Coast Sports Founder and Author Steve Morris Takes His Youth Camp Online

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

For two decades, Steve Morris has kept a thriving youth sports community alive with his unflagging enthusiasm and innovative ideas. This summer was supposed to mark the 20th anniversary of his popular Coast Sports Camp at Brentwood Magnet—that is, until the coronavirus outbreak led to the closure of all school campuses, jeopardizing all sports activities in the Palisades and adjacent communities for months.

Morris was in a bind, knowing his coaches and kids were counting on the camp. So he decided to take it online at coastsports.com. He has come up with a virtual concept with several rooms for kids to visit, each with a different activity. It’s called  “Summer of Fun LIVE” and the mission is to empower children by providing a nurturing, creative and fun-filled setting where they get to choose what activities they want to  participate in.

“We ask the question ‘If we were kids what would we want to do?’ and go from there,” Morris says. “During these difficult days it’s even more important for kids to feel connected, be with their friends and be engaged and entertained in an environment that’s safe. In fulfilling those needs we provide continuity and optimism while helping our campers become the best versions of themselves. Our motto is ‘Why Not’ which is our emphatic response to any suggestion for a new activity or diversion at camp. It goes a long way towards explaining the singular, child-centered quirkiness of what we do and how we’re different from everybody else.”

Born of a little boy’s desire to play soccer with Coach Dad, Coast Sports began on a patch of Barrington Park grass with a bag of half-inflated balls and a set of cranky PVC goals. It grew from one class to a weekly slate. “Summer of Fun” began in 2001. It’s a community wherein each child is the most important child on the field. Each family is an integral part of a larger one. Such is the program Morris has cultivated. 

Morris described his passion to keep his camp going in a blog post titled “Kids Need Camp.”

The post reads: “From the middle of March when the cancellation of sports big and small confirmed with a disorienting finality that the Twilight Zone was a real place I nursed the hope that by June life would be back to normal, or least a workable version of it. The possibility we wouldn’t be on campus to celebrate our 20th anniversary was too remote and too grim to contemplate. A few weeks later, even as LAUSD was canceling the remainder of the physical school year I clung to a belief that campuses across the city would reopen for the summer. The coup de grace came shortly after. Schools would remain shuttered until, virus-willing, mid-August. But kids need camp! They need to unplug their brains and power up their primal selves. They need to run, jump, dance, draw, play, kick, shout, splash and laugh. Camp is life’s laboratory, where kids get to experiment and experience and make new friends. Kids need to be around other kids, which is why, after watching camps all around surrender to the COVID menace, I made the decision to go virtual.”

Though Morris lives in Santa Monica with his wife Marcy, an entertainment attorney, and their family, his heart is in the Palisades. AYSO Region 69 has been his home for 23 years. He coached 30 league and All-Star teams for his kids, Evan, Dori and Griffie when they were in the program and he served as Coach Administrator (head coach) for 16 years, currently enjoying emeritus status. He still teaches the coaches every summer and his cache of emails, admonitions and pep talks are still utilized by the region.

Technically, Morris is not a Palisadian but he has spent more time on the fields there than any where else. Coast Sports, which for years offered little kids sports classes, had a standing permit at the Palisades Recreation Center. Half of the kids that have come through his camp, as well as his staff, which populates the high school, are Palisades denizens. His kids, in their athletic primes, were soccer and lacrosse players. All played AYSO through U12, then went to the Galaxy Alliance (since renamed FC Los Angeles and then reborn as LA Breakers FC) for club. All three played varsity soccer at Brentwood School before before Evan headed to Union College in New York while Dori (now a third year at Fordham Law) and Griffie (a rising senior) went off to Penn.

