2021 Coaches
IZZY Bryant (He/Him/His), Director of Coaching
Isaiah "Izzy" Bryant returns to New York Gridlock Ultimate for the 2021 season as Director of Coaching. Izzy has been playing ultimate since 2004 and coaching since 2012. At the youth level, he has coached New York YCC Boys in 2012 & Girls teams in 2013 and organized the DiscNY Youth Summer & Fall leagues from 2012-2015. At the collegiate level, he coached the Columbia Women's team from 2012-2016 and the Columbia Men’s team from 2018-2019. After playing four years with the New York Empire; serving as a captain for three seasons, he joined the Empire coaching staff in 2018. Currently, Izzy coaches New York XIST, a mixed club team, and serves as a member of USA Ultimate's Board of Directors.
Cara BrowN (She/her/hers), Coach
Cara Brown started playing ultimate in 1996 with the open team at Gustavus Adolphus College (MN), and established their first women’s team in 1998. Post college, she played in Washington, D.C. with BNOGO from 2004 to 2006 and the first year of Scandal in 2007. Moving to the Northeast, she joined the newly formed BENT from 2009 to 2016 (serving as captain from 2011 to 2015). Cara played the Mixed division in 2017 and 2018 with XIST and Metro North in 2019. Since starting her ultimate career, she has competed at UPA/USAU club nationals seven times. Beyond playing, her true ultimate passion is getting more young people excited about the sport. She has been the Girls Ultimate Movement (GUM) Coordinator for DiscNY since 2016 running clinics for NYC girls. Cara also received a $2500 GoGirlGo! grant from Women’s Sports Foundation in 2019 to run an after school program at Beginning with Children Charter School 2 in Brooklyn, NY staffed by guest coaches from NYC club teams and NYGL. The experience highlighted not only the challenges, but also the need for after school sports for girls in all areas of our city.
Roger Chu (He/Him/His), Coach
Roger Chu began playing Ultimate in 2007 in Memphis, TN. Roger has played on teams from Philadelphia, D.C., and New York, including as a captain of Citywide Special and a player on New York Rumble. Roger has coached Drexel University’s men’s team from 2017 and had the privilege of assisting D.C. Scandal during the 2019 postseason.
Eileen Murray (she/her/hers), Coach
Eileen Murray started playing ultimate in Tucson, AZ in 1993. After moving to Atlanta, GA in 1996, Eileen first made the Ozone roster in 1998 and played her first nationals in Sarasota, FL that year. Eileen played with Ozone until 2006 and competed in nine national and 3 world championship tournaments. After retiring from the women's division, she continued to play in the mixed, masters and grandmasters divisions. Her most recent playing accomplishment was winning bronze with the Atlantiques in PAUC 2015. Eileen started coaching in 2001 for a high school boys team and has coached in the college, club and professional divisions (MLU, AUDL, and PUL) and was the head coach of two national teams (U19 women 2008 and WCBU Mixed 2017).