Skyline Staff

Roamer Coaches
Stephen Larwa *Philosophy:* "I would like to create a strong work ethic that allows the players to succeed on and off the court. I also feel it is important to create a high energy and enthusiastic environment for the players in practice and during the matches." *About Stephen:* Stephen graduated from Texas A&M University with a BBA in Finance and received his MBA at UTD. While training with the men's volleyball team at Texas A&M he won many various awards. He was most valuable player for two years in a row as well as winning all-conference awards three years. He also won all-tournament awards at various collegiate tournaments. While playing for the men's volleyball team he was president for two years. He completed his degree while Head Coaching the men's volleyball team for his last two years. While finishing his MBA he was a volunteer coach with the inaugural women’s varsity program at UTD. Stephen was very heavily involved in the 1999 - 2000 Skyline Juniors inaugural club season as a roamer coach and has been with the club ever since. He has been the head coach of the 13 RoShamBo team for the five years. His last club season at 13's he led his team to a 5^th place finish at the Lone Star National Qualifier and a 9^th place finish in the 14 and under division of Third Coast, which gave his team the highest finish of any 13’s team by twelve places. He is currently the Head Varsity Coach at Berkner High School. Stephen is very energetic and creative in his teachings of the younger athletes. Stephen is going into his 10th year with Skyline!!!

Tara Birkinbine Philosophy: “I believe coaching is an opportunity for me to pass along knowledge, passion and love for the game of volleyball. I will teach them to work hard while having fun and to grow as ONE team, not a group of individuals, by trusting one another." About Tara: Tara began her playing career at a young age. Tara knew from the beginning of her volleyball career that she wanted to be committed to the sport and train as hard as she could to take herself to the next level. Therefore, Tara joined the well known Sports Performance Volleyball Club. While playing for Sports Performance, she pushed herself to excel and work hard so she would be able to train with their top team in each group. While playing, she was trained both as a setter and as a defensive player. During her time with Sports Performance, her teams won 4 AAU National Championships; attended Junior Olympic Nationals where she was in the top 25 in the open division every year. She also added to her winnings a Bronze Medal Championship and a National Championship her 16’s year. During her high school career, Tara attended Rosary High School where she also played volleyball and won two prestigious awards as an All-American and MVP of her team. She then continued her volleyball career at the University of Oklahoma where she took over the starting libero position as a freshman. While in Oklahoma, she began her coaching career with Norman Impact Juniors as the Head Coach of their 12’s team. Tara is a natural leader and one that has high expectations in any task that she takes on. She has been heavily involved with Skyline’s summer training programs and clinics as well as private lessons and is ready to kick off her second season with Skyline Juniors.

Catherine Jansen *Coaching Philosophy:* “I believe in helping players become students of the game. Providing young athletes with knowledge of the game and how to use their body gives them the power to play at the highest level. Within the team, I think taking responsibility and ownership for oneself as well as for each teammate is essential to a successful team effort. My hope is that my coaching interactions will help good athletes become even better people.” *About CJ:* CJ grew up in Overland Park, Kansas where she played for St. Thomas Aquinas high school, KC MAVS (14s-17s) and then KC Power (18s). She played outside hitter at Virginia Tech from 2005-2008. CJ graduated in 3 years so she could complete her masters in Speech-Language Pathology. In 2009, she coached the Lawrence MAVS 13-1 team. She came to Dallas for graduate school, connected with Skyline, and jumped right into coaching clinics. CJ is excited to be a part of an elite volleyball club in the beautiful city of Dallas!

Amy Pratt *Coaching Philosophy:* “I believe that each athlete has the potential to be the best. It all starts in practice. From the second they walk into the gym to the time they leave, everything they do reflects how they play. I love to keep a positive attitude in the gym and I love to be interactive.” *About Amy:* Amy currently works for the Dallas Cowboys and is eager to continue working closely with athletes. Amy grew up in Arizona where she played volleyball. She was very active in the game, not only did she play high school volleyball, but she also played for Grand Canyon Juniors. She then continued her volleyball career as a setter at the University of South Carolina. Amy has a passion in training young athletes to excel at the higher level and to give them detailed instructions on how to improve their skills and knowledge of the game. After playing collegiately she feels she has been trained with some of the best and wants to help pass along her skills and training to other athletes. While in Arizona, Amy also coached with Grand Canyon Juniors 13’s team and worked with the University of South Carolina camps. During the 2008 season Amy assisted 13 RoShamBo to a first place finish at the Lone Star Qualifier which earned them a bid to the Junior National Championships in the National Division where they finished 9th in the Nation. Amy continued on as the assistant for 13 RoShamBo in 2009 as they had a great season which included a bid to Nationals. She is excited to start her third season with Skyline.