“I founded Coast Sports in 1997 because my 4-year-old son was taking soccer lessons with a coach who made the kids cry and the parents squirm,” Morris says.  “Based on my enthusiastic if undistinguished soccer career at Baldwin High School back on Long Island, I felt I could at least teach the kids something and offer them a tear-free good time. It worked. I’d been a terminally-aspiring screenwriter, but over the next few years the percentage of time I spent writing versus time spent on a field flipped and I gave up writing, except for emails, and dove into coaching.”

Coast Sports continued flourishing and in 2001 Morris started a summer camp: “The surroundings weren’t lush, a small field and lots of blacktop, so we exploited what we had­—boundless creativity and an imagination that wouldn’t quit. We had all the traditional sports but added food fights, mudwrestling, a human car wash (set the kids on scooters and roll them down a ramp while the coaches hose them down), flour pinatas, homemade go-carts, all-day water wars, burping and lip sync contests, Bubble Wrap Day, Human Foosball, graffiti art, “Dirt and Worm” eating (pudding and gummies), Color Dunk Tank…and so much more. Our staff is 100 percent homegrown. Every one of them has come through camp. We were going to celebrate our 20th year of Coach Steve’s Summer of Fun with a giant party and massive celebrations each day. Then Corona hit, and LAUSD closed schools for the year. I held out hope that they’d reopen for the summer, but on April 22 they sent a notice that, in fact, their facilities would remain shuttered. I was on the fence about doing a virtual program as I heard nightmarish stories from parents whose kids were hating Zoom school. Then I got an email from a former camper and coach who has become a teacher and she said she wasn’t sure if I’d be doing anything but if there were some form of camp she’d love to help out. That triggered an epiphany. What if I could put together a greatest hits staff, bringing back together some of the Hall of Fame coaches from our past, and combine them with fan favorites from the last couple of years? I started to get excited but I wanted online camp to resemble what we do on-site, which is present a smorgasbord of activities that the kids can dip in and out of as they like. I latched onto the music festival model, Coachella specifically, where there are multiple stages running simultaneously and the motivated music fan can see a ton of performances. I felt that if we could create an analogous platform, multiple rooms in which different activities would be offered in continuous 45-minute segments through the morning and if campers could easily navigate between them, then with my all-star staff we could recreate the spirit and connection, if not the physical presence, of camp. We’ve wildly exceeded all my hopes.  The technology has proved seamless, the coaches have been spectacular, and the kids have laughed their way through the first two weeks.”

“Summer of Fun” has five rooms: Arts & Crafts, Rookies (for 4- and 5-year-olds), the Game Room (where we play soccer, basketball and do Olympic events), the Why Not? Room (scavenger hunts, tick-tock video making, cartoon voices and more), and the Coach Steve Room, where we’ve done ‘Name That Tune,’ ‘Zoom Yoga’ and ‘Wacky History’ as well as being a place the kids can just hang out and be together— something they’ve missed the past 3 1/2 months. We make the point that this isn’t school. We’re not teaching, preaching or lecturing.  We’re not muting their screens.  We want them to interact, to feel empowered and engaged and to have a summer that’s safe and secure, one that’s a diversion from everything they’ve experienced since this abrupt change in their world began.  The camp is virtual, but the fun is 100 percent real.”

Since his plate is never full, Morris has also seized this opportunity to finish a book he’s been working on for a long time, called “What Size Balls Do I Need?”  It’s a memoir, a road map and a warning to parents not to mess with the 10-year window they get to enjoy youth sports with their kids.

“Those 10 years, give or take, can be a most wonderful blessing for the entire family so we parents should relax and let them have a good time,” Morris says. “For 99 percent of youth players, no matter how hard their parents prod, push or dream, it ends the same way–experiencing sports as a fan  or, if they’re lucky, a recreational adult player. In a very real sense, the book is a love letter to my kids, the players I coached, the families I shared sidelines, weekends and memories with and the culture and community of Region 69. The day I hopped onto the end of the registration line at Paul Revere Middle School, my life changed forever and I couldn’t be happier.”

