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STEEL SPORTS SPOTLIGHTS APRIL 2022

"Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you’re wasting your life." — Jackie Robinson

SAFETY MONTH HIGHLIGHTS

Strong as Steel Safety Month took over social media in April with four weeks full of outstanding content to celebrate National Youth Sports Safety Month. Steel Sports shared informative graphics and stats, interactive panels, tips and tools to promote safety in athletics, in the workplace and overall health. Check out some of the month's highlights that follow, and thanks to Steel Partners for their help and support through this initiative!

Steel Sports and Steel Partners Team Up on Top 10 Safety First Tips

Steel Partners Employees Feature During Mentally Strong Week

WATCH >> Gina Williamson from OMG, Inc. shares how she leads by example and demonstrates resilience by turning a negative situation into a positive.

WATCH >> Nikkia Summers from JPS alleviates stress by maintaining a positive attitude and focuses on doing the best job she can.

Xplore Multisport Kicks Off Healthy Habits Week

Steel Sports' new Xplore Multisport program puts Kids First by providing them the opportunity to sample different sports to improve athleticism, increase their well-being, and mitigate risk of burnout.

Lasorda Legacy Park Opens Season With Festival

Lasorda Legacy Park kicked off its 2022 season with a Steel Sports Festival on April 1-3. The Festival included umpired games, skills competitions, Xplore Multisport programs, clinics for coaches and parents, Yokohama Tire Skills Challenge and more. It was a fun start to the season and a unique way to engage youth baseball organizations and show them what Steel Sports is all about.

Steel United Tryouts

Tryouts were in full swing for many Steel United regions during April which featured record interest. The marketing campaign's tagline was "Why Steel United" centered around what makes the club and Steel Sports unique from other competitors. "Why Steel United" highlighted the Steel Sports Coaching System, National Program and various athlete programs.

STEEL SPORTS PODCAST

USA Baseball leads the way when it comes to the development and education for coaches, parents and umpires as they help grow the game at the youth level. Andrew Bartman, Director of Coaching Development at USA Baseball, is at the forefront of many of the organization's initiatives as he joins the Steel Sports Podcast. Andrew dives into the USA Baseball Community Clinics held around the country and the Coach Certification Courses, all free to the public. He talks about the state of the game, challenges faced during the pandemic and the importance of getting PitchSmart integrated into more youth organizations to help reduce arm injuries.

SOCIAL IMPACT REPORT

The Steel Sports 2021 Impact Report highlights numerous successes aimed at its Kids First mission, ranging from financial aid commitments to community engagement off the field. In 2021, kids and coaches in the Steel Sports program spent a total of 14,000 hours serving their communities together, raised $28,000 for significant causes, and delivered 4,200 meals, equipment, school supplies, letters, and toys to enrich the lives of others. In total, the Steel Sports community served over 13,000 non-Steel community members last year.

Jackie Robinson'S LEGACY

Steel Sports Advisory Board member and Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker discusses Jackie Robinson’s legacy and impact as part of ESPN's Jackie to Me Series. On April 15, Major League Baseball celebrated the 75th anniversary of Jackie breaking the color barrier. All players and coaches wore Jackie's No. 42 in blue, a number that is retired across MLB in honor of the Dodger legend.

STEEL CHAMPIONS

Steel United California's 2005 Boys Elite team, featured in last month's Spotlights, were crowned NPL Champions. They move on to the NPL West Playoffs in Colorado this June and have now qualified for the California Champions League.

Staff Spotlights

Congratulations to April's Staff Star Anthony Zitaglio and Impact MVP Stuart Sharples! Anthony has transitioned into a new role and embraced the challenge of overseeing the Formsite platform with many requests for both Steel Sports and Steel Partners Business Units collaborations. Additionally, he maintains a strong work ethic to remain on top of his other duties. Anthony has been exemplary stepping up into his new role.

Together with his team, Stu stood United for Ukraine. He and his team brought bands for the teams to raise awareness and inspire support for the people of Ukraine. He really stepped up to support his players on this endeavor. Also, Stu and the entire New Jersey staff worked extremely hard during the month of April with two weeks of tryouts and all of the coaches going above and beyond to make the two weeks of tryouts a success.