Sports Tours by Sports People
Sports are our passion. Making a difference is our mission.
We do this because we love what we do: developing the whole person & athlete, on & off the field.
We have an abiding passion for sharing and developing sports all around the world. As players, coaches, and fans, we truly understand the needs of our U.S. teams on the field. More importantly, we love the games themselves & the athletes they work to develop.
Melisa meccage, Co Founder
Chief Performance Officer
Melisa co-founded Zag with her husband Jeremy in 2002. Her lifelong experience with sports, travel, and service were inspirational for her. During college, she played field hockey at the University of Iowa and the U21 National Team, traveling the world to compete. She was named First Team All American and Big Ten Player of the Year. After college, she practiced with the Senior Women's National team for a year before traveling to Argentina to play hockey.
Upon her return to the states she began a 20-year coaching career including St. Mary's Hall, University of Virginia, University of Iowa, and concluding with 13 years at Princeton University and a national championship in 2012. Melisa also mentored multiple National Team players during this time.
She is also the founder of LeadHER Field Hockey, an K-12 field hockey training and recruitment academy. LeadHER empowers young women to find their character and leadership strengths while nurturing the love of field hockey. Her four kids: Bryce, Clara, Cayden, and Miah were an inspiration for this program. Melisa's experience as a coach and player helps us design our tours to be supportive for coaches and best for team growth!
Jeremy Meccage, Co Founder
Chief Experience Officer
Jeremy co-founded Zag Sports with his wife Melisa in 20o2. He has a love for sport, technology, and enabling young people to reach their full potential. He believes travel is an experience that facilitates positive growth as an individual athlete and for teams.
He was drafted by the LA Dodgers out of high school and was starting pitcher at the University of Iowa during college. After college, he was again drafted by the Dodgers, but unfortunately sustained a shoulder injury only weeks after signing. He underwent surgery and continued to rehab while living in Argentina. He signed with the Detroit Tigers but his shoulder never regained its full potential. After being released, he closed out his career with the Brasschaat Braves where he played in Europe for a season. Jeremy received his MBA from the University of Iowa after retiring from professional baseball.
Living in Argentina and Europe inspired a love for international travel and led to the creation of Zag. In addition to Zag, he was the pitching coach for Princeton University's Baseball Team for 10 years. Jeremy also developed a video analysis company in 2009 called SkillU.com. He is a consultant for Visual Blasters, a software company, and serves on the development committee for U.S. Field Hockey. He has traveled to over 20 countries and established worldwide partnerships.
Kim Smit
Flight Coordinator and Travel Consultant
Kim is our travel consultant and flight coordinator. She has more than 30 years of experience in the travel industry, working directly with over 80 international/domestic airlines and also works with multiple transportation companies.
She is instrumental in our outbound and inbound travel coordination. Kim lives in Iowa with her husband. She enjoys traveling across the country to support her children and grandkids as they go to school and play sports.