID. ”
Coach Flowers saw her two sons grow when they were participating in sports and saw the inverse when they were suspended during COVID. She understood how important sports and the community they promote are to youth everywhere and looked forward to every opportunity to coach during the post-COVID era.
Her mother was a member of the legendary 1979 Belizean softball team that managed to defeat the United States en route to a bronze medal finish. With softball in her blood, she caught wind of the opportunity to coach softball as a Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Field Champion and jumped on it.
“I saw a great opportunity to work with one of the best baseball teams and we know the Dodgers and then their foundation. I can actually give back and create a fun and supportive safe space for youth.”
During her time as a coach, Flowers has been instrumental in the development of her softball athletes. She has seen many young women doubt themselves and struggle to gain confidence but has never stopped pushing them to become their best selves. She touches on the struggles her athletes face at a young age stating, “Sometimes girls have a tough time getting over fear, it’s paralyzing sometimes. We worry about how we look or how other people perceive us that we are scared or don’t even want to try.”
“I saw a great opportunity to work with one of the best baseball teams... I can actually give back and create a fun and supportive safe space for youth.”
Although her athletes have their struggles, Coach Flowers is not afraid to tackle their problems head-on. She has a way of connecting with her athletes on a personal level and it has allowed for them to grow on and off the field. She shared a story of one athlete that took on one of the hardest positions in the sport and flourished.
“I have an athlete that volunteered as a catcher and we all know that catcher is such an important part of the game. She took the responsibility head on and it was not easy at first, she couldn’t throw the ball from home to second and we ensured she was comfortable with the game. We worked out a way for her to cut off her throws to the pitcher and ensured we overcame any obstacle in front of us. This season I have the distinct pleasure of coaching her again and I have seen her ethic grow, her love for softball grow, and her skill level grow. She put in work in the off-season and we have all seen her massive jump in skill.”
Coach Flowers is not only an amazing coach but works at AEG as an Executive Assistant, Up2Us Sports is proud to call her one of our own and looks forward to seeing her and her athletes grow in seasons to come.
Sheena has served as an Up2Us Sports coach at the LA Dodgers Foundation in Los Angeles, CA since February 2022 thanks to support from the LA Dodgers Foundation and California Volunteers.
