Michael Cracas

                                                         Phone:440-610-0610

                                                         Email: quickhandsgktraining@gmail.com

 

                                                           Mike has over 15 years of experience coaching and training goalkeepers. In addition to operating                                                                  Quick Hands Goalkeeper Training he also serves as the Head Women's Soccer Coach at 

                                                           Hiram College.  Prior to Hiram College, Cracas served as the Associate Head Women's Soccer Coach

                                                           for the Oberlin College women’s soccer team.  His primary focus with the Yeowomen is training

                                                           the program’s goalkeepers while also working with defenders.  Cracas helped the Yeowomen tie for

                                                           a school record 10 wins in 2014. During his time on staff, he mentored two of the program's top 

                                                           goalies in Sarah Grabinski '10 and Kate Frost '15. Frost, who trained with Cracas throughout her

                                                           four-year career, departed Oberlin second all-time in career saves with 439 and is tied for first in

                                                           school history with 12 shutouts. As a senior she made 93 stops and tied a single-season school

                                                           record with five clean sheets.  In addition to his coaching responsibilites, Mike was the Strength &

                                                           Conditioning Coach for all 21 varsity sports at Oberlin College.

                                                           Prior to Oberlin College, he coached at Defiance College, Avon Lake High School, and Keystone                                                                      High School. His experience also includes coaching at the club level for over six years with his                                                                      latest stint being with Erie Futbol Club as a Staff Coach as well as their Goalkeeper Coach.

He played high school soccer at Avon Lake High School, where he set several goalkeeping records. At Defiance College, Mike served as the starting goalkeeper and was named to the All-Conference Team (1994) and he also participated in the Kendis National All-Star Game (1995). 

Cracas earned his Masters Degree in Sports-Exercise Psychology from Argosy University and a bachelors degree in sport management from Defiance College. 

Mike currently holds a USSF National “D” License as well as the NSCAA State (Level 1) and Regional (Level 2) Goalkeeper Diplomas.  He is also a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and the National Strength & Conditioning Association.
 

 

SENIOR STAFF:

James Walchanowicz 

Coach Jim has over 20 years of experience coaching soccer and training goalkeepers. In addition to being the senior technical instructor at Quick Hands Goalkeeper Training, he is the current head boys coach at Olmsted Falls High School, taking over the program in 2006.

 

Prior to that, he was head boys soccer coach at Independence High School for 12 years where he named Metropolitan Area Conference Coach of the Year in Division II, 1997 and earned three Greater Cleveland Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association Coach of the Year honors, Division II, 1997; Division III, 2003, 2004.He has also coached at Erie Futbol Club for 5 years, training boys at the U14, U16, and U18 level.

 

He was a three-year varsity letter winner at Garfield Hts. High School where set several goalkeeping records both at the school and at the State (OHSAA State Record Holder for Most Saves, Season and Career) and National Level (Second in Nation in Career Saves and Fourth Nationally in Season Saves).

 

He played collegiately at Ohio Wesleyan University. He graduated Cum Laude with a BA in English; he has his Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Computer Uses in Education degree from Cleveland State University. He is currently completing his 24th year teaching English at Independence High School where he served as English Department head for many years as well as starting the AP Program in the department.

 

Jim is also the director of Advisory for the Olmsted Falls Soccer Association. He conducts coaching clinics as well as training players at all ages. He is married 20 years and has 4 daughters. He currently holds a USSF license, the NSCAA State Goalkeeping Diploma and is CPR certified through the American Red Cross.