Community

Coach of the Year Honored At Up2Us Gala

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By LeagueApps
June 14, 2019
2 min

In the past year, dozens of sports organizers have joined our podcasts, webinars, and live events to discuss how they’ve built their clubs and the challenges that stood in their way. Across every sport that we cover, a common refrain was that finding quality coaches remains a pain point for even the most successful organizations. The phrase “lifeblood of our program” was thrown around on more than occasion.

When travel and club teams identify a special coach, they do everything in their power to retain them. The best coaches at the youth level impact their players and community beyond the box score. And organizations like Up2Us Sports have set out to celebrate those coaches. At Up2Us’ annual gala three weeks ago, the national not-for-profit raised more than $400,000 while honoring coaches, innovators and community activists. The funds will go towards “training coaches in sports-based youth development and placing them in under-resourced communities.”

One of the honorees, Tiffany Corselli, sat down with us last week to discuss the experience and how she came to be honored by Up2Us. The former Niagara University guard took home the coveted “Coach of the Year” award. As a coach at Kids in the Game, a LeagueApps partner, she impacts youth athletes on and off the court, most notably through the creation of her TC3 Scholarship Foundation. Additionally, Corselli coached kids overseas as a Victory Scholar for Sport Changes Life. The groundbreaking program designed, in partnership with Ulster University, brings hope to young people in local communities across Northern Ireland and Ireland.

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As for the star-studded gala, Corselli was both humbled and motivated to continue her work. “The event was just tremendous and to be surrounding by all these successful people really just lit a fire under me to do even more.” Her interaction with WNBA champion and Olympic gold medalist Swin Cash also struck a cord. “Being in the same room with someone like Swin was amazing and it made me feel that despite all the adversity I’ve encountered in my life, I really made it. And that makes me want to do even more for my community so that the next generation can do the same and enjoy the same kind of success,” said Corselli.

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Corselli, still in her twenties, has already achieved a tremendous amount of success, but she was quick to turn the conversation to those that shaped her as a young person. “My mother was the one who put the ball in my hands and I was so fortunate to have a trainer in my life that wanted to sacrifice for me,” said Corselli. “He honestly changed my life. He would wake up at 3am because he lived in Greenburgh and I was down in Yonkers just so I could train before school and that was my first experience with a genuine coach” Corselli continued.

The TC3 Scholarship Foundation supports graduating high school seniors who are pursuing their collegiate dreams. If you’d like to learn more about the foundation or would like to contribute you can connect with her via email or over at Twitter.