About Our Coaches

Gabe Hurley, Program Director/Coach - Stapleton All Sports is the inspiration of a lifelong passion for sports and working with kids. Growing up in Iowa, Gabe Hurley (Founder) played a variety of sports, excelling in wrestling and football. Gabe went on to graduate and play football at Division III Wartburg College, where he started as an outside linebacker and held the position of Team Captain ('97). Throughout college, Gabe worked for the Waverly Recreation Department coaching youth tee ball, baseball, basketball, wrestling and early skill development. Since graduating, Gabe has remained committed to physical activity, completing the Colfax Marathon and Harvest Moon Half Ironman. Gabe is a resident of the Stapleton community, where he serves on the SUN Board, is a CSC member, and a block captain. He lives in Eastbridge with his wife Julie and yellow lab Brody. Mark Breidenbach - Mark's love for all things sports is deeply rooted in his small-town beginnings. Mark enjoyed playing and watching many sports growing-up and the memories of leadership from childhood coaches inspired him to pursue coaching at an early age. During his senior year in high school in Fort Collins, Mark started to volunteer his time coaching youth basketball and quickly discovered a passion for teaching kids of all ages and abilities about the sport he loved. He continued coaching over the next nine years including all four years as a student at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Mark is excited to return to coaching again after a four-year lay-off which includes a three-year stint living in the Los Angeles area. Mark's coaching philosophy is based on the foundation of having a positive attitude, working hard and of course; having fun. Mark and his wife of four years, Kristin, are happy to be back in their native Colorado and now live in Stapleton with their dog Sam. Mark's passion for sports also carries over to his career where he currently works for the Colorado Rapids as an Account Executive in Corporate Sponsorship after eight years with ESPN. He enjoys bike-riding, camping, basketball, reading, taking Sam to the Stapleton Dog Park and attending sporting events, concerts and movies with family and friends. Bryan Richardson - Originally from California, Bryan moved to Colorado and attended Golden High school and CU-Boulder (Go Buffs!). A former 3 year letterman in baseball and tennis, he competes recreationally in football, tennis, soccer, and golf. As well, Bryan has experience coaching children in football, soccer, baseball, and tennis. Bryan resides in the Stapleton neighborhood with his wife Robin, and two children, Ashley (8) and Zach (6). Chantell Taylor - Chantell has been a certified group fitness instructor for over ten years, teaching boot camp, sports conditioning, indoor cycling and other group classes at fitness clubs all over Denver and Washington, D.C. Although her primary career is political and nonprofit law, Chantell continues to teach fitness classes because she has a passion for motivating people to live a healthy, active lifestyle. In addition to her legal and fitness career, Chantell is a Stapleton resident, the mother of two girls, plays indoor soccer, runs, and rides her bike every chance she gets. Scott Petersen - Scott grew up in Littleton, CO where he played a number of organized sports, including Lacrosse and Baseball. Scott excelled in Lacrosse and played all four years at Chapman University in Orange, California. He still plays Lacrosse today, but is now more interested in coaching various youth sports programs, playing pick-up basketball games and flag football on the weekends with his neighbors. Scott has coached youth lacrosse, youth soccer and now serves as a member of the Stapleton All-Sports coaching staff. He is married with two boys and lives with his family in Stapleton. Jason Baldwin - Jason grew up in central Florida where he had the opportunity to play sports year round, even if it was 100 degrees and brutally humid all the time. Growing up Jason played baseball, football, wrestling and basketball. By the time he entered high school he focused his efforts on football, wrestling and competitive weightlifting. Jason graduated from Troy University and has since stayed active in recreational sports. Jason lives in the Stapleton community with his beautiful wife Amanda and two sons. He has been coaching youth athletics in the community for the past four years and could not be having more fun. He says "There are few greater thrills than seeing the confidence build in the eyes of a young athlete as they develop new skills through sports. Tony Ferrufino - Tony is a Colorado native and attended Pomona High School and CU Boulder. Having been around sports his entire life has cultivated a desire to teach his passion to children. Tony believes that sports are a great way to develop life skills and friendships to last a lifetime. Tony participated in a variety of sports growing up but always enjoyed football, wrestling, and basketball the most. Battling asthma his entire life has put exercise and fitness at the top of his priority list because without proper exercise asthma related symptoms can make participating in sports almost impossible. He hopes to help children also suffering from asthma realize their potential. After graduation from CU Boulder Tony joined Dave Logan’s football staff at Arvada West High School as a running back/ linebacker coach on the JV. Witnessing firsthand the passion and dedication the staff and players had in the winning the ’97 state title was very special. This cemented Tony’s desire to teach and educate youth on the benefits of participating in sports. Tony resides in Park Hill with his wife Renee, and two children, Reece (4) and Ava (2). He enjoys participating in many recreational sports today including