OAKLAND, Calif. & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Coaching Corps (@CoachingCorps) and CSN Bay Area (@CSNAuthentic), the home of “Authentic Bay Area Sports,” today announced the 2nd Annual Coaching Corps Game Changer Awards presented by Levi’s® airing Sunday Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. This event supports Coaching Corps’ mission to provide youth from under-resourced communities access to trained coaches and the benefits of sports activities and team-based learning. The Coaching Corps Game Changer Awards will feature top Bay Area professional athletes celebrating the profound influence of coaches on their lives and in the community.
The presenters – prominent Bay Area athletes whose lives have been shaped by the mentorship and transformative influence of caring coaches and other important persons – include:
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors point guard, 2014-15 NBA Champion and reigning NBA MVP, honoring his college coach Bob McKillop, Men’s Basketball Head Coach, Davidson College;
- Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders quarterback, honoring his brother David Carr, 12-year NFL veteran and former quarterback;
- Hunter Pence, San Francisco Giants right fielder and 2012 & 2014 World Series Champion, honoring his lifelong baseball mentor and former minor league pitcher Chris Gay;
- Torrey Smith, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver and Super Bowl XLVII Champion, honoring his Stafford Senior High School coaches John and Roger Pierce; and
- Stephen Vogt, Oakland A’s catcher and 2015 MLB All-Star, honoring his father Randy Vogt, former Fresno State University pitcher.
Stanford Women’s Basketball Coach Tara VanDerveer will be honored with the 2016 Coaching Corps Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented by former Stanford point guard and current University of San Francisco Women’s Basketball Head Coach Jennifer Azzi.
For the pinnacle moment of the evening, the Coaching Corps Game Changer Awards will honor 23-year-old University of Central Florida graduate Kutar Iman Sield with the Volunteer Coach of the Year Award. Coach Kutar was selected for her exemplary work coaching an all-boys middle school basketball team. When told that she will be receiving this prestigious award, Coach Kutar said: “Playing sports at a young age taught me my work ethic and the importance of perseverance. Basketball gave me confidence. I’m so thankful to be able to pass that on.”
Additionally, viewers will be treated to a special shootout competition among three San Jose Sharks: six-time NHL All-Star and Olympic Gold Medalist Joe Thornton, two-time NHL All-Star and Olympic Silver Medalist Joe Pavelski and 2012 NHL All-Star Logan Couture.
The 2nd Annual Coaching Corps Game Changer Awards, a 90-minute program, is hosted by CSN Bay Area’s Dave Feldman (@FeldyCSN) and Ahmed Fareed (@AhmedFareedCSN), along with Ros Gold-Onwude (@Rosgo21). The awards ceremony will be taped on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. After the broadcast debut (Sunday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. on CSN Bay Area), the program will re-air later that evening at 11 p.m. on CSN California. Visit CSNBayArea.com for additional air dates and times.
“As the premier provider of sports programming throughout the region, we understand the impact that sports and coaching can make with youth and the local community,” said Ted Griggs, President and General Manager of CSN Bay Area and CSN California. “We’re excited to be a part of the Coaching Corps Awards program that celebrates the influence of coaches and other sports mentors on the lives of young people, and we hope this wonderful evening will inspire others to get involved with Coaching Corps. We’re especially grateful for the participation of the Bay Area sports teams in this extraordinary event.”
“Opportunities to play organized sports with a trained coach are just not there for many kids living in lower income neighborhoods,” said Janet Carter, Coaching Corps’ Executive Director. “Our partnership with CSN allows us to raise funds, reach more kids and activate communities to increase access to coaches and sports. To ensure that all kids get a chance to play with a trained coach requires a village of committed partners, so cultivating broader community and corporate involvement is important,” she said. Since its founding, Coaching Corps volunteers have reached 75,000 kids through sports. Its members use coaching to teach kids life lessons that build character traits critical to success on the field, in the classroom and in the community. “There is no life lesson that sports can’t teach,” Carter said.
“We’re incredibly grateful that so many local partners are lending their support,” said Wally Haas, Coaching Corps founder and Board President. “Between Levi’s as the presenting sponsor, CSN and our local teams, we’re excited by the opportunity to broaden our impact and ensure that all kids have the opportunity to benefit from playing sports.”
| Twitter & Instagram: | @coachingcorps, @CSNAuthentic | ||||
| Hashtags: | #coachingcorps, #coacheschangethegame | ||||
Coaching Corps would like to thank the following sponsors for making this event possible: Presenting Sponsor – Levi’s; Media Sponsor – CSN Bay Area; Partner (Individuals) – Mitchell and Susan Cohen, Wally & Julie Haas, and Jennifer Maxwell; Mentor (Individuals) – Harris & Megan Barton, Cecily Cameron & Derek Schrier, Bret & Jackie Comolli, Brad & Cathy Geier, John & Terry Levin, The Lind Family, The Nooney Family, Dan & Allison Rose, Angela Nomellini & Ken Olivier, (Organizations) Annie E. Casey Foundation, Bank of the West, Capital Group, Comcast, Dodge and Cox, Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, Morrison and Foerster, Northern Trust, San Jose Earthquakes; Motivator (Individuals) – Chase Beeler & James McGillicuddy, Barbara & David Kimport, Our Chosen Family, (Organizations) Addis, Cal Athletics, Farella Braun + Martel LLP, Hood and Strong, Kaiser Permanente, Sonoma Raceway, Wilson Elser, Zignal, zTailors Generation Tux; and Recruiter (Organization) – US Trust.
About Coaching Corps:
Every day, Coaching Corps coaches change the game for kids living in low-income neighborhoods. Partnering with afterschool programs, schools and community organizations, we ensure that all kids have the chance to play sports with a trained coach and benefit from all the life lessons sports can teach. Persistence. Empathy. Self-regulation. Optimism. Since its founding, Coaching Corps has connected 75,000 youth in underserved communities to caring and capable coaches recruited from the community and nearby colleges and universities. To learn more, visit us at: www.coachingcorps.org.
About CSN:
CSN Bay Area and CSN California, both part of NBC Sports Regional Networks, serve more than four million households in Northern California, Nevada, Southern Oregon and Hawaii. CSN Bay Area, the television home of MLB’s San Francisco Giants, NBA’s Golden State Warriors, and the official regional sports network of the San Francisco 49ers, also features a robust lineup of Emmy Award-winning news, analysis and original programming. CSN California offers live coverage of MLB’s Oakland Athletics, NBA’s Sacramento Kings, NHL’s San Jose Sharks, MLS’s San Jose Earthquakes and is the official regional sports network of the Oakland Raiders. Collectively, these networks deliver more than 600 live sporting events per year, over 1,500 live studio shows, including SportsNet Central, SportsTalk Live, Pregame Live, Postgame Live, Press Conference Live, as well as compelling digital content, up-to-the-minute scores, highlights and breaking news via www.CSNBayArea.com and www.CSNCalifornia.com. Follow both networks on Twitter via @CSNAuthentic.