Soldiers to Sidelines

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Soldiers to Sidelines Based in the Washington D.C. Kids like to be challenged, crave sportsmanship, and want positive role models to inspire them to succeed.

Soldiers To Sidelines provides a renewed sense of purpose for veterans and service members to become character-based sports coaches who serve their communities. area, Soldiers to Sidelines has an expert staff of coaches with experience coaching at the professional, NCAA, high school, and youth levels. Service members, Veterans, and military spouses enrolled in our program will learn the most cutting edge coaching strategies and techniques to thrive as a service member turned character based sports coach. Upon successful completion of the program, our team works to place Soldier Coaches with a youth, high school or college sports program. There is nothing better than sports to grant these wishes for young athletes, and there are no better role models than our service members and Veterans.

10/16/2026

Some messages are worth hearing again.

With Coach Nick Saban’s incredible career and legacy being celebrated through ESPN’s new SABAN series, we wanted to revisit a moment we were fortunate enough to experience firsthand.

We were honored to have Coach Nick Saban join Soldiers To Sidelines at one of our Legacy of Leadership events and spend time with our Soldier Coaches.

In this moment, Coach Saban spoke about something that sits at the heart of our mission — the impact members of the military community can have on young people through coaching, creating opportunities, and positively influencing the next generation.

That ripple effect is exactly why we do what we do.

Coach Saban, thank you again for sharing your time, wisdom, and perspective with our community. We remain incredibly grateful.

Better Coaching. Better Lives.



ESPN
ESPN College Football

10/15/2026

DAY 3: GAME DAY.

What a way to close out an unforgettable weekend in Seattle.

Our final day started back in the film room, studying previous Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers game film, breaking down tendencies, strategy, and what our Soldier Coaches should be watching for once we got inside the stadium.

Then it was time to walk over to Lumen Field together and take it all in.

From the film room to game day, this weekend gave our coaches the chance to learn, connect, grow, and experience football at the highest level — all while strengthening the camaraderie that makes this community so special.

We can’t thank the Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks Community Engagement and Ticketmaster enough for the access, hospitality, and opportunities they provided throughout the entire weekend.

A pretty incredible way to spend a Sunday.

Three days. Countless memories. One mission.

Better Coaching. Better Lives.



NFL
cassie_foxx
Aaron Brady
Aaron Brady

THE LINEUP IS SET. We’re just days away from the 2026 Sports Performance Coaching Certification Seminar, and this group ...
10/14/2026

THE LINEUP IS SET.

We’re just days away from the 2026 Sports Performance Coaching Certification Seminar, and this group is bringing some serious knowledge to our Soldier Coaches.

Meet just a few of the coaches and performance leaders joining us:

Johannah Zabal — Sports Performance Director
Martin Rooney — Founder, Training for Warriors
Tex McQuilkin — Captains & Coaches
Steve Watterson — Retired NFL Strength & Conditioning Coach
Giovani Urrutia — Human Performance Specialist
Melissa Mercado — Intro to TeamBuildr
Harrison Bernstein - Founder & CEO Soldiers To Sidelines

Across four virtual evenings, we’ll dive into the tools that help coaches develop better-performing athletes — communication, strength, power, conditioning, speed, agility and more.

October 19–22, 2026
6:30–9:30 PM EDT
100% Virtual
FREE for eligible members of the military community
Powered by Wounded Warrior Project

Veterans. Active Duty. Guard & Reserve. Military Spouses. Gold Star Families.

The countdown is ON.

🔗 Registration is still open — hit the link in our bio and join us!

Better Coaching. Better Lives.



Johannah Zabal
Johannah Zabal
Coach McQuilkin, MS, CSCS*D, CHES
Captains & Coaches LLC
Martin Rooney
Giovani Urrutia
Melissa Mercado MS, CSCS, TSAC-F, USAW-L1

10/14/2026

DAY 2 went a little something like this…

Trying to fit this entire day into 1:59 might be impossible, because this one had a little bit of everything.

Our Soldier Coaches headed to the VMAC for a full day of the Football Workshop & Youth Skills Clinic — learning inside the Seahawks’ facility, breaking down the game in their coaches meeting room, exchanging ideas, preparing position groups, and soaking in the opportunity to develop their craft in a championship environment.

Along the way came some pretty special moments — connecting with Seahawks coaches, meeting Head Coach Mike Macdonald Mike Macdonald and QB Sam Darnold, opportunities for some of our Soldier Coaches to share their stories with the Seahawks media team, and plenty of conversations that went far beyond X’s and O’s.

Then it was time to put the preparation into action.

Our Soldier Coaches poured everything they had into an awesome afternoon with the Bellevue youth football community — teaching, encouraging, competing, laughing, and creating the kind of experience these young athletes will hopefully remember for a long time.

