Steel Sports National XCellence AWARDS
Steel Sports hosted its annual National Xcellence Awards Show on January 30 as athletes, teams, coaches and staff were recognized for their achievements during 2022. The Awards Show was virtual and featured numerous celebrity presenters that included sports legends and champions.
The 2022 awards program expanded with new athlete-centric categories: Athlete of the Year, Team of the Year and Play of the Year. Chicago Fire FC and Apple TV MLS Season Pass broadcaster Tyler Terens emceed the show this year.
The night concluded with a conversation centered around Tommy Lasorda and the lasting legacy he left behind with Steel Sports. Advisory Board members shared their memories of Tommy and provided inspiration for the guests in attendance.
TomMY Lasorda National Coaches of the YEar
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Presented by Benita Fitzgerald-Mosley & Warren Lichtenstein
Congratulations to Jaylin Finney with Steel United Texas and Charles Warren from Steel United Washington on being named the 2022 Steel Sports Tommy Lasorda National Coaches of the Year powered by LeagueApps.
Jaylin coaches the Steel United TX 2008 Boys, but this award recognizes more than her outstanding leadership on the sidelines. In addition to coaching, Jaylin has helped manage successful camps and clinics in her community, recently completed the FAW C Certificate and is constantly modeling our Core Values to the club's players and families.
"Our coach (Jaylin) knows that being honest and a good person is more important than winning. She is always positive and makes sure that we always learn in a positive and comfortable environment."
Besides coaching the Steel United WA 2005 Boys Elite, Charles Warren always finds time to be a steward in his community and provide for others. His impact is felt within his team, the entire Washington club and the Tacoma area. Every day, Charles lives out our core values and Kids First mindset and is a tremendous example for all Steel Sports athletes to follow.
"Charles embodies the core values on and off the field. He believes that they are important and makes sure the team displays the core values. During the National Ritual he will bring up examples of the core value for that week. He also has a player give an example of the core value. I think teaching the core values to the players is giving them great life lessons."
REGIONAL COACHES OF THE YEAR
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Presented by Tyler Terens & Jim Thompson
The Steel Sports Regional Coaches of the Year, sponsored by SCORE Sports, recognizes the coaches who embody the ideals of the Steel Sports Mission, Vision and Core Values, and inspire youth to reach their potential, on and off the field. These coaches establish the Steel standard in youth sports and coaching by forging the next generation of leaders.
Over 300 nominations were submitted for 80 different coaches in Steel Sports regions around the country. Each winner is considered a finalist for the Tommy Lasorda National Coach of the Year honor. Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2022 Regional Coach of the Year Award.
Gabe Rodriguez — Team Steel California
Sam Nellis — Steel United California-Conejo Valley
Kevin Gallaugher — Steel United California-South Bay
Jennifer Glick — Team Steel Colorado
David Vieira — Team Steel Colorado
Leo Ortiz — Steel United Massachusetts
Aaron Fleishman — Team Steel Massachusetts
Stuart Sharples — Steel United New Jersey
Peter Dunbar — Team Steel New York
Gabriel Crawford-Torres — Steel United Northern Virginia
Jesse Hart — Steel United Pennsylvania
Jaylin Finney — Steel United Texas
Jose Majano-Sorto — Steel United Virginia Beach
Charles Warren — Steel United Washington
IMPACT MVP OF THE YEAR
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Presented by Julie Foudy
The Steel Sports Impact MVP of the Year Award sponsored by Yokohama recognizes a staff member who consistently drives positive impact through our communities and inspires others to do the same.
Congratulations to the finalists and winner of our 2022 Impact MVP of the Year Award powered by Yokohama — Steel United New Jersey's Stuart Sharples. For the second consecutive year, Stu raised money and awareness for Wounded Warrior Project by running with a weighted pack daily for the month of July. He then ran the Philadelphia Marathon in November with fellow coach Jack Koleszar to raise money for Wiggle Your Toes, a non-profit charity that helps amputees stay active.
WOMEN OF STEEL AWARD
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Presented by Nancy Lieberman
The Women of Steel mantra is to Inspire, Advocate, and Empower. The Women of Steel Award powered by PUMA recognizes Women of Steel members who serve as role models at Steel Sports: women who inspire our athletes, who advocate for gender equity, and who empower our next generation of leaders.
Congratulations to the finalists and winner of the 2022 Women of Steel Award powered by PUMA — Nancy Walsh, National Operations Manager. Nancy is heavily involved in each product within Steel Sports (teams, experiences and programming) across the country, and she's a key cog in managing our annual National Camp which brings the best Steel athletes together for training, competition and learning.
CORE VALUES CHAMPIONS
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Presented by Morgan Stickney & Frank Catalanotto
Core Values Champions recognizes athletes who embody the Steel Sports Core Values on and off the field — Teamwork, Respect, Integrity and Commitment. One athlete was chosen in each region as a Core Values Champion, kids who are role models for their peers and developing into our next generation of leaders.
Congratulations to the 10 athletes chosen as the 2022 Core Values Champions powered by Empire Softball and CPS Security.
Play of the Year
Powered by HiCast Sports Network & Trophy Hut
Presented by Jerry Royster
The inaugural Play of the Year Award powered by HiCast Sports Network and Trophy Hut recognizes outstanding plays on the field. Finalists were presented on social media where followers voted for their favorite play and ultimately decided the Plays of the Year for soccer, softball and baseball. Whether it was an amazing goal, a big time home run, defensive web gem or unbelievable save, Steel athletes had some incredible highlights in 2022. Congratulations to our three winners!
