TPH ACADEMY
KANSAS CITY
WELCOME TO TPH Academy
Kansas City
Christy Rutherford
Director and Head of Academics"I am beyond excited to lead TPH Academy and have the opportunity to shape a memorable experience for not only our Founding Families, but the many families for years to come. As a proud parent of a committed TPH-KC student-athlete, my husband and I were drawn to this opportunity for our son because of TPH’s commitment to delivering a customized academic and holistic development experience. I look forward to joining the sports leaders from within the Bluhawk ecosystem to create a world-class Academy experience that prepares student-athletes from across the KC metro area for success academically, athletically, and personally.”
Christy Rutherford, Director and Head of Academics, TPH Academy Kansas City
SAMPLE DAY
8:05 a.m.
Arrival
8:10 a.m.
Academics
9:15 a.m.
Video/Warm-Up
10:00 a.m.
Training - Sport
11:05 a.m.
Training - Gym
12:00 p.m.
Lunch/Break
12:50 p.m.
Academics
2:50 p.m.
Activity/Break
3:00 p.m.
Academics
4:00 p.m.
Depart
ourApproach
At TPH Academy Kansas City our student-athletes Study, Train, and Play every day. Each week, a typical schedule includes the following breakdown:
0+
ACADEMIC HRS/WK0+
SPORT SPECIFIC HRS/WKFrom public speaking contests to finance club, we are focused on providing our student-athletes the opportunities that fit their interests and provide them the opportunity to learn valuable life skills.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Part of attending TPH Academy is ensuring our student-athletes are connected with their communities and understand the value of providing their time and support. All of our locations take part in community service projects from raking leaves across the neighborhood to assisting at soup kitchens.
GUEST SPEAKERS
Our guest speakers bring new perspectives and ample experience from their trade and life. Our student-athletes have been fortunate enough to have been visited by guests including current professional athletes, coaches, and referees. Our guests are not just limited to the industry of sport but include business executives, marketing specialists, psychologists, and physical therapy experts, among others.
FIELD TRIPS
We make a conscious effort to make sure our student-athletes get exposure to many different experiences. Previous field trips include museums, professional sports facilities, college campuses, and more.
OUR ACADEMICS ARE
Customized.
Working with our trusted education partners, we offer a completely customized platform where individuals study online with certified instructors. The TPH Academy Blended Learning Environment is deliberately designed for student-athletes. It combines in-person learning guidance with the latest in educational technology and virtual academics. Course progress is actively supervised and optimized by our academic leaders in real-time. Student-athletes are prepared to become independent, self-starting college freshmen through our mastery-based learning approach.
The TPH Academy blended learning environment combines an online curriculum, on-site infrastructure, and academic support. Academic leaders are in the classroom working with students to ensure a positive learning environment, accountability, a personalized structure and accelerated learning programs as they train for their sport.
Through our trusted education partners, our academy course library provides student-athletes access to NCAA-approved Core classes, a large collection of AP offerings, and 80+ custom electives, including foreign languages, arts, and more. Our academic partners are all Cognia accredited, and all graduating student-athletes will receive a private/public school diploma issued by our state partner. Students not only advance their education but also learn organization, study skills, and how to adapt their own learning styles.
Courses and assignments are tailored to each individual and prioritized by the TPH academic team in partnership with the student-athlete with their weekly sports and competition schedule in mind.
- Individually Tailored Courseware
- AP, Honors & Foreign Language Courses
- 80+ Custom Elective Courses
- Credit for Sport-Specific Training
TPH KANSAS CITY
ATHLETICS
FITNESS
Johnny Beck
Johnny is the owner and Director of Operations at All In Sports LLC (est. 2013). He attended the University of Kansas on a football scholarship and started 45 career games, finishing his playing career in 2004. Johnny earned 4 straight Academic All-Big XII honors and was a two-time All-Big XII kicker, earning a selection to the Freshman All-American Team in 2001. During the 2005 season, he served as an intern under the Director of Football Operations and as a special teams coaching assistant. Johnny graduated from KU in 2006 with a B.S. in Sports Management and has been training athletes for the past 20 years.
