Nelson's Story

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Sgt. Lawrence Nelson, Sr. served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1964 to 1968. He fought in the Vietnam War from 1964 - 1965 in the 1st  Batalion,  3rd Division, D Company. After his time in Vietnam, he continued his Marine Corps career as a Drill Instructor preparing recruits for military service. After he served his country, Mr. Nelson invested in the community of Simi Valley, California as a youth coach for his sons and young aspiring baseball players. Under Mr. Nelson's coaching and leadership for two teams of Santa Susana Knolls, he brought the Red Sox to 2 Little League Championships and the Senior Tigers to 2 Little League Championships and 1 District 40 Championship. Mr. Nelson's coaching and mentoring taught players discipline, respect, and teamwork. He would later switch his focus to developing, mentoring, and supporting his two sons in track & field and football.

Coach Lawrence Nelson, Jr.  attended Simi Valley High School as a student athlete. He competed in track & field and football with All American honors. Lawrence holds his high school's 300 Hurdle record of 37. 4 seconds. In 1985 he also won the California State Long Jump Championship with a jump of 24.4 1/4 ft. This jump earned him a Track and Field Scholarship to Fresno State where he studied Physical Education. In Lawrence's freshman year, he jumped 24.11 ft to break NFL player Henry Ellard's freshman record. This accomplishment earned him Freshman of the Year in 1986. He went on to win 3 PCAA track & field championships (1986, 1987, and 1988) with the Bulldogs under the leadership of legendary Coach Gene "Red" Estes. Lawrence was also excellent at football and several top universities sought to recruit him including UCLA, Nevada Las Vegas, Oregon, Wyoming, and UC Berkeley. In addition, he played Semi-professional football for the Simi Valley Swarm. Today, Lawrence follows the tradition of his father training youth and athletes to be champions in sports and in life.

Coach Amanda Nelson  is following in her father and grandfather's traditions. She spent her middle school years and some high school years playing soccer on the U15 and U17 boys' teams on Cayman Brac in the Cayman Islands. She tried out and made the starting lineup for these clubs. At the time, the island did not have a girls' team.  In 2011, Amanda relocated to Grand Cayman where she attended Wesleyan Christian Academy. She played soccer in the private school girls league, and she played for Future Soccer Club. During Amanda's time playing for Future, she was scouted by the Cayman Islands National Soccer team. Amanda competed in three CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers and competed in one CONCACAF championship. This spring her World Cup pursuit ended in a final match against Jamaica's Reggae Women's National Team. She has 10 national team caps representing the Cayman Islands internationally on the pitch. Amanda was also a student-athlete at South Georgia State College for the women's soccer team where she served as captain her sophomore year and earned All-Conference honors before graduating with an associate degree in general studies.  She also played semi-professional soccer in 2017 with the Lady Dynamos. Amanda is still a member of the Cayman Islands Women's National Team in Grand Cayman. Amanda was also successful in playing flag football and was recruited for the Cayman Islands National Flag Football team. Amanda holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies - Sports Management from Winston Salem State University. She works as a soccer coach and Youth Sports Administrator.