Rapids Youth Soccer Authors

Zac Crawford

Zac Crawford is energetic and passionate about growing the game of soccer here in the United States and has been a lifelong soccer enthusiast as player, coach, referee, educator, and technical director at both small grassroots clubs and large state/national associations. He is joining Rapids Youth Soccer by way of Chicago where he’s been with the U.S. Soccer Federation serving in various roles across multiple departments. With 20+ years of coaching/leadership in soccer at all levels from grassroots to high performance. Zac served in the U.S. Soccer Technical Development Department as the Manager where he promoted and elicited critical thinking in three key areas: game development, talent ID, and talent development, acting as the guiding force for co-creation and implementation of the U.S. Soccer Technical Plan.

Will Juniper

Originally from Tucson, Arizona, Will grew up running track and taking photos. Will attended the University of Vermont as a NCAA Division 1 track and field athlete specializing in the 400 meter discipline, where he was a captain his senior year. Will graduated with a Bachelors' degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a double minor in Studio Art and Sports Management. While in school, Will was a head coach of the Burlington High School track team in Burlington, VT for two years. After college, Will stayed in Vermont and became a professional photographer at Sugarbush Resort in Warren, VT. In 2022, Will was hired by Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club as the Communication and Content Manager, finding a perfect role for merging all his creative passions such as graphic design, photography, videography, and social media with sports. In his personal life, Will is an avid road cyclist and golfer. He also loves to watch his favorite teams, the New York Yankees and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Liz Grier

Kincaid Schmidt

Katie  Pagel

Katie’s work with CRYSC began while she was a Sport Psychology graduate student at the University of Denver. With a passion for youth sport and coach/caregiver education, she knew then that CRYSC was the type of environment she wanted to work in after graduation. Now the club’s first Director of Mental Performance (a position that exists in only a handful of youth sport clubs across the country), she is thrilled to be a part of a club that is committed to not only the physical performance of its athletes, but also their overall mental well-being and psychosocial development. Katie feels lucky to work alongside the innovative and driven staff at CRYSC that continually strive to better themselves and each other while also creating safe, inclusive, and healthy competitive environments for their athletes.

Julie Graves

Jordan  Collins

Jeff  Oleck

Jeff Oleck has been with Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club since 2016. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, the majority of his coaching development took place on the college side of the game at schools such as Northwestern University, Valparaiso University, and Wabash College. While involved in the college game, he also served youth programs as a coaching/goalkeeping director at Team Evanston, NWI United, Dynamo FC, and Indiana ODP. His passion for coaching comes from a desire to help each player find themselves, both on and off the field, and use soccer as a vehicle to enhance life experiences and personal growth. Oleck graduated from Valparaiso University in 2006 with a B.A. in Biology with a Business Administration minor. He also earned a M.S. in Sports Administration from Valparaiso University in 2011. He holds the USSF National “A” License and the USC Advanced National Goalkeeper Diploma.

Finn Ruehrdanz

Danny Bills

Danny is a native of Colorado having played as a youth for Northglen Thunder, Colorado Rush, and Horizon High School. He then attended University of New Mexico and Metro State University where he played collegiate soccer and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Human Performance and Sport with a minor in Marketing. He has 20+ years of coaching & technical director experience where he has coached both boys & girls at the ECNL, MLSNext, and collegiate levels. Danny holds a USSF “A” license and has recently served as the MLSNext Conference Chairman and on the MLSNext Executive Committee. In his free time, Danny enjoys spending time with family, watching and attending sporting events, and being outdoors. Danny, his wife, Jenni, and their three children, Brian, Megan, and Brianna, reside in Aurora. They are thrilled to be part of the CRYS family.

Curtis Gardner

Ben Martisius

Ben Martisius grew up in Monroe, Louisiana where he played soccer through high school, and attended Louisiana State University to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communications. Prior to graduating, he completed a minor in German during a year abroad in Innsbruck, Austria at the Universität Innsbruck. In 2014, Ben moved to Denver, Colorado to attend graduate school at the University of Denver and earn his Master's degree in Strategic Communications. While in school, he took a communications role with the university's alumni advancement team, and has since worked for a local gym as a Marketing Specialist, and multiple clients as the Digital Marketing Specialist for Domoto Brands, LLC. In 2018, he was hired by Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club as the Communications Manager and found a perfect role for merging his passion for Marketing and Communications with soccer. After two years of overseeing communications at the Club, he was promoted to the Director of Marketing and Communications. In his personal life, Ben likes to go snowboarding, enjoy the outdoors during the summer, play guitar, bass guitar, or piano, watch or play soccer, and spend time with friends and family. He's also passionate about travel and wants to see as much of the world and experience as many cultures as possible.

Anthony Presnell

Anthony joined The Rapids in 2018. Prior to joining the club Anthony served as the Men’s Assistant Coach at Regis University where he was a part of multiple NCAA national tournaments appearances and was nominated as the National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2014. Along with his 10+ years of college coaching experience Anthony has worked with various clubs in Colorado and Arizona, Region IV ODP, Colorado ODP, Arizona ODP as well as time spent as a Boys High School Coach where he was the 3x Coach of the Year. He currently holds the USSF National “A” License, various USC Diplomas and is pursuing the U.S Soccer National Scouting License. Anthony resides in Denver, CO with his wife Meghan and their two boston terriers, Tusox and Pierre.

Andrew Kummer

Abby  Woodford

Aaron Nagel

Aaron Nagel has been the Executive Director of the Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club since 2016. Prior to CRYSC, Aaron was the Executive Director for Skyline Soccer Association for eight years, another Denver area youth soccer club. Aaron grew up in North Dakota and studied business, communications, and audio engineering at North Dakota State University and Minnesota State University-Moorhead. Aaron later went on to earn a master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis in nonprofit administration. Additionally, Aaron is a Certified Nonprofit Professional, Certified Parks and Recreation Professional, Certified Volunteer Administrator, and Certified Youth Sports Administrator. Outside the work he loves, Aaron is married to Jenny, and they share four children, Elias, Henley, Palmer, and Lennon, all who play soccer for CRYSC and have played for Coach Dad at some point. Aaron and his family love Colorado and are avid hikers, campers, skiers/snowboarders, whitewater rafters, and climbers.