HOCKEY
Simon Watson
Following three years as Director of Hockey at the Carriage Club in Kansas City, Missouri, Simon Watson oversees all aspects of the ice operations at the cutting-edge facility at AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk.
Watson brings a remarkable combination of playing experience, coaching expertise, and a passion for developing young talent to AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk. His impressive background boasts 25 years of coaching and five years as a professional hockey player. After a standout NCAA Division 1 hockey career at St. Lawrence University (2001-2006), Watson embarked on a successful professional journey. He carved his path through the Central Hockey League (CHL), earning a trip to the All-Star Game in 2007 while playing in Lubbock, TX. Watson continued his pro career in Denver, CO, before concluding his playing days with the Missouri Mavericks from 2009-2011. During his final season, he received the CHL’s prestigious “Man of the Year Award” in recognition of his outstanding community contributions.
Watson’s seamless transition from player to coach is a testament to his leadership and dedication to the sport. After hanging up his skates, he immediately assumed an Assistant Coach role with the Mavericks, impacting the team from 2011-2018. In 2018, Watson seized the opportunity to become Head Coach and General Manager of the Topeka Pilots in the North American Hockey League. His remarkable tenure resulted in over 20 players advancing to NCAA hockey and the development of 1 NHL draft pick.
FIGURE SKATING
Kelsey O'Neil
Kelsey is a lifelong resident of Overland Park, graduating from Blue Valley West High School, just across the street from the Bluhawk facility. Her passion for figure skating began at the age of 12 after being inspired by the Olympics; she went on to test and compete as a soloist through the Intermediate level, where she enjoyed several years on a traveling synchronized skating team, earning a Gold Medal in Moves in the Field. While still a teenager, Kelsey’s love for the ice rink led her to begin teaching and working at a local rink. For several years, she balanced coaching with her own skating and judging competitions, becoming well-respected in the figure skating community.
Following a nearly ten-year career in law enforcement, Kelsey returned to her passion for figure skating professionally. She has served as the Assistant Ice Rink Manager and Figure Skating Director at The Carriage Club for the past two years. In this role, she rekindled her coaching passion, fostered a welcoming environment for skaters of all levels, and developed new classes and events. Kelsey’s creativity shined through her choreography of countless programs and ice shows, where she also coached skaters toward local competitions.
BASEBALL
Jason Porta
Coach Porta brings a wealth of experience to the table, having coached youth and high school baseball for the past 16 years. His coaching journey began at Erie High School, where he served as both an assistant and head coach for two seasons before making his mark in Kansas City. Locally, he has worked with three academies over the past 12 years: Between the Lines, Homefield Baseball, and Building Champions. His involvement in training youth teams through private instruction, practice development, and camp coordination has been instrumental in their success. Coach Porta's dedication to his craft is evident in his recent achievement of becoming Driveline certified in youth baseball development and the foundations of pitching.
Constantly striving for improvement, Coach Porta became Driveline certified in youth baseball development and the foundations of pitching. He has spent the last ten years focusing on the fundamental aspects of pitching: maximizing velocity, movement, accuracy, and arm maintenance.
Coach Porta's journey in baseball began as a local player from Blue Valley West, where he earned the honorable mention all-state. He then took his skills to the collegiate level, pitching at Pittsburg State University for four years. His passion for the game led him to play for two seasons for the Hornell Steamers in the NYCBL summer league (New York). These experiences have shaped him into the dedicated and knowledgeable coach he is today.
SOCCER
Rob Million
Rob Million, a visionary youth soccer coach with over 20 years of coaching experience, is known for his proven leadership and passion for community-driven sports initiatives. His commitment revolves around creating a thriving environment for youth development in soccer. With a strategic focus on fostering teamwork, skill acquisition, and sportsmanship, Rob leads the organization in providing a platform where young athletes can excel both on and off the field. Through effective collaboration with coaches, parents, and community partners, he aims to establish a soccer club that nurtures athletic excellence, instills valuable life skills, and fosters a lifelong love for the game.
