Play for Sport Staff

Play For Sport has reached over 1,000 preschool aged children in the northern DFW metroplex in the past two years!

Founders and Directors – Michael and Ruthi Elliott

Play For Sport was founded and is directed by Michael and Ruthi Elliott of Flower Mound. They reside in Flower Mound with their 9 year old twin boys. The idea of Play For sport was born out of their own experiences with their children entering organized sports. Since children now begin sports at an age that they don’t yet understand the concept of competition and commitment, that makes for a lot of opportunities for game day meltdowns when other players aren’t sharing or taking turns! When joining T-Ball and Soccer at an early age for their twins, the Elliotts encountered many of such challenges including a lack of interest after just three weeks of their first season. Thus was born the idea for Play For Sport to give young children an opportunity to try sports before they commit. To give them the opportunity to learn the skills they need in a friendly, non-competitive environment where they could ask questions and not be embarrassed when they weren’t able to do a skill at first attempt. Michael’s experience playing and coaching sports and Ruthi’s experience working with young children were the perfect combination!

Michael has played sports his entire life and has an extensive background in teaching and coaching. In school, Michael played football, baseball, golf, and Tae Kwon Do. Michael was a state level champion in golf, a national competitor in Tae Kwon Do and is currently a 3rd degree black belt. Michael spent years coaching and mentoring in golf and ran his own Tae Kwon Do studio for four years. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University and is certified by the Texas Board of Education. He understands and has a unique ability to teach children the mental aspects of sports as well as the physical. You will find teamwork, commitment, and determination prominently integrated in all Play For Sport curriculums.

Ruthi owned and operated a children’s fitness program for four years prior to joining her husband in the development of Play For Sport. Her training and experience working with preschool aged children helped shape the approach of teaching young children in a non-competitive and encouraging environment. Play For Sport curriculums are highly structured to help children of this age feel safe and encouraged to do their best. Ruthi is an amateur NPC figure competitor and brings a wealth of fitness and nutritional knowledge to the program as well. She knows the vital importance of teaching children at an early age to take care of their bodies and to understand how they work to instill healthy habits to last a lifetime. Relating healthy habits to performance on the field is a natural progression and a large part of Play For Sport’s preschool curriculum.

Head Coach - Martin Salinas

Martin Salinas was born in Houston, Tx and is a graduate of Alief Hastings High School. In high school Martin participated in baseball, basketball and football. His junior year decided to focus on basketball in which he became a 2 year captain. This lead to his decision to be a student-athlete at the University of Texas at Dallas (2003-2007). As a 4-year student athlete and 3 year basketball Captain, Martin finished his basketball career holding 17 basketball records including UTD’s All-Time leading scorer. Through out his time at UTD, Martin was a counselor for several UTD Athletic Sports camps including basketball and tennis. In December of 2007, Martin graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. After graduation, Martin played professional basketball in Mexico. He is now also currently a mentor and personal basketball instructor to many promising athletes. His passion for sports and to help others improve comes second to none.

Martin began coaching for Play For Sport in early 2007 and quickly became their most sought after coach. His love for sports and for children made him a perfect fit! Martin has a contagious passion for sports and has an amazing ability teach and make learning sports fun for kids of all ages.

Baseball Coaches – Lloyd Gordon and Thomas Sawyer

More info coming soon!

Soccer Coach – Michelle Mallari

More info coming soon!

Baskeball Coach – Martin Salinas

(see above)