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Gregg Tavani - Head Coach, Men's
Varsity
Gregg
Tavani is one of the top youth soccer coaches in
Georgia. Gregg is a dynamic, motivational coach,
who inspires his players to develop their level
of passion and intensity for the best sport in the
world. Gregg relates to the players with a hands-on
coaching style that includes both playing and demonstrating.
He
is a Georgia Youth Soccer Association Coach of the
Year and holds the United States Soccer Federation
(USSF) National A Coaching License, the highest
license a coach can attain in the U.S. In the summer
of 2005, he earned the USSF National Youth License.
Gregg is in his twelfth year of coaching at both
the high school and club levels. He is presently
the Atlanta Fire United Soccer Association age group
coordinator for the U-10 and U-11 boys age groups
at AFUSA.
Gregg
also holds a M.S. in Education and is a social studies
teacher at Duluth High School. In 2009, Duluth High
School named Gregg "Teacher of the Year."
2011
will be Gregg's tenth as head coach at Duluth High
School. Tavani has led the Wildcats to three Georgia
AAAAA Final Four appearances in his tenure at Duluth
including advancing to the school's first ever State
Championship game in 2003. Gregg's Duluth team finished
2003 as the #2 team in Georgia and the #18 team
in the nation, their highest ranking ever. His 2002
team was ranked #3 in Georgia and Top 50 nationally.
In 2004, the team was ranked as high as #2 in the
U.S. Duluth's seven-year overall record under Coach
Tavani stands at 97-48-7. Gregg's overall high school
coaching record includes 113 wins.
Gregg
was selected to coach in the Georgia Soccer Coaches
Association All-Star Game in 2002, 2003, and 2006.
He was also selected AAAAA Coach of the Month in
May 2003. Prior to Duluth, Gregg spent three years
as head boys coach at Redan High School in Stone
Mountain, GA , where he guided the team to the state
playoffs in 2001 for the first time in five years.
Gregg has also served as a Georgia Olympic Development
Program (ODP) Assistant Coach and tryout evaluator.
Gregg
annually produces top high school players who go
on to earn college scholarships while also developing
several players who have become All-County and All-State
and a 2003 NSCAA High School Boys All-American.
Many of his former players who serve as coaches
at the camp are currently playing college soccer,
including back-to-back Gwinnett County Players of
the Year (2003, 2004).
Prior
to his coaching career, Gregg was a four-year letterman
at Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL, where he
helped lead the Saints to NAIA national rankings
in 1995 and 1996 and Florida Sun Conference Championships
in 1994 and 1996. He graduated from Flagler College
in 1998 with a BA in Education. Gregg grew up in
the Atlanta area, and was an All-State player at
Dunwoody High School in 1994.
He
currently resides in Alpharetta with his wife, Tracy
and two children.
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Vince Hayes - Head Coach, Women's
Varsity
Vince
Hayes grew up in Gwinnett County, playing both at
Dacula High School (4 years Varsity) and Club Soccer
at West Gwinnett Soccer Club (now Atlanta Fire United)
on their top team ages 11-18.
Vince
has coached soccer at Duluth High School since 2002,
starting out as the Men's Junior Varsity Head Coach
and Varsity Assistant Coach. In those early years,
the Duluth Men's program went to state playoffs
in all but one year, making it to the state Semi-Finals
twice and the State Championship once. In 2007,
Vince accepted the position as Varsity Women's Head
Coach.
Vince
is involved in the sport throughout the year. When
he is not at Duluth High School, he coaches Club
Soccer. At Forsyth Fusion, he served as a coach
for the Girls' Academy for 4 years where he trained
several successful elite youth teams. In 2007, Vince
moved to the Norcross Soccer Academy where he coaches
elite Junior Select teams. During the Summer, Vince
coaches at many camps in the area.
Vince was the staff coach for the 1996 Olympic Women's
Development Program (ODP). He currently holds a
National Youth training license along with a USSF
'B' License. He also holds a Bachelor's Degree in
Education from the University of Georgia (2001)
and a Master's Degree in Social Science Education
from Piedmont College (2006). In 2008, Vince earned
the FA Psychology Level 1 Diploma as well as the
NSCAA High School Diploma.
In 2010, Duluth High
School named Vince "Teacher of the Year,"
illustrating his pursuit of excellence on and off
the field. Coach
Hayes and wife, Kristie, reside in Atlanta and are
expecting the arrival of their first child in early
2011.
