Being Uncommon: A Conversation with Stacy Tamborra – Extra Innings Softball
In the club softball community, there is one name that everyone will recognize and that is Tamborra.
Seeing Athletics Gold Tamborra or A’s Tamborra in your bracket of a tournament you know you are going to face tough competition.
We share the story of Stacy Tamborra and learn about her journey as a player, coach, wife and mother.
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EIS: How did you get into coaching?
Tamborra: While I was finishing up my final class at Florida State, I had some time on my hands and the Lord used that time to grab my attention. I always said I would never teach, and I would never coach. I was the youngest child and never knew what to do with little kids because I was not around them growing up. Steve was traveling with his baseball team, and I was bored, for the first time in my life, so I started teaching some lessons at the local recreation parks. Before I knew it, I was working with over 100 kids. The Lord showed me something during that time that changed my life. Coaching wasn’t about just teaching a kid how to grip and spin a rise ball, it’s so much bigger. He showed me that these athletes trust you with their game and they will trust you with their lives. This is where it all changed for me. Pouring into the lives of young athletes, mentoring, disciplining, training, and that’s what our lives have centered around for nearly 25 years. Thinking of one of my favorite quotes from Lonni Alameda is to be transformational rather than transactional.
EIS: What makes your team successful on the field?
Tamborra: We practice together, train together regularly, push each other every weekend to build one another up. Every team, every family understands its success is directly related to and impacted by others within the organization and is a shared success. There is no pitting one against the other. There’s enough in this world that tears people down, and we want to create a space where everyone brings their best to the table, and everyone benefits from it.
EIS: What would you like most to convey to our readers about you and your program?
Tamborra: The most important message that I want to get out is it’s not that I wanted to start this organization because I am a female, I started this organization to bring together elite, like-minded coaches, players, and families to build something special where we all are truly building for one purpose. We practice together, train together, share resources and truly build one another up. This is very different from the common world around us. Every team understands the success of others is success for all. There is no one pitting one against the other. There’s enough of that in this world, that tears people down, and we want to create something where everybody brings their best to the table, and everyone benefits from it. We practice together, train together, push each other every weekend to build one another up.
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That isn’t to say that Tamborra is soft. While it’s important she and her staff strive to build relationships and impact the lives of her players and families, she makes no apologies for being a strong successful woman. Tamborra knows the importance of surrounding herself with people she trusts and people who balance out weaknesses. For example, Tamborra says that many of the people I’ve chosen to have around me are detailed oriented to balance out that I’m a visionary and big picture thinker.
Tamborra understands she’s only as good as the people she surrounds herself with.
“It’s not easy in life as a leader and business owner to know who you can trust and there are going to be times when friendships or business relationships are put to the test. In those times you must choose confidence, truth, and positive self-talk.”
Tamborra has been through a lot of adversity in her personal life that has prepared her for being strong and confident in her professional life. She’s never accepted being a victim, rather she looks at those tough times as a time to evaluate your life reset, regroup and move on learning from the situation rather than dwelling on it.
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EIS: What is one thing you would do different today versus 10 years ago when you first started? And what advice would you give someone just starting out?
Tamborra: Younger coaches, don’t be waivered by what parents say. Have a close-knit group of advisors. You cannot be led around by a lot of people. You must separate your heart strings, being pulled in different directions as a women that can be hard. Learn to set your feelings aside to stay true to your goal for your team and your organization.
EIS: What other tips can you give to a young woman who wants to start an organization or a team?
Tamborra: Learn to be comfortable with being the only woman in the room. Stick with it. That is what sets us apart and makes us who we are. I run an elite organization not because I am a female, but because I have surrounded myself with great people and strong leaders who believe in the vision and purpose, that we have all set out to achieve. I am truly about building strength to strength with high achieving, strong character, innovative women and men who are committed to building and pouring into the lives, and futures of these young ladies. Part of our strength lies in our interest and steadfast desire to coach and provide opportunities for our girls to reach their dreams.