Rob Million has held notable roles, such as President of the Midwest Surf Region since March 2023, where he spearheaded the growth and expansion of Surf Nation in the Midwest of the United States. As the Founder and President of Kansas City Surf since 2023, he has been instrumental in guiding the club's vision and executing growth and development plans for clubs, staff, and players. Prior to these roles, he founded Puma Futbol Club, Inc in 2010 and served as President until 2023, overseeing all day-to-day activities and business growth. Rob Million also has a background as the Head Coach of Blue Valley Soccer Club from 2007 to 2010. Additionally, he holds various certifications, including US Soccer C, D, and E licenses and Carew Leadership and Sales certifications. His accomplishments include being named the 2015 MLS Community All-Star MVP, leading the Sporting KC Youth Club of the Year in 2016, and achieving multiple State Cup Championship titles.
TPH Academy Kansas City will be located at AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk. AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk, in Overland Park, Kansas, is a 420,000-square-foot indoor sports park, the first phase of which is 260,000 square feet and set to open in the fall of 2024 with 8 basketball or 16 volleyball/pickleball hardwood courts, an indoor turf field, an NHL regulation ice rink, a sports performance training center, flexible meeting and event spaces, plus a restaurant and grab-n-go café.
Kansas City
What Our Academy Families Are Saying
Frequently Asked Questions
While we are one team, TPH Academy is not sports a team. We are an academy that allows you to focus on your individual skills. Additionally, you can still play for your current team. This makes for an awesome training environment where our student-athletes get to build a community with like-minded student-athletes.
At TPH Academy, each student-athlete learns from certified Teachers through our customizable virtual platforms, with access to virtual tutors 24/7. Our on-site Head of Academics and Success Coach(es) are additional resources as they cultivate an environment conducive to learning. These multiple layers of support ensure that your student-athlete receives a personalized academic plan, preparing them for the ultimate game: the game of life.
Our student-athletes train four days a week in the gym on-site with our coaches.
DID YOU KNOW: student-athletes can receive physical education credit for the training.
They are certainly welcome to, but we do offer a meal plan working with the restaurant, located inside the facility, to offer healthy and delicious options at an affordable price.
This is one of the primary benefits of TPH Academy. We believe that the traditional brick-and-mortar system is not conducive to the lifestyle of the aspiring elite student-athlete. We are flexible with our attendance policy because we understand the travel that sports require and the toll a season can take on a student-athlete. The beauty of our platform is that we can operate virtually. The biggest factor is that we believe our student-athletes get the most out of their experience by attending on-site, but we understand that may not always be possible.
Our mentorship program aims to educate our student-athletes on “the process” of becoming elite. Part of that is through the mentorship program, which includes Coach FA's Mentorship Program, community service, and guest speakers.
TPH Academy provides balance as we tailor our athletic and academic development model to each student-athlete. Much of the daily experience is shaped by when, where, and how your student-athlete studies, trains, and plays at his or her best.
Courses and assignments are tailored to each individual and prioritized by the TPH academic team in partnership with the student-athlete, keeping in mind their weekly sports and competition schedule.
Additionally, we require our student-athletes to fill out weekly surveys through RippleWorx, our athlete management system, to help our staff understand the holistic state of our student-athletes. These surveys track sleep, nutrition, injuries, and more to ensure we know how to balance each student-athlete's workload.
TPH Academy can provide support for IEP's and 504's. We have built our centers with learning environments that help all types of learners and set up our student-athletes for success. However, students will have to complete a determination meeting with our education partner to ensure we can meet all the needs of the student.
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#Teamtph
Connect with our team and learn how TPH Academy can help you or your student-athlete take the next step in academics, athletics, and life.