And after the final whistle? Dinner together. Stories. Smiles. Camaraderie. A chance to reflect on the day and celebrate the bond that continues to grow within this community.

This is what the mission looks like.

Learn together. Coach together. Serve together.

We can’t thank the Seattle Seahawks and Ticketmaster enough for opening doors, investing in our Soldier Coaches, and helping create an experience like this.

Day 2 was one for the books.

Better Coaching. Better Lives.



Aaron Brady
Aaron Brady
cassie_foxx
Bellevue Junior Wolverine Football

74 NEW CERTIFIED SOLDIER COACHES! Congratulations to the graduates of our 2026 Adaptive Athlete Coaching Certification S...
10/13/2026

74 NEW CERTIFIED SOLDIER COACHES!

Congratulations to the graduates of our 2026 Adaptive Athlete Coaching Certification Seminar!

Over four nights, this group showed up ready to learn, grow, and become better equipped to coach, support, and empower adaptive athletes with greater understanding and purpose.

We’re incredibly proud to welcome 74 new certified Soldier Coaches into the community and can’t wait to see the ripple effect they create with the athletes, teams, and communities they serve.

A huge thank you to Wounded Warrior Project for continuing to power opportunities like this for the military community, and to every speaker, athlete, coach, and professional who poured their experience and knowledge into this seminar.

The certification may be complete.
The impact is just beginning.

Better Coaching. Better Lives.



Emily Kramer Throckmorton, TRS-S, Inclusive Fitness Coach, PPSC
Kaizen Adaptive Training. 501(c)(3).

A few group shots. A whole lot of memories. These past few days in Seattle gave our Soldier Coaches the chance to learn,...
10/13/2026

A few group shots. A whole lot of memories.

These past few days in Seattle gave our Soldier Coaches the chance to learn, connect, coach, reflect, and experience something truly special together.

From the Seahawks facility to Lumen Field, every stop brought another opportunity to grow the mission and strengthen this community.

We can’t say thank you enough to the Seattle Seahawks and Ticketmaster for the way they welcomed our Soldier Coaches and helped create an experience that went far beyond football. The access, hospitality, learning, and moments in between made this weekend one we’ll be talking about for a long time.

And trust us — these photos are only the beginning.
We’ve got plenty more highlights, stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and memories still to share from the Football Workshop & Youth Skills Clinic weekend.

Grateful for the experience. Grateful for the people. Grateful for the mission.

Better Coaching. Better Lives.



cassie_foxx
Aaron Brady
Aaron Brady
NFL

10/11/2026

Fun way to wrap up camp with a competition!

Seattle Seahawks
Ticketmaster
cassie_foxx
Bellevue Junior Wolverine Football
Aaron Brady
Aaron Brady





10/11/2026

Closing out our youth skills camp together! Great time was had and grateful to have worked with Bellevue Junior Wolverine Football

Best of luck to you for the rest of your season!

Thank you to Seattle Seahawks and Ticketmaster for setting this event up, we had an absolute blast!

DAY 3 is officially underway! Day 2 was absolutely packed — film study, position-group preparation, putting everything i...
10/11/2026

DAY 3 is officially underway!

Day 2 was absolutely packed — film study, position-group preparation, putting everything into action during the Youth Skills Clinic, and learning inside a championship football environment with the Seattle Seahawks.

Our Soldier Coaches studied the game, prepared with purpose, coached the next generation, and made memories that will stick with them long after this weekend.

And we’re not finished yet.

Day 3 starts right back where great coaching starts: in the film room. One more opportunity to learn, connect, and sharpen our craft before we head to Lumen Field to watch the Seahawks take on the 49ers!

A huge thank you to the Seattle Seahawks and Ticketmaster for continuing to create an unbelievable experience for our Soldier Coaches and making this weekend one we won’t forget.

Day 3… LET’S GO!

Better Coaching. Better Lives.



Seattle Seahawks
San Francisco 49ers
Ticketmaster

10/11/2026

A pretty special way to start the day.

Before our Youth Skills Clinic kicked off, Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald Mike Macdonald and QB Sam Darnold stopped by to spend a few moments with our Soldier Coaches and the Soldiers To Sidelines team.

A chance to connect, shake hands, share a few words, and take in an experience our coaches won’t soon forget.

We’re incredibly grateful to the Seattle Seahawks and Ticketmaster for continuing to create moments like these for our Soldier Coaches and for helping make this entire weekend so meaningful.

These are the moments between the drills, meetings, and clinics that make an experience truly special.

Thank you for welcoming our community and investing in the mission.


SamDarnold Ticketmaster NFL YouthSkillsClinic MilitaryCommunity Veterans Leadership
BetterCoachingBetterLives

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114 2nd Street Suite 2
Lewes, DE
19958

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