Sand Turtles Coach Blends Passion for Volleyball and Marine Art in Coral Springs

While some youth sports coaches just seem interested in racking up big numbers in the almighty win column, a long-time volleyball coach has a much different approach to the game.

Meet Mark Lewkowicz, who 15 years ago founded Sand Turtles, the first city-sanctioned volleyball league in Coral Springs. As one might surmise by the name, players play, practice, and learn the game (a la beach style) on the sand. The turtle part of the league’s name stems from the fact that Lewkowicz is also an artist who specializes in paintings of sea creatures; more about that later.

His coaching method has a different focus than what is often expected. “I get the kids who aren’t the best athletes,” he told Coral Springs Talk, “but they want to play.”

He looked at other volleyball clubs at the time and didn’t like the way they ran their programs. “They didn’t let all the kids play,” he said. “I said I was going to be the opposite of how they ran the clubs.”

Lewkowicz says it was back in 2009 when Florida school districts cut their sports budgets and eliminated middle school volleyball. At the time, his eldest daughter, Lauren, had just finished middle school and was playing in high school. He was very disappointed sports programs were being eliminated. “After all, these are the things that keep kids out of trouble and teach them life lessons.”

He went to the school and volunteered to coach for free, but his offers were continually rebuffed. Rather than getting angry, he started his own volleyball club specializing in teaching beginner players. “There was an immediate market, and the business has grown tremendously over the years,” he said.

Coral Springs resident Michelle Smith has known Lewkowicz for ten years since he began coaching her daughter, Suzette. With Sand Turtles Volleyball celebrating its 15th year, “I realized this coach needed some recognition,” she said, adding, “he’s an ‘unsung’ hero. That’s why I recommended him for a story.”

Smith admires his coaching style. “He knows how to relate to all skill levels,” she said. Plus, “he’s just a character. He’s got a unique personality.”

When he works with new beginners, Smith said, he teaches them first how to play as a group and then focuses on getting their bodies ready for the game. “It’s about strengthening them up so they can play volleyball.”

Lewkowicz says they focus on skills, drills, fun, and exercise during every practice.

As a coach, Lewkowicz often takes that extra step to help his students. “If anyone expresses an interest in joining a middle or high school volleyball team, he gives them a lot of insight. He tells them to ‘wear bright-colored socks’ to stand out.”

Lewkowicz, who now lives in Deerfield Beach, grew up in Margate and attended Coconut Creek High School. After he was married, he lived in Coral Springs for 16 years.

Sand Turtles Coach Blends Passion for Volleyball and Marine Art in Coral SpringsMark Lewkowicz with two Sand Turtles. {courtesy}

He has played volleyball for fun in the past. “I was just tall and didn’t know what I was doing,” he said. However, he has always been involved in sports and has taught martial arts and coached youth soccer for 13 years.

Coaching and running a sand volleyball league are only part of what constitutes a day for Lewkowicz, a graduate of the Fort Lauderdale Institute of Art.

“I’ve been a graphic artist my whole life,” he said, adding that he began painting in 2011. On a recent sunny, warm weekend afternoon, he was selling his paintings at the Delray Affair Arts and Crafts Festival. His paintings, which can be found on Etsy, feature a variety of colorful marine animals.

Lewkowicz also organizes beach cleanups, keeping the reclaimed wood for his artistic creations.

Smith’s daughter, Suzette, 18, started playing in Sand Turtles when she was eight “because we knew she would be tall. Her dad is 6-foot-5.”. Suzette also attended his summer camps and moved up to the intermediate level. She played on her middle and high school teams and has been an assistant coach at Sand Turtles for the past three and a half years.

Suzette is now a senior at Coral Springs Charter School and will be entering Florida State University in the fall and working with Mark until August. She does not want to play for the FSU volleyball team but plans on playing intramural coed volleyball.

Sand Turtles Coach Blends Passion for Volleyball and Marine Art in Coral SpringsCoach Mark Lewkowicz and Julia in front of this art at the Delray Affair Arts and Crafts festival. {Martin Lenkowsky}

As for how Lewkowicz manages to handle three jobs at the same time, he said, “I work remotely from home and paint on the weekends. I coach two to four classes per week. I have other coaches.”