The Royals Crown Series has been an evolution for our leadership team. This tournament and league series is a product of our company, Upper Deck Club, LLC which exists to model our softball training techniques and programs which are rooted in psychological performance. We all first came together in January 2019 as our founder had launched a new, non-profit volunteer softball club, the Colorado Royals. The fierce demand for individual training drove us to create the Upper Deck Club. Our club tournament experiences in Northern Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nevada, and Florida drove us to create the Royals Crown Series to expand the experience we’ve created to all teams that want something above and beyond.
Dave Darby
President / Founder / Coach
Dave is a 10-year veteran softball coach, husband of 27 years, father of 5 (4 softball-playing young ladies), a behavioral scientist/ entrepreneur still running PIQ Mentoring, a global mentoring company he founded in 2003, and a philanthropist leading to give back to his community. His specialty is building bridges through creative teaching methods and solutions and, in the realm of softball, his passion is hitting and all that it entails physically and mentally. If you have an hour, ask him for a story lesson. You won’t likely be disappointed.
Julie Darby
Partner
Julie is a 20-year veteran project manager, wife of 27 years, mother of 5 (4 softball-playing young ladies) currently managing global Human Resources projects for PayPal. She is the one that keeps all the intricate webs from tangling and specializes in communications and customer service. If you can’t get along with Julie, you can’t get along with anybody. We are fortunate to have her skills when we can. When she’s not working or helping us, she loves to bake. But don’t be fooled, behind that sweet smile is a fiery competitor.
Nawaal Ishmael
Partner
Nawaal is an associate at PIQ Mentoring, a wife of 10 years, mother to three young balls of energy, and an aspiring author. Nawaal lives and works remotely with us from Toronto, Ontario and is originally from Mombasa, Kenya. She is an astute manager of all things related to details. If she can’t find it, it never existed. She is passionate about helping struggling youth in her communities to rise up from challenges and keeps us sharp on our toes, helping to lead on our vision, values, and brand messaging.
Richie White
Operations Manager / Coach
Richie is a 5-year veteran softball coach, husband of 16 years, father to 2 softball-playing young ladies, and a GSE Supervisor for Frontier Airlines. Richie is the guy you want when the sheet hits the fan. He’s calm under pressure and never rests when there is a problem to solve. He’s one of the most loved coaches around and players never forget him or his lessons: “We win as a team, and we lose as a team.” He’s also the guy who knows a guy so if he can’t do it or doesn’t have access to it, wait an hour. When he’s not working or volunteering his leadership, he loves to run the smoker like a true pit boss.
Melissa White
Production Manager
Melissa is a wife of 16 years, mother to 2 softball-playing young ladies, and our Production Manager working to put our brands onto contagiously wearable items. She says she’s not a people-person but she’s one of the most lovable people you’ll have the pleasure to meet. And she puts her creative heart into everything she does. She is quite handy with pretty much any machine and if she isn’t, she’ll figure it out. She loves a challenge and never backs down, so when we start talking about the moon, she’s pulling up maps and makes sure we get there.
Lauren Darby
Coordinator / Coach
Lauren is a former player, having played 6 years between outfield and behind the plate at catcher where she excelled and played with a fury. She has been coaching now for 3 years and is known for her pep-talks and motivational speeches that rally the troops regardless of the game, conditions, or obstacles. Everybody looks like a pessimist next to Coach Lauren. She loves to travel, has been all over the United States and as far as France, England, and Scotland. She is an aspiring and amazing illustrator with a children’s book collaboration underway.
Nicole Darby
Coordinator / Coach
Nicole is another former player, having played 7 seasons, starring at shortstop and as an ace pitcher. Nicole has one college season under her belt as well while carrying a 4.0 average — so she’s tough and smart. She has been coaching for 3 years and building her reputation as quite the pitching coach and entrepreneur. If you think something can’t be done, ask her then step back. She completed her first novel at 14 years old and likely has an esteemed publishing and writing career ahead of her.