"Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts." — Wrestling legend Dan Gable
Looking Back at This Summer's Steel Sports National Camp
Check out the highlights of our 2023 Steel Sports National Camp presented by Nextiva! Over 200 of our best athletes, coaches and staff from around the country traveled to Rowan University in New Jersey to learn, train, bond and be part of a unique experience. Our unique National Program starts with this National Camp in the summer and evolves into National Teams competing in prestigious tournaments in the fall and winter. The memories and friendships forged last a lifetime. Thank you to Rowan University for hosting this year's National Camp, and thanks to sponsors Nextiva, Yokohama, PUMA, Under Armour, Steel Energy, Valle Sporting Goods and Coca-Cola for their support.
Celebrating Tommy Lasorda Day
On September 22, Steel Sports helped the City of Fullerton, California celebrate Tommy Lasorda Day, on what would have been the legendary Hall of Fame manager's 96th birthday. During the day, Steel Sports employees Steve Jones, Alison Haehnel and Alan Berkes helped share Tommy's "You Gotta Believe" message to over 800 middle school students in the Fullerton School District. Tommy lived in Fullerton during his 71 years with the Dodgers, and the city has designated his birthday Tommy Lasorda Day and celebrate it annually with a festival, awards and baseball games put on by the Golden Hills Little League. We’re proud to take part in this wonderful day to extend Tommy’s legacy for many years to come.
Steel Sports Partners with the Italian Baseball Softball Federation
Steel Sports is proud to announce a strategic partnership with the Italian Baseball Softball Federation (FIBS) that will see the Steel Sports Coaching System, named The Lasorda Way, integrated into all levels of the Italian national baseball and softball programs. The Steel Sports Coaching System is a unique platform that guides how to coach for maximum impact on and off the field through building character and leadership skills along with teaching life lessons. Through this partnership, every FIBS coach and player will go through the Steel Sports Coaching System, and by incorporating this system into their programs, the FIBS aims to revolutionize the way baseball and softball are taught and played in Italy.
In addition to integrating the Steel Sports Coaching System into all levels of Italian baseball and softball, Steel Sports will be attending several key events throughout 2024, including the federation's annual convention in January, to further educate players and coaches. The Italian national team recently competed in the European Baseball Championships and wore the Steel Sports logo on their batting helmets.
"It is truly an honor for the Italian Baseball Softball Federation to be the first to present and promote the Steel Sports brand through its National Teams. Not only for all that the program means in transmitting to young people the sporting and human values that were the guide for a great coach and sportsman like Tommy Lasorda, but also for all the love and pride that this legend of our sport has demonstrated for our country throughout his whole life." —FIBS President Andrea Marcon
Introducing the 2023 Yokohama What's Your Why Scholarship Winners
Representing our Steel United and Team Steel regions around the country, 15 recent high school grads and college students were named recipients of the inaugural Yokohama "What's Your WhY" College Scholarships. Each winner receives a $500 scholarship from our sponsor Yokohama Tire. We couldn’t be more proud of how these athletes and coaches represent Steel Sports on and off the field. Applicants identified with key Core Values from both Steel Sports and Yokohama and gave compelling answers to “What’s Your WhY?” Thank you to Yokohama for investing in the future of these student-athletes. We look forward to hearing about their journey and impact.
Dylan Okamoto – Steel United CA
Ali Dorrego – Steel United NJ
Selenya Bautista – Steel United NJ
Tyler Luizzi – Team Steel NY
Dominic Cassino – Team Steel NY
Amaris Ward – Steel United WA
Charlie Metz – Steel United PA
Julian Hinojosa – Steel United TX
Seun Olayinka – Steel United VA
Chris McKinney – Steel United NJ
Austin Warren – Steel United WA
Joseph Fontana – Team Steel CO
Daniel Bevilacqua - Steel United MA
Catherine Scullen – Steel United PA
Bryce McBride – Steel United VA
Morgan Stickney WINS DOUBLE Gold & Breaks World Record
Congratulations to Steel Sports advisory board member Morgan Stickney on winning two gold medals at the 2023 Para Swimming World Championships in England! Morgan won the 400m freestyle S7, breaking the world record, and she then went on to win the 100m freestyle S7. Morgan continues to battle through adversity, and her grit and determination to accomplish her goals is an inspiration to us all. Watch Morgan's world record-breaking swim below!