To register for “Summer of Fun LIVE,” log on to coastsports.com/ and click ‘Register.’ The camp runs 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through August 14 for kids ages 4-15 with additional pre-recorded content throughout the afternoon. For information, email Morris at coachstevela@gmail.com or call 310-913-3224.

Nick Calcaterra Has Established Himself  as One of the Top Offensive Linemen in the City Section

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

When it comes to the pancake block, no one on the Palisades High football team has accumlated more over the last two seasons than big No. 76 Nick Calcaterra. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive lineman has twice been an All-Western League first team  pick and has twice been named to the All-City second team. The senior-to-be was chosen Palisades’ Lineman of the Year in 2018. He made the Cal-Hi Sports All-State team as a sophomore and as a junior and was a straight ‘A’ student as an 11th-grader. He led the varsity squad with 66 pancake blocks his sophomore season and added 44 last fall for a two-year total of 110. In his two seasons on varsity the Dolphins have won nine of 10 league games. They tied Fairfax for the league crown in 2018 and took first place outright last fall for their first undisputed league championship since 1987. He also qualified for the City track and field finals in the shot put as a sophomore. Although he has been hard at work preparing for his last year in the blue and white Calcaterra recently took time out for an interview with Sports Editor Steve Galluzzo about his workout regimen, college recruiting, effects of COVID on his offseason training and his expectations for 2020:    

PP: How big of a change was it switching from guard to tackle last season? Which position do you prefer?

NC: There was an adjustment but not much so it was easy to get used to. The main adjustment was needing to be able to get set faster than while playing guard because the defensive ends are much faster than a defensive lineman. This just took some practice. It was nothing major. I like both spots  but I think I like guard a bit better because you get to pull and be more physical. I think I’m going to be playing tackle this year but that could change depending on a lot of things.

PP: You have made the All-City team two years in a row but what accomplishment are you most proud of? 

NC: I’m most proud of my 66 pancake blocks as a sophomore. If I’m not mistaken Ari Sallus (who was voted City Division I Offensive Lineman of the Year as a senior at Palisades and is now entering his sophomore season at UC Davis) had that same number his sophomore year and being able to relate myself to someone like him makes me extremely proud.

PP: What was the most important thing you learned as a freshman on JV that prepared you for varsity?

NC: The most important thing I learned during my freshman year was how to be tough. Going into high school I’d never played a contact sport like football, so that was a huge change from anything before. I wanted to quit so many times during the conditioning, but luckily I stuck through it. Comparing those workouts that almost made me quit back then to the workout I do on varsity regularly now shows the insane progress I’ve made and it’s all because I learned how to be tough.

PP: What college offers have you received so far? What factors are you considering in deciding where to go?

NC: So far I’ve received two official offers, from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology [in Terre Haute, Indiana] and Macalester College [in Lake Forest, Illinois]. I’ve been talking to many other colleges. I’m especially interested in the Ivy League schools and many are saying they’d offer me right now if they could, but they just aren’t able to due to the weird circumstances with COVID and their admissions office.

PP: What are you working on most to prepare for the coming season?

NC: I’m most focused on my agility, core strength, and flexibility. I’ve been regularly seeing a sports trainer/physical therapist who helps me with those things. I can already feel the difference it’s made; it’s just easier moving around and I generally feel better.

PP: What effect has COVID had on your training? Where do you go to work out?

NC: COVID has had a huge impact on how I train compared to last year when I’d regularly work out in groups at the beach or at a park or at someone’s house. Obviously working out in groups like that now isn’t allowed so I’ve been working out by myself with the weights and bench that I have in my garage.

PP: Do you have any brothers or sisters and do they play any sports?

NC: I have one sister [Sophie] who is 18 and just graduated from Pali. She used to play volleyball but no longer does. My mom [Jill] was a swimmer in high school.

PP: When did you start to play football? Did you play other sports growing up?