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
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Presented by Eric Karros
The Rookie of the Year Award powered by Under Armour recognizes coaches or staff who exceeded expectations and demonstrated significant growth during their early years with Steel Sports.
Congratulations to the finalists and winner of the 2022 Rookie of the Year Award powered by Under Armour — Skip Amadio, Team Steel NY Regional Teams Director. In just a short time, Skip has made an impact in two different roles within the New York region. He started at Steel Sports as the Assistant Regional Product Director of Experience at Lasorda Legacy Park where he helped managed events at the facility. Now, Skip is leading Team Steel NY's baseball teams and rebuilding its softball footprint.
Staff Star of the Year
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Presented by Tziarra King
The Staff Star of the Year Award powered by Sports Endeavors recognizes a member of our team who actively reflects our Core Values, supports the growth of our organization, and embodies our Kids First mindset.
Congratulations to the finalists and winner of the Staff Star of the Year Award powered by Sports Endeavors — Anthony Zitaglio, Steel Sports Operations & Coaching System Administrator & Team Steel NY baseball coach. Anthony does an amazing job wearing multiple hats for Steel Sports. He manages our LeagueApps platform for registration and communication between teams and programs and helps ensure our Steel Sports Coaching System is administered to hundreds of coaches. On top of his day job, Anthony coaches a new Team Steel NY 12U team that won last year's Fall League at Lasorda Legacy Park. Anthony's hard work on and off the field is a role model for all our athletes.
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Powered by Book Your Block & Headfirst Honor Roll Camps
Presented by Tyler Terens
The Athlete of the Year Award powered by Book Your Block & Headfirst Honor Roll Camps is new to the program for 2022, and it recognizes a male and female athlete for outstanding achievements on the field representing Steel and others. Congratulations to both Steel United NJ's Ali Dorrego and Steel United PA's Noah Duffy on being named the first two Steel Sports Athletes of the Year.
Ali is a 2004 player for Steel United New Jersey and was a key member of our United Women's Soccer League 2 team as a high school junior. Ali has set a great example for other players with her performance on the field with Steel United, as First Team All Conference in high school, and her service on our Athlete Leadership Council.
As a team captain, Noah exemplified our Core Values while leading his team in goals and assists this past spring. In February, he played up a year on the Steel United National 2007 Boys Team, and this summer, he was selected for the 2008 National Team's trip to Las Vegas for the Mayor's Cup. Noah also serves on our Athlete Leadership Council, and we are thrilled to see his continued impact in years to come.
Team of the year
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Presented by Dusty Baker
The Team of the Year Award powered by Realplay Sports and Cager Sports is another new award created to recognize teams for both their on-field success and impact off the field. Out of the nearly 100 nominations, four finalists were selected along with a runner-up and winner.
Congratulations to Steel United California-South Bay 2005 Boys Elite as the winner of the inaugural Team of the Year Award. The '05 Boys were the highest ranked Steel United team in the country in 2022, finishing as the National NPL runner-up after their victory in the California State Cup. They had an amazing six tournament championships including the Surf Cup and the Las Vegas Players Showcase, and an incredible 93% win or draw percentage over their last 70 games!
Steel Partners Coach of the YEar
Presented by Bobby Valentine
The Steel Partners Coach of the Year award recognizes a Steel Partners employee who is actively coaching in their community. Those employees who are coaching have taken the Foundations of Positive Coaching 1 course found within the Steel Sports Coaching System. They could also apply for a sponsorship from Steel Sports to support their team or league. Over 60 coaches received sponsorships in 2022 impacting over 3,000 youth athletes in 20 different sports!
Congratulations to the inaugural winner of the Steel Partners Coach of the Year Award — Erin Patton, Director of Engineering at Dunmore in Pennsylvania. Erin coached his son's U10 recreational soccer team for the second year and will move up to U12 next year. Three other finalists for the award were Lisa Presutti, President of HandyTube, who coached her daughter and son in softball and baseball for the first time. Julie Musto, Purchasing Agent at Dunmore, has been coaching cheer for five years now, and Brad Garrett, Director of Marketing for Kasco, a former college and minor league baseball player, who now coaches his son's Little League team.
With my second season coaching boy’s U10 rec soccer now in the books, I can look back with a sense of accomplishment and see the development that took place in the individual players as well as myself as a coach. Coaching has been as rewarding for me personally as it has been beneficial for the boys and our community as a whole. Seeing kids develop skills, relationships and most importantly, self-confidence has been the most rewarding aspect of coaching by far. The fact that we had a winning team this season was just an added benefit. Go Orange Tigers!
Steel Partners Kids First Cup
Presented by Warren Lichtenstein
The Steel Partners Kids First Cup recognizes a Steel Partners business unit that has positively impacted kids in their community with Steel Sports programming, completed the Steel Sports Coaching System's Foundations of Positive Coaching Course, and participated in the Core Values Contest.
Congratulations to OMG, Inc. — back-to-back winners of the Steel Partners Kids First Cup. In 2022, OMG hosted its second Kids First Road Show soccer camp for 40 kids of OMG employees and their local community to enjoy. The camp’s curriculum focused on our Core Values of Teamwork, Respect, Integrity, and Commitment, with many campers who exhibited the core values receiving certificates to honor their dedication. The week also included a competitive and spirited staff soccer game. OMG took the lead against all Steel Partners business units, with 757 kids affected by Steel initiatives including $10,000 in youth team sponsorships and eight active coaches in the field, positively influencing the kids’ experience.