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Tessa
Heaton - Coach, Women's Junior Varsity
Tessa
Heaton joined the Duluth Soccer Coaching Staff in
2010. She grew up in Gwinnett County and attended
Berkmar High School where she played soccer and
was a 4-year starter as the Varsity keeper. While
in high school, she earned Gwinnett County Goal
Club/All County Player in 2002. She also played
competitive Club Soccer at Gwinnett Soccer Association.
Following
high school, she attended NAIA Emmanuel College
on athletic and academic scholarships. During her
4 years at Emmanuel, Tessa played both as a goalkeeper
and field player. Tessa earned honors as a 3-time
member on the All-Conference Team and All-Academic
Team as well as the team's Most Valuable Player
her senior year. In 2006, she received her undergraduate
degree in Secondary Social Sciences and finished
with a 3.95 GPA.
After
graduating from Emmanuel, she attended Piedmont
College where she earned her Master's Degree in
Early Childhood Education with a Reading Endorsement
in 2009 (4.0 GPA). While at Piedmont, Tessa was
assistant soccer coach and goalkeeper coach for
both the Men's and Women's programs. Additionally,
she continues to play competitive indoor and outdoor
soccer year-round.
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Kalvens
Weah - Coach, Men's Junior Varsity
Kalvens
started playing soccer at the age of 9 and played
throughout middle and high school as a goalie, a
striker, and a right back / defender.
While
in high school, Kalvens also played volleyball and
basketball. Additionally, he was a member of the
high school track and field team. Kalvens won two
silver medals and a bronze medal in the javelin,
short pull and discuss during the 1989 Liberian
National Track and Field competition. After high
school, Kalvens played amateur soccer in Liberia
(his home country), Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ivory
Coast and Ghana before traveling to Europe and finally
to the United States in 1997. While in New York,
he was the captain for a local soccer club on Staten
Island called ROZA.
In
2003, he earned a BBA from the Metropolitan College
of New York in New York, New York. In 2005, Kalvens
earned his MBA from American Intercontinental University
(AIU) Huffman Estate, Illinois, having studied Human
Resource Management and Marketing. In 2006, Kalvens
Weah became a faculty member at Duluth High School
as a Para Pro.
Kalvens joined the Duluth Soccer coaching staff
in 2010, serving as the Assistant Coach for the
Men's Varsity and Junior Varsity teams. In 2011,
he assumes the role as head coach of the Men's Junior
Varsity squad.
Currently,
he is a Special Education Teacher at Duluth High
School and continues to play soccer for an Old Timers
Club in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
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Lauren
Dodson - Assistant Coach & Goal Keeper Coach, Women's
Varsity
Lauren
Dodson grew up in Dekalb County and attended Tucker
High School. At Tucker, she was a four-year letter
recipient in soccer, basketball, and softball. She
also earned all-county goalkeeper honors in 2000.
After
high school, Lauren attended Reinhardt College where
she was a member of the Reinhardt College women's
soccer team from 2002-2006. At Reinhardt, she was
a 4-year starter, captain of the squad for 3 years,
an All American Scholar athlete for 2 years. Additionally,
she earned honors as an All Conference Goalkeeper.
She led the Lady Eagles to their first region tournament
appearance, was president of the biological honor
society Tri Beta, and was a resident assistant.
In May 2006, Lauren graduated from Reinhardt with
a Bachelor of Science in Biology with the honor
of cum laude.
Upon
graduation, Coach Dodson returned to be the assistant
soccer coach at Reinhardt from 2006-2009, where
she primarily focusing on goalkeeper training. Coach
Dodson received her Master's of Arts in Teaching
in Science Education from Georgia State University
in the summer of 2009.
Currently,
Coach Dodson resides in Lawrenceville with her husband
Shaun.
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Dane
Chancey - Assistant
Coach, Men's Varsity & Junior Varsity)
Dane
joins the Duluth Soccer coaching staff for the 2011
season. A four-year letterman and graduate of Salem
High School, Dane went on to play soccer for two
years at Erskine College, which is a member of NCAA
Division II Conference Carolinas. After Erskine
college, Dane continued his soccer career as a coach,
joining the Atlanta Fire United (AFU) Club staff.
He has coached youth players at AFU for the last
3 years in its Academy program. He also serves as
an instructor for AFU's Junior Academy. Dane holds
a USSF "D" Coaches License.
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