Virginia Beach Boys Represent United States at International Futsal Event
Three Steel United Virginia Beach players were selected to compete for their respective US Youth Futsal National Teams at the International Cup in Brazil this past August. Congratulations to Mateo Aguilera and the 2013 Boys US Youth Futsal team on winning the championship! In addition to being selected as the team's captain, Mateo was the division's top scorer and awarded the Golden Boy as player of the tournament. Congrats also to Luke Hill for being named the 2012 Boys team captain and Zeeshan Kanji for being selected to the 2012 Boys team. Elite skills and Steel leadership on display in South America!
Kids First Road Show Wraps Up A Summer of Fun
The Steel Sports Kids First Road Show wrapped up in August with a soccer specific camp hosted by OMG, Inc. in Agawam, Massachusetts. OMG has won our prestigious Kids First Cup two years in a row for impacting their community, hosting Road Show Camps, training employees in positive coaching and for earning Steel Sports sponsorships for local youth sports organizations. Over 40 kids attended the soccer camp, and they had so much fun learning new skills and building character. This summer, we impacted over 650 kids across 10 states with our Kids First Road Show camps hosted by Steel Partners businesses. Thank you to our hosts, our coaches for modeling and teaching our core values and to all of the kids and families for a summer of fun!
Lasorda Legacy Park HOSTS All-Girls Maria Pepe Tournament
On August 25-27, New York Girls Baseball hosted its annual Maria Pepe Tournament at Lasorda Legacy Park. Maria Pepe was a pioneer becoming one of the first girls to play Little League Baseball after the organization banned girls in 1951. The tournament welcomed 16 all-girls baseball teams from across the East Coast and Canada to celebrate Maria's undying love for the game of baseball, and to commemorate the sacrifice she made in order to open up the sport of baseball to girls. The teams were treated to special events throughout the weekend including an opening ceremonies and a visit from Mrs. Met. Scroll down to see photos from this amazing event!
Team Steel NY brings Home League Championships
Congratulations to Team Steel NY 8U, 9U and 11U Pink on completing dominant local Summer League seasons and bringing home the championship trophies! Both Team Steel 8U and 9U won the Town of Brookhaven Summer League and 11U Pink won the East Coast Tournaments Summer League. What a perfect way to cap off a strong summer season!
Former Steel Player Takes the Pitch for His Country
Former Steel United/Football Club USA player Sam Eliades represented the U.S. Virgin Islands in their 2023 CONCACAF Nations League game against the Cayman Islands on September 7! In true Steel fashion, Sam is a very accomplished person both on and off the field. He holds a Doctorate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and besides being an international soccer player, his day job is Director of Research and Conservation for the coral reef surrounding the Virgin Islands. The Virgin Islands tied the Cayman Islands, 2-2, to open up play. The team's next group stage game is October 14 against Aruba.
Staff Spotlights
Congratulations to August's Staff Star Jaylin Finney from Steel United Texas and Social Impact MVP Joe Fontana from Team Steel Colorado! Over the last month, Jaylin has gone out of her way to continuously develop herself both on and off the field. She was a head coach at the National Camp, and she has also become a coach developer for the Texas region, spending additional time on the field to support other coaches' development. Finally, she co-delivered staff training to over 20 coaches excelling in both her on-field and question-and-answer delivery.
Joe has continued to drive social impact in the northern Colorado region with his efforts to lead teens through the Global Leaders initiative. Numerous families have been impacted through the weekly food drives with many Team Steel players and families taking part. He has started to recruit new leaders in the community this past month by holding presentations at the local high schools. This has inspired over 1,300 students and those students have positively impacted thousands more.