Chandra Perry *Philosophy:* “I have always wanted to have a positive impact on people's lives, and have found that coaching is a way to develop positive relationships with young adults in an environment that can provide invaluable life lessons in leadership, communication, and the value of commitment and a good work ethic. My focus is centered on open two-way communication, hard work, and most of all having fun. By implementing the appropriate skills and techniques, my goal as a coach is to develop the abilities of my athletes by providing a team environment that breeds confidence and challenges players to set goals, work hard and reach to exceed their expectations." *About Chandra:* Chandra played volleyball at Texas A&M University as a setter. She participated in the NCAA Tournament every year and her last two seasons they made it to the Sweet 16. Chandra is going into her eleventh year of coaching club volleyball. She has coached with her husband, Kirk, for all those years. Before coaching with Skyline she coached with Texas Advantage where she coached the 15 National team two years and then the 18 National team. In 2002 their 15's team finished 9th Place at Junior Olympic Nationals in the 15 Open Division. Before moving to Dallas, she coached two years with Brazos Valley Juniors in College Station, Texas and 1 year with Longview Juniors. At Brazos Valley she coached the 17 National and 18 National teams. At Longview Juniors she coached the 17 National team. She is going into her 4th year with Skyline Juniors after coaching the 16 RoShamBo team for the first two years and helping to lead them to a 3 rd place finish at Junior Olympic Nationals in the National Division in 2005. In 2006 she assisted in helping lead her 17 RoShamBo team to Skyline's first ever Lone Star National Qualifier Champions in the 17 Open Division and a birth to open nationals after a 3rd place finish in the Southern California National Qualifier. Her team finished the season with a national ranking of 17th in the Nation. In 2007 she assisted 18 RoShamBo team to a Ranking of #1 in Texas according to LoneStarVolleyball.com and 17th in the Nation at J.O. Nationals. In 2008, she assisted the 16 RoShamBo team to a 3 rd place finish in the Far Western Qualifier and followed that up with a 22 nd finish at J.O. Nationals in the open division. Last year, she assisted the 15 RoShamBo team won the Northwest National Qualifier, and also qualified at two other tournaments. They finished the year 5 th at Nationals. Chandra is currently the Varsity Head Coach at Greenhill School where in 2005 and 2006 her team won the SPC Tournament. Back to top

Additional Staff
Stan Johnson: Club Advisor / Travel Coordinator/ Board Member Stan is one of the board members for Dallas Skyline Juniors and he brings to the club some unique expertise and abilities. As the parent of the 3 daughters he has over 49 combined years of a child playing a sport, 23 of those being at the club level. He has experienced the college recruiting process with all 3 of his daughters, which has resulted in 12 years of college athletic scholarships. He also has had experience and success as a coach. A highlight was coaching an under 10 girls soccer team to win the under 12 division in Garland. So because of this experience he is able to help us bridge the communication and relationships between the parents and the coaches. Having been in the ministry for over 30 years working with people also equips him to help parents work through situations with the coaches to reach understanding and a a sense of feeling that they have been heard and that their concerns are important. Stan will also be responsible for assisting on the travel arrangements. He is well qualified as he has been booking groups for U.S. and international travel for over 15 years.