football, basketball, tennis, snowboarding and loves music and playing the guitar. Erin Johns - Erin is nationally certified in pre and post-natal group fitness, personal fitness training and the owner of Stroller Strides Denver, which provides fitness classes especially for moms to do with their young kids. Erin began Stroller Strides in Denver 3 years ago and now offers 8 classes per week in Stapleton and Lowry, including the famous stroller fitness classes and boot camps. She has trained hundreds of moms and relishes in sharing the Stroller Strides Mission, "Helping moms make strides in fitness, motherhood and life." Erin is an avid runner and participates in competitive races every chance she gets. She believes in providing a balanced approach to fitness and incorporates elements of strength training, cardiovascular training, balance and flexibility into every workout. Erin is the mom of twin 3 year old girls, Emma and Reese. She is a Colorado native and lives in Park Hill with her husband and children. Devanie Kira Helman - Devanie was born in raised in Gunnison, Colorado and moved to the Denver area to attend the University of Denver. Living in Gunnison has instilled a love of skiing, hiking, snowshoeing rafting and swimming. At Gunnison High School, Devanie was a state qualifier in track and field and a three-year letterman in basketball and volleyball. Devanie is currently a sophomore at DU double majoring in psychology and sociology with a minor in education with the hope to someday help reduce social inequality in the public school system. At DU Devanie stays physically active, running often and playing intramural basketball and volleyball. Next fall Devanie will study abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark for a semester. Basketball has always been a part of life for Devanie, as her father played basketball professionally overseas and served as the men’s basketball coach at Western State College for several years. Jim Licko - Jim grew up in southeast Iowa where the only thing bigger than farming is the Cubs/Cardinals rivalry (he has a lot of red in his closet, in case you were wondering). A four-sport athlete in high school, Jim was also a three-year baseball letterwinner at Wartburg College where he is proud to have played on the first team in school history to qualify for the Division III College World Series. Since moving to Denver in 2006, Jim has been an active volunteer in the community including work with Parent Pathways, the Tennyson Center for Children, Trout Unlimited, Impact 105, the LoDo District, the ALS Association, and is a graduate of the Metro Denver Chamber's Leadership Denver program. He enjoys working with kids and firmly believes that athletics offer life-long lessons that can't be learned anywhere else. Jim hung up his spikes after college but stays active, as most Coloradans do, by taking advantage of the mountains and hiking, biking, snowboarding and fly-fishing whenever possible. When he's not at work or in the mountains, you can probably find him enjoying one of the many Stapleton parks and trails with his wife Jamie and their dog Piper. Tom Brennan - Tom grew up as the youngest of six kids in God’s country (Buffalo, NY), where he participated in youth hockey, indoor and outdoor soccer, baseball, tennis, and nordic and alpine skiing leagues and competitions throughout high school. Following graduation and a fledgling soccer career, from (THE) Ohio University, Tom focused his attention on his long-standing passion for skiing with eight years of “intense study” in the areas of storm tracking and searching out on-mountain and backcountry powder stashes in Steamboat Springs. Tom now lives in Stapleton with his beautiful wife Andrea, and their two infinitely energetic boys. They continue to ski as much as possible, looking to instill their love for the mountains in their boys with a lifestyle of varies activity – including youth sports. I have always been a big believer in youth athletics. I have fond memories of my coaches and how they have shaped me as an adult. Participation in sports has provided me with lifelong friends, confidence, sportsmanship, drive and piece of mind. I coach because I love the games and like to see the sense of pride and accomplishment on a child’s face as they learn, grow and gain confidence in themselves. Ashley Leonard - An Iowa Native, Ashley moved to Denver in August 2009 after graduating from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA where she was a four-year starting shortstop. At Coe, Ashley led her team to two NCAA College World Series appearances, where she earned All-Tournament team honors as a freshman in Raleigh, North Carolina. As a senior she was Player of the Year in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and a National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American. Ashley missed her college graduation to play in the Midwest Regional Championship game. Instead, she received her diploma on the softball diamond immediately following back-to-back wins that sent Coe College to the 2009 College World Series in Montclair, New Jersey. As team captain, she carried her team to a 2nd place finish in the NCAA tournament - the best finish by any Coe College athletic team. To complete her collegiate career, Ashley holds the career hits record with 234 and was honored as Coe College’s 2009 Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year. Her passion is softball, but she also excels in basketball. She was a three sport athlete throughout high school but decided to focus on softball in college. In her spare time Ashley loves to stay active, both indoors and outdoors. She coached softball for the last 4 years in Iowa and at Ralston Valley High School in Arvada. Her greatest accomplishment has not been the accolades she has earned but the knowledge, excitement, and passion for