OUR TEAM

FAST has a team of highly trained and industry-certified coaches who are dedicated to providing children with the most positive and successful training experiences possible. 

We believe that it’s extremely important for our coaches to not only be experienced, but also have personalities that connect well with young athletes. While our team of coaches have varying instructional styles (which plays a role in finding the right “coaching match” for each age), all of our coaches are committed to being positive role models, mentors, motivators and ultimately people your child looks forward to working with and learning from.

dave skolnik - founder & Ceo

Dave's career in youth development started in 2005 when he graduated from Cornell University and began working full-time for The TLC Family of Camps. The TLC Family of Camps own and operate three resident camps, three day camps and a private nursery school. Dave currently serves as a Director of Hampton Country Day Camp (East Hampton) and Chief Operating Officer of the organization.

For years, Dave has been working towards building a customized athletic training program that combines FUN FITNESS with ATHLETIC TRAINING with the goal of maximizing a child’s full athletic potential while also developing self-esteem, self-confidence, and a lifelong love for physical activity. Dave has consulted with kinesiology professionals, worked with fitness specialists, enrolled in certified training programs and spent countless hours training his team of coaches on the FAST approach to long-term athletic development.

Jason Mercado - founder & DIRECTOR

Jason began his professional career working with children in 2008 when he joined The TLC Family of Camps as the Assistant Director of Timber Lake Camp. Today, Jason is the Director of North Shore Day Camp, a popular day camp located in Glen Cove.

Jason graduated from Brown University in 2003, where he was a 4 year starter and 2 x Captain of the wrestling team. Jason understands the sacrifice, determination and training necessary to compete at the highest level of college athletics. Through his coaching experiences, Jason also understands the importance of providing all athletes with a nurturing and positive environment to help them reach their full potential--regardless of skill level. It’s for this reason that he’s so excited to be a part of FAST and join our team of coaches in positively impacting children of all ages.  

WILL BUSH - DIRECTOR

Will Bush first joined the FAST team back in 2016 as a seasonal coach and is currently the Director of Operations & Development.

Will has extensive experience working with children in a recreational environment through his many years as a leadership staff member at Hampton Country Day Camp as well as within school sports programs in the U.K. and U.S. since 2007. 

Will graduated from Manchester University, in the U.K., where he completed his Bachelors degree in Sport and Exercise Science. During his time in University, Will played premier level soccer and has since become certified as an English Football Association coach. Ultimately, Will’s goal has always been to nurture and inspire young athletes! 

Will believes that hard work, an eagerness to learn and a positive attitude can help children achieve their goals. He encourages these values by bringing a fun and engaging learning experience to his sports program each and every day. 

TONY OLIVER - DIRECTOR

Having initially joined FAST as a part-time coach in 2019, he recently transitioned to become a full-time Director of our FAST Roslyn location.

A former Physical Education Teacher of 5 years in Queens, NY for K-5th grade, Tony brings a great deal of knowledge and experience of working with children of all ages, helping them to focus on the fundamentals of athletic development.

Tony has a great deal of experience working with children and is a former staff member of Timber Lake West, one of our partner sleep-away camps, the best part of 10 years where he most recently worked as the Athletic Director. Tony met his wife at Timber Lake West and they have a 4-year-old son who is also a FAST Athlete!!

An integral part to the FAST team, Tony has our hugely successful FAST FC Soccer program and brings a ton of spirit and enthusiasm to every inch of FAST.

Justin zeises - DIRECTOR

Justin first joined the FAST-coaching team back in 2019 and has been an ALL-STAR leading a number of programs/classes from FAST Flag Football to FAST FC Soccer to weekend multi-sport programs in Roslyn.  Justin is very passionate about working with young athletes and creating a fun environment for them to succeed.  He prides himself on always having open lines of communication with the families/teams that he works with and loves to be a huge part of the community.

Justin has been one of our BEST coaches in a variety of FAST programs over the past few years (see bio below) and you're going to absolutely love his personable approach and amazingly positive coaching style...we've been trying to convince him to join the full-time team for years and it finally worked!