“Whether it’s respecting the officials, opponents, or equipment, sportsmanship has its place. In order for a sports event to remain a joyous occasion, the game must be honored at all times.” - Joseph Jimpie, Northeast High School

“As an athlete, one must appreciate that he/she is very privileged to be able to compete in a sport that is bigger than themselves. Real athletes respect themselves, teammates, and most importantly, the game.”  - Olivia Welsh, Dunedin High School

“I often notice discouragement manifests itself as self-doubt and self-loathing in a lot of my teammates, when in actuality they are perfectly good volleyball players who I know can play. As a result, I find myself reminding the girls around me that they made the team for a reason.” - Bianca Dyer, Robinson High School

These are just a few examples of the remarkable student-athletes Positive Coaching Alliance-Tampa Bay has had the privilege of interviewing for a Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship Award. During the entire application process, PCA-Tampa Bay has sought to highlight these student-athletes and their achievements.

Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarships are awarded by Positive Coaching Alliance to high school student-athletes who stand out in the areas of personal mastery, leadership, and honoring the game. PCA-Tampa Bay awards scholarships of up to $2,000 to high school student-athletes, based on their applications explaining how they meet the standard defined in the book Elevating Your Game: Becoming a Triple-Impact Competitor by PCA Founder and CEO Jim Thompson.

Student-athletes are introduced to the scholarship opportunity through the PCA-Tampa Bay workshops hosted by our partners. Each finalist must complete an interview with the PCA-Tampa Bay scholarship committee, where students are asked the question: “How are you a Triple-Impact Competitor?”

“During the interview process, these student-athletes get the unique opportunity to discuss their background and successes in front of an interview panel of successful professionals,” said committee member Chuck Melendi. “This provides a rare chance for these young adults to handle this type of discussion that most people do not experience until they are in the professional world.”

All of the finalists are featured on the PCA-Tampa Bay home page where their photos and player profiles are accessible. The student-athletes are also encouraged to build participation from the community by sending them to an online vote.

Following their interviews, the student-athletes sat down for a 1-on-1 interview with Tampa Bay sports TV and radio host J.P. Peterson.

“Every one of these candidates were extremely composed and had an air of both confidence and humility, which is rare for individuals of any age,” said Peterson. “In this day of participation trophies for millennials, I think it's still important to reward the outstanding achievements of these youth student-athletes. How else will they measure themselves against others and have a standard to shoot for? I also think the process of applying for the Triple-Impact Competitor scholarship will help them attain other goals, build their resumes and gain tremendous confidence (not to mention $2,000) moving forward.”

More than 4,600 student-athletes from across the country applied for the scholarships, and 185 national finalists were selected, including 25 from the Tampa Bay area. This year’s class of student-athletes came from across the Tampa Bay community, having participated in a variety of different sports, and excelling in various subjects of education.

Melendi said of the student-athletes, “The finalists were all very self-motivated, over achieving and possessed incredible work ethics. Most were unusually mature in their thought process and communication skills. It was a real joy to meet so many positive young student athletes who will one day be leaders in our Tampa Bay community.”

This year, PCA-Tampa Bay is providing the community the opportunity to make a donation to the Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship Fund. All money donated will go directly to student-athletes from our community who have demonstrated excellence in athletics, academics and life. Join us in rewarding their excellence and advancing their dreams by making a donation to the PCA-Tampa Bay Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship Fund.

With so many remarkable athletes from the Tampa Bay community, it is truly amazing to see how these athletes have excelled on the field and in the classroom. These are the students we work hard to elevate as examples of how to be a true Triple-Impact Competitor.