NC: My first year playing football was my freshman year at Pali. Before that I had played a variety of sports: lacrosse, soccer, basketball, baseball and flag football, but I didn’t enjoy any of them much because I was so much bigger and slower than everyone else. When I joined the football team, I instantly knew I wanted to be a lineman because I was almost as big and strong as the seniors. I was actually benching more than Syr Riley, the best senior lineman on the team, by the end of the year.

PP: What coach has had the biggest influence on you or has taught you the most technique?

NC: [Offensive Line Coach] Johnny Garcia has by far helped me the most. I train with him after practice and go over film and technique. During practice he definitely helps the most with technique, while other coaches go over plays.

PP: What game last year do you remember most and why? What was your best game?      

NC: I remember the game against Reseda the most last year. The reason is that their linemen and especially their linebackers had the worst sportsmanship of any team we played. They’d consistently talk so much trash but couldn’t back it up. They threw so many cheap shots at me in that game even though we consistently dominated them. Even on film  it’s easy to see how many cheap shots they had on all of our players. I’m not sure what my best game was. I really only remember specific big moments in the games. If the play went just as expected I’m not going to remember that for anything special. I like to think I’m pretty consistent one game to the next and those big memorable plays only happen when they need to. My best game would be my most consistently good game. 

PP: Do you still plan to throw the shot put or discus in track season? Have you practiced them since the spring? 

NC: I’m not sure yet what track sports I’ll do this year. I’d like to throw the shot again but it might conflict with things, especially if football gets pushed back or times get changed. I’m just not sure what this year’s schedule is looking like, but I’d definitely like to throw shot again if it works out.

PP: Is there anyone in college or the NFL who you aspire to be like? Who has been your closest teammate at Palisades?

NC: There wasn’t one specific professional or college player that I looked up to growing up. However, there are many amazing linemen I look up to now, a few being Mitchell Schwartz (a Pali High alum who helped the Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LIV in February), [former Dallas Cowboys guard] Larry Allen, [former Cincinnari Bengals tackle] Anthony Munoz, [former Baltimore Ravens tackle] Jonathan Ogden and even though he wasn’t a lineman, [Hall of Famer] Lawrence Taylor. As for teammates, I hang out with Forrest [Brock] the most off the field. I often work out with [fellow lineman] Nick Raddon too.

PP: If you stepped on the scale right now, what would you weigh? Where do you want to be when the season starts? How much can you bench press?

NC: Right now I’m about 290 pounds. I’d like to be down to say around 280 for the season which is a huge change compared to last season when I was at 330 or so. I can max a bench press at 325, but I admit I haven’t maxed in quite a long while.

PP: What are Coach Hyde’s strengths? Is he good at having the team prepared for the upcoming opponent?

NC: Coach Hyde is excellent at getting his players ready for an upcoming opponent. No matter what team it is, Coach Hyde will hype them up and make sure we are still giving it 100 percent. Players tend to become lazy if they know they are playing a bad team. Coach Hyde also prepares us all by sending us opponents’ scout films to watch. Also, we run the other team’s offense and defense in practice to get a feel for what playing them might be like.

PP: What schools did you attend before coming to coming to Palisades? Do you live nearby?

NC: I went to Kenter Canyon Elementary and then to Paul Revere Middle School. I played a variety of sports while I was there. I live in Brentwood, off of Mandeville Canyon.

PP: What are your expectations this season? Do you hope to be City Lineman of the Year? Will Palisades repeat as Western League champion?

NC: My expectations are extremely high, both for myself and the team. Individually, I’d love to be City Lineman of the Year and I’m going to try my absolute hardest to do so, but obviously I can’t guarantee I’ll get it. As for the team, I think we’re pretty well off. Our line should be very strong since four of our five starting linemen are returning. Our quarterback [Forrest brock] is also going to be a senior, so we’re solid there. We have a lot of fast guys that don’t have a set position yet because we had many seniors there last year, but I’m not worried about that. I think everyone will find his spot and our team will be overall good.