Doug Hinton: Board Member "I believe a team can only be as successful as the individual and team expectations that are developed by the players. As I coach, I strive to raise the bar of player expectations by providing a high intensity training environment stressing individual player development with an emphasis on team unity and mental preparation. I focus on ball control and defense which prepares my teams to be competitive against any opponent." Doug graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Kinesiology with a specialization in Sports Management. He continued his education at the Texas A&M Graduate School of Business where he received his Masters in Business. He exercised his degree in Sports Management helping to administer and organize the Sport Club program at Texas A&M which included event/tournament organization, budgets, travel, and mentoring for 30 diverse competitive clubs. Doug also brings his administrative and organizational skills from his 5 year tenure as the Club President/Mentor of the Texas A&M Men's club volleyball team. In addition, Doug served for two years as the conference chairman for the Southern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association building the recognition and organization of men's collegiate club volleyball in the state of Texas. While at A&M, Doug competed for the Aggie Men's volleyball team serving as a player, coach, and captain leading the team to 3 successive conference championships. He coached the Texas A&M Women's Club volleyball team for two years enjoying successful seasons. After a year off, Doug returned to coach the A&M Men's volleyball team once again to recapture the SIVA conference championship in two successive years. His continued coaching success followed him to Ohio State where he took over a struggling men's club program and led them to a 5th place finish at Nationals marking the school's highest finish. He coached the Buckeyes to 3 very successful seasons culminating with the Conference Championship of the highly competitive Big Ten Conference which had alluded him and the Buckeyes in the previous two years. He then returned to Texas, where he decided to continue coaching the Aggies. In 2001 he led Texas A&M to their highest and most prestigious 3rd place finish at Nationals. Doug brings a wealth of volleyball experience from his years of experience as a player, coach, administrator, referee, and mentor. Doug currently resides in New York with his wife and son.

Jake Dax "I believe it is essential to help each athlete develop to their full potential in every aspect of the sport. Whether it is physically, mentally or emotionally, each area playing a large part in an athletes ability to succeed. As each individual takes their game to the next level, along follows the overall team development. The team will grow stronger and more unified through encouragement, hard work, and self-discipline. A teams performance is based on its potential minus the interference/distractions." Jake graduated from Texas A&M University-Commerce in 1999 with a degree in Economics. He has been a personal financial advisor for American Express Financial Advisors in Richardson since graduation. He came to Texas from Wisconsin to play volleyball at the intercollegiate level for Ambassador University in 1995 and 1996. There he played as an outside hitter and defensive specialist. He started playing volleyball at age 11 in the outdoor arena, and began to get more involved indoor through the club circuit, and several other organizations in Wisconsin. He also helped in training the Texas A&M Commerce women's volleyball team in 1998, and became the assistant coach for the 1999 season. Jake looks to help cultivate, and prepare young athletes for the challenges and changes involved with making the transition to the college level. Jake will be taking on a role of advising and making decisions as a Board Member with Skyline. Back to top

The Directors

Jonathan T. Rye
Director and Founder Skyline Juniors (1999 - Present)

Education:

Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

M.S. Construction Management, May 1999.

Bachelors of Environmental Design, December 1997.

Work Experience:

USA Volleyball, Dallas, Texas

Region Board Member: (2002 – 2005)
Junior Region Board Member (2006-Present)

Member of the USAV-North Texas Region Board of Directors. Works directly with the Region Officers to set policy and govern the Region for the Junior, Adult, and Beach programs as well as for Officials.

High Performance Committee Chair: (2004-2005)

Chaired the North Texas Region High Performance Program committee. Responsibilities included organizing the High Performance Camp, scheduled practices, established and regulated policies and expectations, team travel arrangements, tournament organization, and budget preparation.

Tournament Committee Chair: (2004-2005)

Chaired the Region Tournament Committee. Responsibilities included standardizing region tournaments, Served as Tournament Director for Region Ranking Tournament, and facilitated the rankings process for the North Texas Region.

Registrar: (2002-2005)

USA Volleyball Registrar for the North Texas Region. Responsible for website organization and registration for juniors, adults, officials, and chaperones for the North Texas Region.

Cyberspace Concepts, Dallas, Texas (2002 - Present)

Founder and Director: Internet-based design company, specializing in database integration with websites.

Manhattan Construction Company, Dallas, TX (1999-2002)

Project Engineer: Provided engineering and communication support for commercial building projects.

