PCA Updates
Positive Coaching Alliance – Tampa Bay
Thank you to all who made our local fundraiser a huge success!
The evening was full of 220 guests all donning their favorite jerseys for PCA - Tampa Bay’s sixth annual Inside the Lines fundraiser. Sports can teach resilience, teamwork, and how to respond to negative feedback and use it to improve and get better. Practicing and competing can help youth learn life lessons they can translate into other parts of life so they can bounce back from mistakes and stand strong when challenged. The focus of this year’s event was on providing education about the work PCA does with coaches and athletes and the impact it has on individuals, teams, and the community. With a room full of Board members and guests – many of whom are involved in youth sports organizations – PCA’s main principles were taught and tips and tools were provided to help all attendees understand how their support helps PCA in its efforts of developing Better Athletes, Better People.
During dinner, guests heard from a panel of mental performance coaches moderated by Zac Blobner from WDAE 95.3. Dr. Joe Carella, the sports psychologist for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Orlando Magic, Dr. Lee Dorpfeld, the Director of Athletic Performance and sports psychologist from the University of South Florida, and John Lannan, Sr. Mental Performance Coach in Major League Baseball, talked about failure, how a strong mentality can be a major asset to physical performance, and how they’ve seen and helped younger athletes emerge from COVID – a time when sports were canceled and a lot in life was upended.
One of PCA’s trainers, Sherman Armstrong, captured the room and walked guests through PCA’s three main principles. He took a deep dive into the ELM Tree of Mastery and wove in a story about his own daughter’s growth mindset and development in the high jump event of track and field. You could see everyone listening and learning as he entertained and educated. A fellow trainer joined him onstage to include a demonstration of what it looks like when you let mistakes hold you back, letting the audience get a glimpse into how PCA’s workshops are interactive and use activities to make lessons pop!
The evening closed with unique items and experiences auctioned off and a very generous $150,000 match made by the Triad Foundation during the “Bid from the Heart” appeal that was not only met but was also exceeded by over $10,000!
Inside the Lines is vital to supporting the mission of PCA - Tampa Bay and it ensures that student-athletes and the community ultimately benefit from the character-building educational workshops that PCA provides for coaches, parents, and youth.
Finally, a special thanks to Board member Dr. Antonio Castellvi for chairing this year’s fundraiser.
Please take a moment to watch this year’s recap video that highlights the event. Our chapter is incredibly thankful to our donors who entrust this chapter to continue making a positive impact across Tampa Bay.
