The PCA Blog - Portland

Third Annual Jeans and Jerseys Youth Sports Awards Presented by Brew Dr. Kombucha

03.06.2019


Thanks to our presenting sponsor


And this year's event sponsors


"Words have power and coaches have power,” said Benjamin Dudley, PCA Portland Executive Director
. “The thing is, there are really no neutral interactions with people. We either bring peace, hope, joy and encouragement to people, or we bring them down. At PCA, we refer to this as the E-TANK or the emotional tank. The number one most important job for a coach is to fill the emotional tank of their athletes."


Benjamin uses this analogy to describe PCA-Portland’s Third Annual Jeans and Jerseys Youth Sports Awards as a “tank filler.” With just over 150 people in attendance, the event raised over $60,000 to support PCA-Portland. Six high school seniors received recognition on stage, each receiving a Triple-Impact Competitor® Scholarship, and one student won the WINGS scholarship, a gap fund scholarship in partnership with Brand Jordan.


For the second year, PCA-Portland teamed up with Brand Jordan to help promote the work that we are doing in the community through the WINGS scholarship program. Each year PCA-Portland is able to select 3 students to apply for the Wings scholarship. This year, one of our students, Domonique (Domo) Jackson (pictured above) from Grant High School, applied and has been selected to receive the scholarship. Towards the end of the program, Ben invited Domonique to the stage to thank her for applying for the scholarship and putting in the extra work. He proceeded to hand her a pair of Jordan shoes making her believe that she was simply receiving a pair of shoes for putting in the extra work of applying. What a surprise for Domo, when upon opening the box, she found a note that told her she was receiving the WINGS scholarship!

“It was such a tremendous opportunity for Domo and I knew that we only had one chance to give her that magical moment and we wanted it to be extra special. Having her mentor, her father, along with her softball coaches there to experience the moment made it extra special," said Benjamin Dudley, PCA-Portland Executive Director.

Domo reflected, noting, "It's the most amazing feeling ever, but it's also sort of nerve-wracking because now my options have opened up and I want to make sure I'm picking the best school possible." Jackson went on to explain that "the scholarship ensures that I'll be going to college and graduating four years later with no debt at all which is absolutely amazing! Wherever I decide to go, I know that I will be pursuing a degree in nursing as that is my dream!”

We were also thrilled to honor ALL six of our 2019 winners, including Domonique Jackson:

  • Robert Barber Benson - Polytechnic High School
  • Jacob Healy - Cleveland High School
  • Ben Ineson - Liberty High School
  • Domonique Jackson - Grant High School
  • Olivia Morris - Clackamas High School
  • Grace Pytynia-Hillier - Cleveland High School


This year, PCA-Portland also honored Joe Etzel with the 2019 Excellence in Leadership Award. Benjamin Dudley describes Etzel as “a true pioneer in Oregon sports”. He adds, “Joe was the first person to advocate and help bring PCA training to Portland.”


Buzz Stroud, UP former Associate Athletic Director shared a few words about Etzel. "He never put himself first. His focus was always on what we can do to help students succeed." Pat Casey, 3 time college World Series champion baseball coach from Oregon State University adds on, "Joe, I salute you! I can't think of a better person to receive this award."

A special thanks to all our sponsors and donors for making this event possible! We are grateful for all their support along with all those who attended to help us celebrate this year’s winners and supporting Positive Coaching Alliance.

"There is no better classroom than the gym or the pitch in my opinion.” Benjamin Dudley sums up,  “But things don’t just happen, it takes intentionality to help these kids experience the endless life lessons that come with playing sports. PCA is committed to helping everyone involved understand their role in creating an environment to develop better athletes and better people.”

Join PCA

Thanks for supporting PCA-Portland at the 3rd Annual Jeans & Jerseys Youth Sports Awards. To see al the event photos, click below!

View Photo Album