EIS: You often mention that your husband is one of your biggest supporters and best friends. Tell us about him.
Tamborra: My husband Steve has always been my biggest supporter. We will be married 25 years in September. He was a strength coach at FSU when we met. We were married just after I graduated, and we moved to take the job at Georgia Tech, where he has coached with Danny Hall since 1999. Most strength coaches move around a lot as they work their way up, but we have not had to do that.
EIS: Faith-based values are very important to you. How have you incorporated that into your coaching career?
Steve and I were very involved in a campus ministry called Champions for Christ at FSU. Steve began a campus ministry at Georgia Tech when he first arrived and for years, we’ve continued to pour into student athletes on and off the field. As our children got older and heavily involved in sports the campus ministry evolved and today Steve still hosts a bible study once a week on campus. Our ministry expanded into what the Lord led us to. In 2001 I started Champions Fastpitch Academy which is named after the campus ministry that changed my life and taught me what it meant to lead, disciple, mentor and train. This would be the beginning of what, after 24 years, has reached thousands of aspiring young athletes and changed countless lives on and off the field.
EIS: Do you recall a couple of pitchers you started out with who decided to get involved in your campus ministry?
Jamie Jones (Fitzpatrick maiden name went on to play at Kent State) and Sarah McDonald (Wood maiden name went on to play at Georgia Tech) were two of my pitchers I began working with in their early teens. We would meet once a week for dinner and bible study for years through high school. They both went on to have very successful college careers. After graduation McDonald became a missionary in Scotland where she met her husband and now has a beautiful family and owns a CrossFit gym where she continues to build into the lives of athletes in Scotland. Jones continued to teach lessons at Champions over the summers when she was home from college and stayed very involved as became a teacher and met her husband, Matt Jones. Together they have a beautiful family and continue to teach and pour into young lives as Matt is the head football coach at North Cobb Christian and Jamie trains pitchers and hitters at Champions two to three nights a week. Jamie has built with me at Champions for over 20 years. That’s what it’s all about.
EIS: Is there any of your former pitchers that you now work with?
Carey Schiller-Jones played at Georgia Tech and played against me when I was at FSU. Carey came into my life shortly after we started Champions and has been like a family ever since. Carey married Stan Jones and they have a beautiful daughter Dakota. Carey has been building with me at Champions for over 20 years and this fall became the head coach of the first 10u teams for Athletics Gold Tamborra. Dakota pitched in the first victory in organization history and went on to win the first championship that weekend.
EIS: Tell us about some of your other coaches that have been with you for a long time?
Tamborra: My staff today at Champions includes…
Jamie Jones – 20+ years
Carey Jones – 20+ years
Kelly Barnhill – trained here since she was nine. Went on to be an All-American at the University of Florida and was an ESPY Award winner, Team USA pitcher and had a long professional softball career that has literally taken her all over the world. She will be finishing up her professional playing career this spring in Italy
Michelle Floyd– University of Arizona pitcher. Continues to pitch for the Venezuelan National Team
Beth Mullins – former head coach at Troy University
Ashley Caruso – trained here as an athlete and now coaches with us
Todd Downes– Former associate head coach at Georgia State University and assistant coach at Georgia Tech. Todd and I have built together since the beginning when he was coaching at Walton High School
EIS: We know you coach a lot of kids, tell us about your children and growing up at Champions!
