Tommy Andrade and Jeff Chou of Southpaw Barbershop are branching out. Tommy’s been coaching with the West Seattle Junior Wildcats for three years and has become passionate about youth athletics development. So that’s where he and Jeff are going with a new enterprise – here’s how he explains it:
You know how we run Southpaw — community first has always been the goal, and everything we do works toward that. Well, we’re taking that same idea and doing it for the kids this time.
We’ve taken over Delridge Strength, and on December 1 we’re relaunching the gym as the West Seattle Athletics Group — a youth athletic development program right here in the neighborhood, at 5050 Delridge Way SW.
Here’s why. As fathers, Jeff and I kept running into the same problem: there was no youth athletic development training in West Seattle. None. If you wanted it for your kid, you were driving to Mercer Island, Kent, or Bellevue — and most of those programs are built around one specific sport, and they’re very expensive. West Seattle families deserved better than a long drive and a big bill just to help their kids become better athletes.
So when the opportunity came up to start a local gym, we took it.
The program is for ages 9 and up — age groups 9-11, 12-14, and 15+ — and it’s for every kid, from every background and every sport, whether they’re already on a team or have never played anything. Classes are 60 minutes, coached in small groups in our 6,000-square-foot indoor gym, and they’re built on mobility and flexibility, speed and agility, strength and conditioning, and hand-eye coordination. It’s a year-round program: athletes progress level to level as they grow, with training tailored to where each kid is — beginner, intermediate, or advanced. Our philosophy is simple: you do not have to make the team to belong here.
We’re thinking bigger than classes, too. We plan to run summer camps and after-school programs, plus sport-specific classes with special guests — college and professional athletes — coming in to coach and mentor the kids. And alongside our paid summer camps, we’ll be running free camps for foster kids and other underserved kids and families in the community, because a program like this should reach the kids who need it most. Those camps will also create coaching jobs for local high school students.
Registration is open now ahead of the December 1 start. Any parent who wants more information can reach us at westseattleathleticsgroup@gmail.com or by text at 206-387-1463 — we’re happy to walk families through it personally.
If you’re having trouble placing the location – it’s right next to Combat Arts Academy.