With the departure of Carlos Lopez and Pat Niles from the Strike coaching team, we are excited to welcome five individuals to the Strike coaching staff for the 2024 season. The new coaching team comprises of: Donnie Wood (Head Coach), Dooby Helm (Assistant Coach), Genghis Philip (Assistant Coach), Robin Kunze (Coach Consultant), and Bridget "BK" Daniels (Coach Consultant). Learn more about our coaches below.
Donnie Wood (he/him)
Head Coach
Ultimate has been a big part of Donnie's life over the last 14 years as both a player and a coach. Donnie’s playing and coaching experience spans the youth, college, and club levels. His playing career includes a 2016 college championship with the University of Minnesota Grey Duck. He currently coaches the University of Minnesota Ugly Duckling (2018-23) and Minneapolis Pop (2022-23).
Dooby Helm (he/him)
Assistant Coach
Dooby started playing Ultimate in 2009 in his hometown of Naperville, Illinois before continuing on to win a national championship with Grey Duck, co-found Minneapolis Mallard, and play for Sub Zero. He increased his involvement with the Strike program by commentating livestreamed home games the past 2 years and is excited to take it further by joining the coaching staff for the 2024 season. Outside of Ultimate, Dooby enjoys cooking, board games, and spending time with his wife and their two cats.
Genghis Philip (he/him)
Assistant Coach
Genghis has been deeply involved in the ultimate community for over twenty years. His playing days saw him represent the University of Birmingham and East Midlands Open in the UK, and he has spent the last eight years coaching various levels at Edina High School. Passionate about ultimate in Minnesota specifically, Genghis also serves on the board of the Twin Cities Ultimate League.
Robin Kunze (she/her)
Coach Consultant
Robin was first introduced to Ultimate more than 30 years ago in college (Syzygy). She then went on to play on a number of club teams (Jane Air, Nemesis, Bait, Pop). These years were followed by USAU Masters Championships with the Surly Cougars in 2017 and 2018. She has more recently begun coaching at the high school level. Outside of ultimate Robin enjoys swimming and eating chocolate.
Bridget "BK" Daniels (she/her)
Coach Consultant
BK has been playing Ultimate in the Twin Cities for over 20 years. She is a founding member of both POP and Surly Cougars, a beach ultimate national and world champion, and a MN Strike super fan. She loves gardening, skiing, hiking, baking, and adventuring with her husband Pete and their kids.