"Finding joy can be challenging at times. When you embrace 'the suck' and persevere, that’s where you will find joy." --Valorie Kondos Field
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!
Watch the "Finding Joy" Panel With Legends Julie Foudy and Valorie Kondos Field
Steel Athletes Participate in MyHuddle Mental Strength Program
Steel United and Team Steel athletes participated in MyHuddle's Mental Strength Program capped off during Mentally Strong Week. In just a few weeks, the athletes worked together to define what mental strength is, learned how to be mentally strong for themselves, and how to be mentally strong for teammates. MyHuddle is an online 'mental gym' designed for student-athletes. Inspired by the belief that mental health should be treated like physical health, MyHuddle makes mental training and support accessible to high school and college athletes at their fingertips.
Healthy Habits Week Features Yoga Class with Julie Santilli
WATCH THE GAMEBREAKER DEMO & LEARN HOW THEY ARE DEDICATED TO PROTECTING ATHLETES
TEAM STEEL HOSTS INAUGURAL FESTIVAL
On April 23-25, Team Steel hosted its inaugural Festival weekend, a unique event for players, families and coaches. The Team Steel Festival blends competition through normal games (minus the pressure of a typical tournament weekend) with fun and engaging activities on and off the field. The Festival kicked off Friday evening with Sandlot Games for 8U-13U players where kids picked teams and coaches and umpires weren't allowed, just like backyard ball! Besides normal games, the Festival featured skills contests, Home Run Derby, panels, clinics, combines in front of pro and college scouts, an interactive stage show with DJ and more. Team Steel also welcomed the Teach Connecticut and New York Empire organizations to play games and enjoy the festival. Team Steel's next Festival weekend is planned for July 23-25.
YOKOHAMA SKILLS CHALLENGE
Parents and players enjoyed a unique Yokohama Skills Challenge during the Team Steel Festival with one family leaving with the grand prize of a set of four tires. Each parent and player received 10 throws each to throw baseballs through a Yokohama tire at home plate. Max Miller and Steven Gengo were the grand prize winners, throwing 12 out of 20 baseballs through the tire.
FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK!
Steel Sports is now on TikTok, and we'd love for you to follow us! Our TikTok is a dedicated creative space for our athletes and coaches to share fun moments, keep up with the trends, post insane game highlights, TikTok dances and much more. When someone tags Steel Sports or sends their video through direct message they will have a chance to be re-posted to our national account! One of our Team Steel players has already received over 75,000 views on a video of his home run! Just search @steelsports or Steel Sports to follow us!
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS BRING ADDED VALUE
ATHLETE COLLEGE ADVISORS HELP FAMILIES NAVIGATE RECRUITING
Student-athletes deserve a clear pathway to college. With 30 years of experience helping families navigate the recruiting process, Steel Sports has partnered with Athlete College Advisors to provide our players and families the most comprehensive resources to assist them in playing at the next level.
VEO CAMERAS COMING SOON TO SOCCER FIELdS ACROSS U.S.
Veo is the ultimate camera for team sports, and a new partnership with Steel Sports will see 22 cameras hitting the soccer fields across all regions in 2021. The camera has two 4K lenses and captures 180 degrees, so it records every single moment of the game in great video quality, allowing clubs to analyze games and practices automatically.
Steel Sports Podcast with Dr. James Paci
As kids return to play, it's important to keep them on the field or court as opposed to the sidelines with injuries or even worse, the doctor's office. Dr. James Paci, MD is the Director of Orthopedic Surgery for Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, and he has seen a spike of injuries as kids come back from long layoffs due to the pandemic. As part of Steel Sports' Strong as Steel Safety Month, Dr. Paci joins a special edition of the podcast as he shares his tips on coming back to play safely, best practices for avoiding injuries, why overuse and fatigue is a recipe for disaster, his thoughts on MLB and USA Baseball's Pitch Smart guidelines and much more.
Team Steel Colorado Wins First Team Championship
Playing in its inaugural season, Team Steel Colorado 13U captured its first championship at the 2021 CABA Colorado Spring Blast on April 24-25. Team Steel CO went 5-0 on the weekend and capped the tournament off with a 7-5 win over the Pueblo Diablos.
Tracy Hamm "Talks Shop" with Women of Steel
Tracy Hamm, UC Davis Women's Soccer Head Coach, Women in Soccer Board Member & UEFA A License Holder, joined the Women of Steel's April meeting. Our female coaches and staff were able to get to know Tracy through conversations and a Q&A session! She talked about her feature film, Coach, being mentored by our very own Ian Hughes, and much more.
Staff Spotlights
April's Staff Star of the Month is Adam Corlett, Massachusetts Teams Director! Adam’s support of our products and working as a team through his leadership, dedication and commitment throughout the year has been extremely beneficial to growing Steel Sports and Steel United in the region. Congrats, Adam!
April's Social Impact MVP is Team Steel Colorado's Joe Fontana! Joe has gone above and beyond within his Colorado community. He has contributed to our weekly Food Bank Donations, assisting the non-profit he founded (Global Leaders — www.globalleadersinc.org) by passing out food to Fort Collins families who need a "hand up." In addition, Joe has supported “A Little Help” by doing spring cleanups in the yards of elderly folks in the Poudre community.