Our Coaches and Staff
John Jennings: Long Jump Head Coach
This will be my 4th year coaching Long Jump for the Cheetahs. I have two daughters (Josie and Anna) who are starting their 6th year with the team. My wife Sasha also coaches the High Jump (and is also my business partner in our Design and Landscape Architecture firm). I ran track in high school as a way to maintain my fitness for my real sports passions, Rugby and Swimming. I went on to compete on the Varsity teams for both Rowing and Rugby for the University of Toronto. My coaching goals are to inspire children to become lifelong athletes and to maintain long-term fitness and sports goals. Track is a wonderful way to maintain a high level of overall body fitness, compete as part of a team, and create goals for improvement. A good season for me consists of the athletes developing an enjoyment for jumping, improving form, technique and fitness, and of course improving on previous PR's (Personal Records). I recently met US Olympic gold medalist Brittney Reese who stands at 5'-8" and jumps over 23'. Truly anyone can long jump! Our program starts with the very basics and extends all the way to athletes who are competing at the highest level in their age groups. I have completed two LA-84 Coaching Programs and continue to strive to improve myself as a coach and athlete.
Lisa Jackson - Media & Volunteer Chair - Co-Pres.
My youth sports included competitive horseback riding, surfing, skating, and karate, absolutely no running! Working as a media designer, editor, and VFX artist, my role with the Cheetahs began when my youngest daughter Carissa decided at 12 that she wanted to start running. She still loves running, and I enjoy volunteering my efforts to a team that does so much for so many kids!
The Calabasas Cheetahs is a team that makes a difference in the lives of all our athletes. Cheetah kids are all amazing people and the coaches and support staff are simply phenomenal: skilled, caring, and truly expert, Coaches and Specialty Coaches! The majority of the Calabasas HS Track Staff are current or Former Cheetah Coaches and Cheetah Athletes go on to run both High School, College and Regional and World Level Competition Events!
Azar Khazin - Bantams Head Coach - Co-Pres.
My daughter refused to participate in any sport. When we got to track and field, an agreement was made between us that the only way she would go on the field is if I did. Well, it turns out that this will be my fourth year being on the field and a coach. My daughter Sasha will be a Midget this year, my son Elijah is a Gremlin and my wife Natalie is the assistant coach for the Gremlins.
I grew up in Chatsworth, CA playing youth sports all year round. Six years of Basketball, two years of soccer, two years of baseball and two years of football. Being involved in sports always gave me the ability to interact with almost anyone I came across. The friends made throughout will always hold a bond together. Track and Field brings various competitive athletes together. Running, jumping and throwing brings a self-confidence that is second to none!!! Natalie Khazin - Gremlin Assistant Coach
"Welcome Cheetahs families! My name is Natalie Khazin and I will be your Assistant Coach to our amazing Coach Jeff for the Gremlin division. I stay active in my daily life and I am extremely fond of all types of sports. I am mother to two amazing Cheetahs runners, Sasha and Elijah. My husband Azar coaches for the Bantam division and we have been part of the team for 4 years. We look forward to each season, meeting new families and having our kids be part of something really amazing. The Cheetahs have taken us through an incredible fitness journey where our kids along with a lot of us arents have gained knowledge and appreciation for the sport. I am excited to see all returning Cheetahs families, welcome new families and be part of the growth of these wonderful Gremlins. GO CHEETAHS!"
Jeffery Ramadan - Gremlins Head Coach
My introduction to T&F is purely as a result of my children's involvement. It didn’t take much time for me -as a parent on the sidelines- to see the impact running has on our children. Watching my own children's self-esteem, cognitive function, focus, energy levels all improve greatly in a short time inspired me to want to be a part of this and help to nurture young people and inspire them to make running a part of their life. I myself (since starting coaching Gremlins with the Calabasas Cheetahs) have run L.A. Marathon, a hand-full of Half's and a couple of Spartan sprints. It’s never to late to start running and it’s never to early. My goal is to make running fun for children of all skill sets and I work hard to promote a sense of team and camaraderie. It is truly gratifying to watch young athletes find their running rhythms and discover what they can accomplish when they apply themselves.
Kym Rangel - Cheetahs Chief Treasurer
I am a wife and a mother of two amazing children, Savannah and Victor. Both of my kids play club soccer and enjoy cross training through the track season to speed up their game. In addition to driving them around, I work full-time in the financial industry. In an effort to give back, I have and continue to volunteer as a treasurer for various non-profit organizations; leveraging my business skills and financial experiences.
Lisa Simpson - Speed & Agility Head Coach
Although Lisa played Division 1 soccer, she was also a sprinter and focuses on starts and sprinting with the cheetahs, but strives to find the right events for her athletes. She has coached track for 10 years. It is her goal to have the athletes improve throughout the season and year over year and excel in track or be physically prepared to excel in their chosen sport.
Kevin Strehlo- Middle and Long-Distance Head Coach
I joined a "Run the LA Marathon" program when I was 40 and instantly realized I was wasting my time playing softball, where my batting slump dated back to 7th grade. I ran an unexpectedly good time, and I have only beaten it once since, but I will never give up trying for another PR because I just love running and self-improvement. Utilizing my USATF and LA84 Foundation training, I strive to help kids believe that they too can achieve more than they thought possible in running and in life while introducing them to a lifetime of enjoying our beautiful southern California trail and track venues. Through middle- and long-distance workouts that lead to rapid improvement and increased self-confidence combined with strength exercises, core routines and running form drills, we will set your kids up to enjoy running until, yes, they're as old as I am.
Kathleen Whitehead - Youth & Intermediate Head Coach
I have been coaching Track & Field and XC for 16 years, the last 11 of those years coaching for the Cheetahs. Over the years I have coached each age division as Head Coach and most recently Distance division. I have coached XC for the Cheetahs every season, Head Coach for the last 6 years. As a child I ran club track and as an adult have run 6 marathons and numerous 5 and 10ks. My coaching style is to challenge, motivate, and inspire every athlete to do the best they can and have fun doing it. Running is not easy for everyone, yet everyone can improve and I focus on helping each athlete improve from where they are at the moment. I also focus on opening new experiences for each athlete, many don’t think they are good at X, Y or Z. That simply is not the case, more times than not, it is because they have not tried X, Y or Z. I lead athletes to get out of their comfort zone, try new events and also try new ways of doing things they are familiar with in order to achieve their best results.
Doug Winger - Shot Put Head Coach
I was born in the Los Angeles area and had the opportunity to play various sports year round. Although I was active in sports, I did not 'discover' running until I was around 19 and have been running ever since. I participate in several 5K and 10K races throughout the year and have participated in at least one-half marathon for the last 10 years. I am new to Shot Put and have worked hard to learn the sport in order to be able to pass along that knowledge to new Cheetahs who will be throwing shot for the first time. We will start out by learning that it is actually not square and move along quickly from there. It is my goal to create an environment where your child has fun while learning how to compete in a new field event.