Meet Tim Cooper of Apex Boys Volleyball

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Cooper.

Hi Tim, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story is kind of all over the place just as I was for many years. Even though I moved to Nashville, TN immediately after graduating college I rarely stayed in one spot for very long. Straight out of college I had big dreams of making an impact in the world in some way but never could find something I felt I could pour my self into 100%. I worked every type of job imaginable: Tanning Salon, Medical Billing, Retail, Printing Press Operator, Spanish Teacher, Life Insurance agent, etc. Eventually I found coaching Volleyball through being a teacher and fell in love with it! But coaching didnt pay enough to survive off of so the career search continued. I started doing humanitarian and mission work through various organizations like Athletes in Action, Youth With A Mission (YWAM), and even a trip as a translator to help someone meet their birth mother. All of these trips made me feel as if I was accomplishing something important in the world and helping to make it better, but they always ended after a few weeks or months and I was left back in Nashville wondering what I was supposed to do.
I continued working the odd jobs and coaching for a local volleyball club. I slowly started to realize that my passion and gifting were teaching others about physical and mental health and sport, particularly volleyball. So I became both a certified personal trainer through NASM and a Yoga Teacher through a local yoga studio in Nashville. These ‘side gigs’ were fun and exciting! They helped me survive through the world wide pandemic in 2020. I was helping people get and stay healthy which was fulfilling.
All this time I continued coaching youth volleyball and wondering how I could make a bigger impact in youth sports in Nashville.
That was when a friend approached me about an opportunity in Spring Hill, TN at a sports complex called Hustle Factory Sports. The owner of the facility was looking for a Director to create and grow a youth Volleyball club out of his facility. This seemed like the perfect opportunity the more we discussed it. I was looking to quit selling life insurance and get more involved in growing the sport and the young athletes in our community and they needed a full time director for this new club. So in 2022 we launched a girls volleyball program out of the facility. It has done well and grown in the last 2 years to were we have had over 150 kids ages 8-18 participating in our various programs whether it be private lessons, beginner leagues or part of a club travel team! Our hope is for it to continue growing and impacting our community in a positive way.
I did notice that while we were able to work with many young ladies in the sport, opportunity for young men to play did not exist in our area. Boys could play at local rec centers but it was always co-ed and on a lower net. The closest club that had boys volleyball teams was over an hour away and very expensive for those looking to get into the sport for the first time.
That is when I decided to offer some open gyms specifically for young men interested in playing to gauge if there was an interest in our community. The first open gym was in January of 2023 and we had 5 boys show up ages 10-16 years old. The next open gym we had 7. Word began to spread and slowly it grew to 10 athletes. Another coach from Murfreesboro, TN heard about the open gyms and we began to discuss the option of starting a boys volleyball club. We knew it would be difficult being in the South because it was an unsanctioned sport in schools for boys, had a stereotype of being a girls only sport even though its not, and other sports like Football had priority. But we decided to launch Apex Boys Volleyball in August of 2023 and just see if we could get a team together to play in a few tournaments.
Our mission was simple – to advance boys volleyball in Middle TN, nurturing skills & leadership both on & off the court.
In the first year of our existence we have seen this mission being accomplished. Over 30 athletes have joined our program in the last year, whether it was as part of our first club season, our Spring Season where we partnered with the TN Boys Volleyball Association to help grow the game in our local Schools, our summer camps, or our Boy’s Beach Volleyball program we launched this past Summer. We have just had our tryouts for our 2nd Fall season and had 24 young men tryout, hired 3 new coaches (one of them a former player that graduated from our club last year), and are preparing to host our first Boy’s tournament out of the sports facility that hosts us.
All in all, I never dreamed when I first moved to Nashville that I would be owning and directing a Boy’s volleyball club. But it fits with the dream I had when I first came: to make an impact in the world. Youth sports is my passion and where I can help to shape future world leaders, politicians, teachers, parents, humanitarians, etc.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Some of my biggest struggles were financial and relationally. Being single for most of my adult life and away from my family definitely put a strain on my mental health. Feelings of isolation and loneliness came and went. I wondered at times if I should just ‘settle’ and find a good paying job and a partner and pursue the ‘American Dream’. But I always stopped myself because that wasnt my dream.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Our boys program was started because I saw a need for a boys volleyball program in our community. I also wanted to create a space where we could teach our young men life lessons like, winning with humility, losing with dignity, being competitive but not unkind, teamwork, and other things that would help address issues in our culture such as toxic masculinity, anxiety, lonliness, etc. Our mission at Apex Boys Volleyball is “to advance boys volleyball in Middle TN, nurturing skills & leadership both on & off the court. We foster competition within & beyond our club, aiming to propel athletes to collegiate, professional, coaching, or recreational levels.”
I think one of the most important things that sets us apart is our inclusivity. I realized that to grow the sport we should welcome everyone that is interested. Every young man that wants to play CAN play for us!
Another thing we are very proud of is our commitment to keeping the club affordable. Our prices are lower than any other club sport in the Nashville area while still offering high quality and knowledgeable coaching and a great facility to practice out of.
I want everyone to know that Apex Boys Volleyball is a club that cares about your athletes as a whole person. We don’t value winning above all else. We value character. Our mindset is one of growth, realizing that mistakes are necessary to learn and that failure is the stepping stone to greatness.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Because we do not exist to make money, we rely heavily on donations and fundraising to pay for everything. Our biggest need every year is financial as paying for approved uniforms, court rental fees, coaches pay, and tournament entry fees are quite expensive. Another way to support is to help us start more boys teams in schools. Our club works with the TN boys volleyball Association to help grow the game in our local schools so it will hopefully become a sanctioned sport in our state. Talking to our school administration about the need for boys volleyball and the desire to see it being offered will help as we seek to grow the game for our young men.

Pricing:

• $650 for athletes wanting to compete in tournaments
• $350 for athletes wanting to practice only and learn the game
• $250-$1000 Banner Purchase – 60% of these funds go toward the athletes’ club costs. The Banner purchased is hung in our facility to promote whatever business/person helped.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hustlefactorysportscomplex.com/apex-boys-volleyball-club
• Instagram: @apexboysvolleyball
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560480494781