Meet The Coaches

As an LA native, Ms. Novak grew up in Agoura Hills playing Volleyball, Basketball and Softball for Agoura High. She received her BA in Communications and Psychology from San Diego State University and her Masters Degree in Athletic Administration/Sports Management from Indiana University Bloomington. Novak was a Division 1 college athlete competing on the Women’s Rowing team at SDSU. She also spent some time studying in Israel at Neve Yerushalyim in Har Nof.

The Majority of her career has been spent in both college and professional athletics. She worked at UCLA in Recruiting and Special Events for athletics and at Pepperdine as the Manager of Sales and Service for their athletic department. Following her time in College Athletics she spent 5 years working with the LA Clippers in Sales and Service where she created Jewish Heritage Night. The 49ers was her next stop working with a professional team and the Super Bowl before she came back down to LA to be the Manager of Premium Sales for LAFC. For over a decade she has held many positions with the JCC Maccabi games from being a basketball and soccer coach to the delegation head, which is the position she currently holds. Competing in the games herself is why she wants to help recreate her experience with the games. Novak is also an adjunct professor teaching online course in Sports Management for Indiana University. Additionally, she is a Sports Consultant for Camp Moshava Alevy in Running Springs. Her vision is to make sure any girl who wants to compete on an athletic sports team has a chance to do so at YULA Girls High School.

My volleyball journey began at eight years old with playing on the grass with my older sisters, to signing up for my first park team. During my intermediate years, my team consistently placed in the top eight of the CYO tournament, with one year taking 2nd and another taking 8th place. During my club years, my team placed consistently in the top twenty out of six hundred teams in the National Volleyball Festival every year, with one year taking the 5th place spot. During my high school years, I landed the starting setter position with my team taking first place in the league, and was named 1st Team All-Almont League senior year and 2nd Team All-Almont League junior year. Through volleyball, I have found that with playing a sport, I must enhance and utilize commitment, hard work, dedication, personal skills, and life skills. With this mindset, I am passionate in coaching the fundamental basics, to a highly competitive travel team level, to preparing these young athletes for the next step after high school, not only athletic wise, but academically and morally as well. With a BA in Psychology & Social Behavior, 5+ years coaching, and 10+ year playing volleyball, I am more than confident, determined, and excited to create the next amazing generation of volleyball players, and young adults.

I grew up playing youth football in South East San Diego with the Valencia Park hornets. Where I played for 4 years developing as an athlete before entering high school, at which time I played varsity all 4 years at Mira Mesa high school. I then went on to the University of Kansas where I studied psychology, played football and also ran track on a dual scholarship. Since graduating I have dedicated any free time of mine to giving back to different communities in regards to athletics. Football being one of the major aspects of my life. Since graduating I have dedicated any free time of mine to giving back to different communities in regards to athletics. Football being one of the major aspects of my life. I am currently the father of two beautiful little girls and I am in the process of introducing them the world of sports and the many applicable aspects of life life lessons taught from sports can translate to. YULA gives me the opportunity to give back my knowledge of the game of football to a demographic that has exponential potential. I am happy to say I have found a second home.

I was born and raised in Jerusalem, and was a professional soccer player in the Women’s League and on Israel’s National Soccer Team. After suffering an injury I was forced to quit and decided to pursue my dreams as an actor and educator. I completed my national service as a counselor for homeless youth at risk in Tel Aviv, and then moved to the U.S to pursue my Bachelors in Theater at California Institute of the Arts. I am thrilled to join the YULA Girls family and to share my deep passion and love for soccer. As athletes we gain tools that will change our life, such as confidence building, team work, overcoming challenges, and developing a strong sense of self and responsibility. I build practices that focus on fitness, technique and strategy, using tools that simultaneously develop team building and healthy communication. My coaching technique is rooted in mutual respect. I believe that if a player enjoys their training, feels valued and respected, they will want to invest more in the sport and have a higher success rate. I am excited to build a powerful soccer team with YULA Girls, and to give each player the positive experience I believe every teenage athlete should have.

I started playing when I was 14 years old and went to Los Angeles High School playing Varsity my senior year. I attended SMC and then received a basketball scholarship from Northwest Christian University in Eugene Oregon. After graduation, I had the opportunity to play in Essen Germany the summer of 2005. After my playing days, I still wanted to be around the sport, so I continued to play in the Venice Beach Basketball and Drew League. But I felt my passion wasn’t being met. My passion is deep with teaching the fundamentals of basketball, I have created. I have a concept that I would like to lead a team with. I want to stress the value footwork, fundamentals, and repetition to show what hard work and dedication to the detail will do for a team. I want our drills to be our offense so the game can be second nature. We participate in drills that are in game situations and fundamentally sound and drilled. Our Defense is what we pride our self in. I want to be able to educate basketball players on making the game as simple and fun as possible.

Hi! I am a Mom of 2 with a passion for swimming. I have been teaching swimming lessons for over 17 years and a coach for more than 13 years. I remember learning to swim and those moments are invaluable to me as an adult. I’ve swam competitively and I currently compete in Olympic distance triathlons. I’ve been a swim coach for many different teams- YMCA, USA age group teams, k-8 private club teams, and this is my 10th year coaching YULA. I have designed swim programs in different areas of the country and my swim school, Revolution Swim School, is a leading school in the L.A. area. I love swimming-I teach a lot of fear based students as I have a degree in psychology & use therapeutic techniques to overcome fears to swim safely & effectively through the water. I also love coaching. It brings me joy to see individuals working hard and smashing their goals.