the game she instills in the young people she teaches each season. Holly Kesterson - Holly was born and raised in Northern California where she attended Liberty High School and played basketball and softball. She moved to Denver in 2008 to attend Johnson and Wales University where she plays on the basketball team. She is about to embark on her junior year at JWU in sports/entertainment/event management. She is very passionate about youth and the role sports can play in their lives. She hopes to someday become an athletic director. Miranda Meyer - Born and raised in colorado, she attended Arvada West high school where she danced on the varsity poms team for four years. She moved to Kansas city, Missouri to attend Avila University on a dance scholarship. Miranda and her team took 3rd place at the UDA college nationals in the hip hop division and 6th place in Jazz. She has been an instructor for the National Dance Alliance since 2008 where she travels across the country teaching dance camps to high school students and the youth. She received the top rookie award in 2008 and top veteran instructor in 2009. Miranda is currently a Denver Nuggets Dancer and attends Metro State University majoring in marketing. She loves traveling and she even spent an entire summer in italy, greece and turkey. Miranda is very passionate about teaching dance and hopes to become a high school dance coach in the future. Sarah Putnik - Born and raised in Arvada, CO, Sarah has spent her whole life enjoying the outdoors. From hiking at her cabin in Idaho Springs to tubing at Grand Lake, she has always enjoyed sports and nature. Currently attending the Metropolitan State College of Denver, she is studying for her teaching degree. She hopes to teach elementary school, ages 5-9, preferably 3rd grade. Her love of children began with her babysitting for her large family. It then grew as she got older and the summer before her freshman year of college she decided that she wanted to be a teacher. Sarah played volleyball for 5 years and still enjoys playing for fun. When she was younger she played soccer and participated in gymnastics for Jeffco. She is going into her Junior year and hopes to transfer to the University of Northern Colorado in the fall. Ryan Brooks - Born in Wyoming, Ryan started playing soccer when he was 5. Ryan moved to Colorado soon after his 6th birthday and eventually attended Standley Lake High School for 2 years, but ended up graduating from Arvada West. He played soccer and lettered all 4 years and started his college career at Fort Lewis College (FLC) in Durango, Colorado. Ryan played soccer for 2 years at FLC earning RMAC (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) Freshman of the Year, 2nd Team All-RMAC, and 1st Team All-Central Region. FLC men’s soccer team was very active with the Durango Youth Soccer Association which allowed Ryan to begin working with kids. He then transferred to Metro State College of Denver to continue playing soccer and just recently completed his eligibility. During his senior year he earned RMAC Defensive Player of the Week, All-Tournament Team, All-Central Region Team, and RMAC Honor Roll. He is studying Business Management and will graduating in May of 2011. Outside soccer he enjoys snowboarding, hiking, camping, and fishing. Jenny Wilson - Growing up in California, Jenny played softball, basketball, and tennis. Even though she competed in both basketball and tennis in high school, tennis was her main focus. She started playing tennis at age 3 and competed in junior USTA tournaments throughout her childhood. She was ranked #48 in the nation and #8 in California as an 18 year old and went on to play Division 1 collegiately for the University of Massachusetts in the #1 Singles and #1 Doubles positions. After graduating with a degree in Sociology, Jenny earned her teaching certificate from Metro State in elementary education, mathematics, and physical education. She also served as the assistant basketball coach for her dad, a California Coaches' Hall of Famer, and was a basketball camp instructor throughout high school and college. Jenny has been giving private tennis lessons since high school and currently gives private and group lessons in Stapleton. She also coaches the boys' varsity tennis team at Denver School of Science of Technology. Jenny resides in Stapleton with her husband, Zach, and their daughter, Jadie (8 months). She enjoys playing tennis and golf in her spare time. Tessie Tracy - Tessie has been involved with athletics since the bright age of 3 when she began gymnastics in her hometown of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. After about 10 years of that, she branched out into other sports, and has done basketball, tennis, track, volleyball and crew, ultimately gravitating toward dance and cheerleading. Tessie graduated last year from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she was part of the top ten nationally ranked Division I cheerleading team. On the side she received a BA in Spanish with an emphasis on International business and a BA in Africana and Chicano/a Studies. She has coached gymnastics, summer cheer camps, high school cheerleaders, and currently coaches All Star Cheerleading for Elite Performance Sports. Along with coaching, Tessie teaches Spanish to elementary students through the non-profit organization Elementary Spanish Program, and worked last school year in DPS as a bilingual teaching assistant. Her passion for athletics, sports and education drive her to mentor and teach young athletes and students. She loves the honor of being involved with helping kids grow, learn, and work hard, all while having fun! Stapleton All Sports is interested in attracting energetic, athletic coaches to work with kids ages 4-10. If interested in applying, contact Gabe Hurley at stapletonallsports@gmail.com or 720.985.6642.