Texas A&M University, Department of Recreational Sports, College Station, TX (1995-1999)

Senior Sport Club Administrator: Overseeing and regulating the administration of 30 competitive sport clubs. Involving tournament and event organization, facility reservation, sales tax accounting, inventory management, program design and distribution, and database management

Texas A&M University, Department of Sport Clubs, College Station, TX (1996-1999)

Head Coach: Texas A&M Men's Volleyball Team

Led team to conference championship in 1997 and finished 9^th in national seeding in 1998. Involves organizing and directing practices, establishing and regulating policies and expectations, and establishing effective strategies.

Organizations:

Southern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (1998-1999)

Commissioner: Governing the administration of twenty collegiate programs from Texas to Kansas. Involving budget preparation, organizing sponsorships, implementing eligibility requirements, coordinating monthly meetings, establish ranking system, chair disciplinary committee, coordinate policies and procedures, and scheduling conference tournaments.

Texas A&M Men’s Volleyball Team (1995-1997)

President : Managed the day to day operations of the team including facility reservations, budget preparation, practice and match scheduling, team travel arrangements, fundraising, team accounting, equipment procurement, and tournament/match organization.

Texas A&M Department of Recreational Sports

Involved in various committees ranging in objectives and responsibilities: Recreational Sports National Job Search Committee, Executive Sport Club Committee, and Department Employee Policy Committee.

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Jodie A. Rye
Director and Founder of Skyline Juniors (1999 - present) / 15 RoShamBo Head Coach

Coaching Philosophy: "I strongly believe that the foundation of a team comes from the coach's enthusiasm, attitude, training, intensity and encouragement. A positive attitude and encouragement will help to develop a player's confidence and team unity. Intensity will create focus during training situations which will carry on to the court to help the team be prepared for the intense, advanced matches. To develop a national caliber team, defense will be of most importance with an emphasis on team strategies along with training the fundamentals."Education:
Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas
B.S. Kinesiology, August, 1996
Minor in Health, August 1996Work Experience:
Texas A&M University, Athletic Department, College Station, Texas (1997 - 1999)
On the Floor Daily Observationist, Texas A&M Women’s Volleyball

Met regularly with coaches to discuss different strategies, philosophies, and circumstancesObserved and took notes over daily practicesAssisted staff during matches with statistics and scouting (1997)
Observed and discussed training programs with the strength and conditioning coach

Camp Counselor and Administrator

Texas A&M University: Camp Team Head Coach Stephen F. Austin State University: Camp Team Head CoachCollin County Community College: Camp Team Head Coach, Camp Organizer
SMU: Camp Team Head Coach

Texas A&M University, Department of Sport Clubs, College Station, Texas (1997 - 1999)
Head Coach: Texas A&M Women’s Club Volleyball

Led team to NIRSA Nationals for a third place finish (1997,1998)Led a series of tryouts to determine and evaluate skills, talents, and athleticismResponsible for recruiting Assisted in fundraising Preparation of annual budget Organized travel arrangements Established effective coaching strategiesResponsible for organizing practicesImplemented policies and expectations
Scheduled matches and tournaments

Associate Head Coach: Texas A&M Men’s Volleyball

Assisted in leading the team to a Conference Championship (1997)Placed ninth at NIRSA Nationals (1997)Assisted in the development and organization for daily practices and tournament organization
Administrated tryouts

Blinn College, Brenham/Bryan, Texas (1996 - 1997)
Assistant Coach: Blinn College Women’s Volleyball (Inaugural Season 1996-1997)

Managed the complete work for daily operations of the teamResponsible for all recruiting processesDeveloped the primary off-season program
Organized travel arrangements

Head Coach: Blinn College Men’s Volleyball (1996-1997)

Developed the inaugural programAdministrated and conducted tryouts
Constructed a budget

Kinesiology Instructor: Responsible for organizing and monitoring the student's progression throughout each semester.

AerobicsWeight Training
Volleyball

Houston Juniors Volleyball Club, Houston, Texas (1996-1997)
Head Coach: 17 National Team

Structured and conducted weekly practices, implemented disciplinary policies
Contacted college coaches for recruiting purposes

Playing Experience:
Stephen F. Austin State University (1994-1996)

Letter winner
Southland Conference Champions

Collin County Community College (1993)

Team captain
Honorable Mention All – Conference

Dallas Baptist University (1992)

Honorable Mention All - Conference

Garland High School (1988-1992)

Many awards ranging from first team all-district to MVP for both volleyball and soccer

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