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▲ Youth SPORTS Kids Coaching Kids Teaching Skills & Learning Valuable Lessons BY MARCIA BRADFORD volleyball program when I was in high school," she explained. "I had not previously been involved in sports because I was unaware of any opportunities." Then she learned about a KIS program near her home and signed up. A nonprofit charity created in 1994, KIS seeks to provide high-quality, affordable sports opportunities for under-served youth while encouraging community and family involvement. With seven clubs that offer Teen coaches who wo rk for the Skyhawks program become mo re connected to their local communities. several different types of team sports, KIS serves about 8,000 youth, ages 5-17, in the Los Angeles area. "I found that playing sports was fun and it provided me with a different environment than I had ever had before," Ortega recalled. "Being active in sports helped me become more disciplined with my schoolwork and made me work harder to achieve my goals." Within a short time, she was helping coach a team of 12- and 13-year-old girls. "At first, coaching other kids was a hard transition because I had never done it before," she said. "But I learned to adapt and find ways to make it work. My biggest challenge was that the girls on the team were at different levels of ability— some learned faster than others—so I found a way to work with all of them. I developed drills for the faster learners and then worked more closely with those still needing to gain basic skills." Now 21 and a college student, Ortega said that being a coach helped her understand and enjoy sports as well as stay focused on her academic goals. In addition to volleyball, she coached soccer and now plays on a club soccer team while also working as a part-time program assistant at KIS. ➤ KIS Skyhawks S tephanie Ortega was 17 when she had her first experience playing a team sport. By the time she was 18, she was already "giving back" by helping coach younger children in programs offered by Kids In Sports (KIS) of Los Angeles. For her, the quick turnaround from novice player to volunteer coach was all about helping other youth enjoy the same positive experiences she had gained from the program. "I began participating in a KIS www.sportseventsmagazine.com June 2013 21