Tamborra: My children are my absolute greatest joy. Malayna will be 19 in March and Payton and Austin will be turning 16 in February. Austin and Peyton are twins. They have truly grown up on a ballfield. They were all born right in the middle of baseball season so within days of being born they were at Georgia Tech baseball games. With Steve always traveling with baseball in the spring and me teaching lessons most nights at Champions. Our children definitely know what it is to be a college athlete and what it takes to be the best you can be. We bought the building at Champions over 19 years ago, just before Malayna was born. The life of doing lessons at the ballpark in all types of weather and late every night had to change with a new newborn on the way. Champions became our children’s second home. From the beginning, Champions has always been about building family and watching our children grow up there with all the wonderful families pouring into them day and day out has been such a tremendous blessing. They have always felt loved and a part of something bigger at Champions. They’ve been at the ballfields up to camp, and could during our showcases, helping in every way imaginable since they could walk. They grew up doing camps, kid fit, CrossFit, now it’s lessons training and strength training. Malayna started doing lessons when she was 14 with younger kids. They have such a gift for connecting with young athletes. Austin is a top-rated baseball player for 643DP 15u Cougars and also plays varsity football and baseball at North Cobb Christian (for head coach Matt Jones). Austin has grown up around Georgia Tech baseball and has a deep love and passion for the sport.
Malayna is a freshman at Auburn. She loves life there and has the joy of getting to play with some of her best friends and former travel ball teammates. She had a great fall and is excited for the upcoming season. Malayna came to me when she was eight years old and asked me if she could play travel ball because she wanted to be just like Kara Bilodeau and Kapoli who are two young ladies that I trained at Champions who always had a special bond with Malayna. It was such a joy, watching them grow up.
Keara committed at a young age to play at Georgia and Kara went on to play at Auburn and then transferred to Florida State. This is where the travel ball world began for us. Malayna wanted to be a Viper just like Kara and Keara. The only way that our schedule in our world would work was if I was coaching and could manage the schedule. Steve thought I was crazy because there’s no way I would have time to do that. He was right, but somehow, we always found a way.
And that’s when we started the 10u Team. Payton was never far behind big sister. She was always in the weight room, even at 6-years old, asking Jocelyn, or strength coach to write up workouts for her, and when she didn’t do them fast enough, she would write her own.
I’m pretty sure Payton learned how to throw a four seam rise ball by the time she was four. We made Payton play recreation baseball with Austin. In our experience at that time, at that age, there was a higher expectation of the boys than the girls at the rec level, and Payton was always pushing herself to be better than those boys which definitely was good for her. At 7-years-old, she was ready for travel ball, and there was no stopping her So that’s where I started my second travel team and the first 8u team ever in the Atlanta Vipers. Both teams were highly successful from the very beginning. As a first year 10u team, Malayna’s team was ranked in the top five in the country. Payton’s team went on to win their first national championship at USA Elite Select in 10u and we just kept rolling from there. As we approached 14u with Payton ‘s team, and the NCAA recruiting rules changing, I began to understand the importance of Payton being in her own age group. She was currently on a team with all 2025 graduates, and she was a 2027 graduate which was not ideal after the rule changes. I knew it was important to start a team at second year 12u at least give us one year together before we hit the recruiting scene and started attending showcases. This wasn’t what I expected to do but with the rule changes, it was the right thing to do. Having now coached two teams, I knew what it took, and I knew that if we wanted to make them successful, we were going to have to have a group of really talented athletes, we looked for speed strength, and just share athleticism. I had great coaching staff all around me at Champions. I knew we could teach them the game of softball. I just needed great athletes and great families. And that’s exactly what we did. Together with great coaches and great families we have built three amazing, talented and highly successful teams that have literally traveled the world together. We were invited to Taiwan, just before Covid, to play in an international event where they hosted 21 of our athletes and parents. That was such a tremendous experience. We were invited back this fall and are considering the opportunity.
EIS: How did you come to be a leader in your previous fastpitch club organization and who influenced you?
Tamborra: I served on the board for 10 years. I served under some amazing coaches like Dicky Vallery, who brought me into the organization, Todd Jennings, who was the board chairman for a couple of years, Probably my greatest mentor in the travel ball world is Jason Holbrook who was the board chairman and a pivotal time as I was taking my first team Into the elite ranks of 14 and 16s. I spent many hours on the phone with Jason, building the organization and learning what it took to build an elite team that was highly recruited on the national level. The way Jason treated his athletes was the biggest thing that stood out to me.
