PCA – TAMPA BAY’S SIX LOCAL COACH AWARD WINNERS RECOGNIZED AT UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA BASKETBALL GAME, SUPPORTED BY WEATHERFORD CAPITAL

PCA – TAMPA BAY’S SIX LOCAL COACH AWARD WINNERS RECOGNIZED AT UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA BASKETBALL GAME, SUPPORTED BY WEATHERFORD CAPITAL

Congratulations to PCA – Tampa Bay’s six local coaches receiving awards. These youth sports leaders embody the Double-Goal Coach® model of striving to win while also pursuing the important goal of teaching life lessons through sports.

Positive Coaching Alliance – Tampa Bay, the local chapter of the national nonprofit Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) that develops “Better Athletes, Better People” through youth and high school sports, hosted its second annual recognition and awards event for youth sports coaches on January 10. The event, hosted by USF Athletics, honors and awards current coaches for the positive impact they are making in the lives of youth. Following the reception, all guests were treated to a USF Women’s Basketball game and PCA – Tampa Bay’s six local winners were announced and honored on the court at halftime by Lee Butler, Senior Associate Athletic Director, USF. To cap it all off, the Bulls won 68-52!

This year, 23 coaches were nominated for PCA – Tampa Bay’s Awards Program. These coaches, their nominators, the selection committee, and past winners were invited to the private reception. Weatherford Capital provided $250 to each of the six local winners and an additional $250 to the three select regional winners. Weatherford Capital, under the leadership of Drew, Will, and Sam Weatherford, is pleased to support the coaches and this program because of the impact coaches had on them. Drew’s high school and college football coaches inspired him and taught him invaluable lessons such as integrity, top-tier leadership, how to execute a strategy, the importance of caring deeply for someone, and helping youth understand the best is yet to come.

PCA- Tampa Bay’s 2024 Coach of the Year awards Local Winners
(From Left to Right: Troy Sanders, Cobie Lee, Rachel Lambert-Jolley, Steven Gamble, David Docobo, and Kevin Austin)

This year’s class of 2024 Coach of the Year Regional Winners, Double-Goal Coach® Local Winners and Nominees in attendance included:

  • Coach Kevin Austin, Local Winner (Charlotte Youth Wrestling)
  • Coach David Docobo, Local Winner (Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation)
  • Coach Steven Gamble, Regional Winner (VAST Track & Field and Cross Country)
  • Coach Alexander Hernandez, Nominee (Freedom High School, Track & Field/Cross Country)
  • Coach Jan Johnson, Nominee (Junior Golf Club of Tampa)
  • Coach Rachel Lambert-Jolley, Local Winner (Rise Up Soccer Club, Boca Ciega High School)
  • Coach Cobie Lee, Local Winner (J. W. Mitchell High School, Softball/Girl Weightlifting)
  • Coach Tavonda Lucas, Nominee (Ferrell Girls Preparatory Academy, Volleyball)
  • Coach Shannon O’Neil, Nominee (IMG Academy, Lacrosse)
  • Coach Angel Ramirez, Nominee (Cypress Creek High School, Volleyball)
  • Coach Mario Reece, Nominee (Middleton High School, Football)
  • Coach Troy Sanders, Regional Winner (Indian Rocks Beach Little League, Baseball)
  • Coach Steve Stanford, Nominee (Interbay Little League, Baseball)

“This has become a really special event for our chapter” said Mason Brady, PCA – Tampa Bay’s Executive Director. “As we know, coaches can be such a strong influence on a kid’s life and we know these recognized tonight are great examples of coaches who create a culture of strong character, trust, and excellence that makes their players and teams more ready for any challenge ahead.”

Three Regional Winners from Tampa Bay are part of 36 coaches from across the country named in part of PCA’s Coach of the Year Awards Program. From this pool of 36, ten coaches will be selected as National Winners. Each of the ten will receive $500 with support from TeamSnap and be recognized nationally on PCA’s website, in social media, and other media campaigns.  To conclude the program, one Coach of the Year will be named at PCA’s Game Changer Awards & Benefit on Thursday, March 21, 2024 at 5:30pm PST at the Chase Center in San Francisco, CA.

 Click here to learn more about this year’s Game Changer Awards & Benefit.