EIS: What is it like being the only woman sometimes in the “room”?
Tamborra: They were many times that I was the only female in the room and board meetings for sure and it definitely was an uphill battle for many years. Pushing against the grain at times but it’s not like I always felt like I wasn’t supported there, it just felt like there was always a group in the room that opposed anything I said. Fortunately, there were people like Jason, who truly supported me and believed in me and trust me to do things the right way and with excellence. Honestly, if it weren’t for him, I doubt I would be where I am today. He understood that these young women sacrifice a lot of their personal time for the sport, and he did everything in his power to make up for that and treat them like princesses off the field as they trained hard on the field with high expectations.
I remember Jason saying to me you must decide what kind of team you want to have. That’s the first thing you must define before you can define success. I decided right then that I wanted to have an elite team that trained and competed on the highest national level. High expectations and high reward. But that also came with great sacrifice. This is why every year we have team Halloween costume parties, Christmas parties, spring training, where we stay in a hotel and do team bonding and scavenger hunts. In Colorado our teams have gone ATV riding in the Rocky Mountains, attended Colorado Rockies games, been white water rafting and horseback riding. In California we take surfing lessons, we take the girls on sunset cruises in Huntington Beach, Calif., pick them up and take them to dinner at Laguna Beach, Calif., and so much more. These experiences and friendships and memories will last them a lifetime. They won’t remember the wins and losses they will forever remember these things and the experiences they had growing up on a ball field with 13 of their best friends.
EIS: What made you want to start a new organization?
Tamborra: About a year ago, I started asking myself as Malayna was in her senior year and my first team was about to graduate, I had to ask myself what it was going to look like when Payton and her team graduated. In the Vipers, you just graduate out nobody sticks around and continues to coach. You just coach your children through and then you ride off in the sunset. I started feeling a little differently about this. Softball is my industry and I’ve been handling recruiting for pitchers in my Academy for over 25 years and now having taken two very successful recruiting classes through I was realizing the relationships in the college world that I had spent my entire adult life building. And this is when I began to ask myself what it was going to look like after Payton graduated, and I decided after long conversations with my family and especially my girls who had only ever known one name on the shirt how they felt about the possibility of change. This time last year I was in Mexico as Triple Crown invited me out to being an ambassador at their college opening tournament, I was surrounded by some of the top club coaches in the country. There were so many inspiring conversations. I’ve never felt so supported and encouraged to do something that I had never set out to do. I had a long conversation with my current organization’s leadership, and I called Jason Holbrook to get his thoughts. Again, I just felt that my ideas and innovation were not going to be a reality. I felt empowered to do something that was never about me, but it was about the opportunity to change lives of young people and create opportunities for dreams to become a reality. To create a leadership team, where everyone brings their gifts to the table, and we all build to our own strengths. We decided it was time to start fresh and create something new; exactly how we desire to build this great organization and we birthed Athletics Gold Tamborra.
Steve Tamborra: I attribute her success to her determination. She has always been extremely determined. No is not a word she likes. Her success is due to her passion for the young women she coaches. When you do things for the right reasons, success will follow. Adversity will always come, because she does things the right way and for the right reasons, the adversities she faces will be short lived. In the world of travel softball, it seems to be led by mostly males. Stacy has often faced challenges and opposition. Years come and go and yet she still performs. I base this on her strong character of doing what is right for the young women she coaches and what is best for the sport of softball.
Stacy Tamborra Background
Married to Steve Tamborra (player development coach for 25 years at Georgia Tech)
Malayna and Payton, and a son, Austin. Payton and Austin are twins
From Oklahoma
1995 freshman year at Oklahoma (Patty Gasso first year)
1996-1999 – Pitcher Florida State
BS Degree in Exercise Physiology
MS Degree Kinesiology and Biomechanics
All-Atlantic Coast Conference
ACC Postgraduate Scholarship
Emory University Pitching Coach
Founded Champions in 2000