YMCA’s Volunteer Of The Year Catches Coaching Bug

Zach Karikas, a Freedom High grad, receives his award from New Tampa YMCA sports and teen program director Eamonn O’Sullivan. (Photo provided by the YMCA) 

For the past five years, Zach Karikas has been a fixture at the New Tampa Family YMCA in Tampa Palms. If there was a youth league basketball game going on, Karikas was almost definitely there. Prior to the Coronavirus outbreak, he was a volunteer coach for four different teams in the league, which included the 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-15 age groups. 

When the gym at the New Tampa Y opened again for limited 3-on-3 leagues in the fall, Karikas continued coaching. The 5-on-5 leagues finally started up again in January. 

Karikas, 28, was recognized for his dedication when he was awarded the 2021 New Tampa Family YMCA Volunteer of the Year award. He received the honor from Sports Director Eamonn O’Sullivan in a virtual ceremony held in late March.

“I didn’t even know the Y did a Volunteer of the Year,’’ said a surprised Karikas, who adds that he has always loved basketball, even if he wasn’t particularly good at it.

 A 2011 graduate of Freedom High, also in Tampa Palms, he said he tried out for the basketball team all four years and was cut every year.

He went off to Marshall University in West Virginia to pursue a degree in athletic training. When that didn’t work out, Karikas left Marshall in 2013 to return to Wesley Chapel. A few years later, he wanted to apply for a college scholarship and one requirement was community service hours. That’s when he started volunteer coaching at the YMCA despite not having any kids of his own.

Zach Karikas

At first, he coached just one team. But, that quickly became four teams.

“I just fell in love with it,’’ he says. 

He currently is enrolled at Pasco-Hernando State College and his full-time job right now is installing shower doors. Ultimately, Karikas says he would like to earn a degree in sports management and coach basketball at either the high school or middle school level. It’s a passion he discovered five years ago at the New Tampa Family YMCA. 

“I caught the coaching bug,’’ Karikas says. “I really enjoy coaching the youth, both on and off the court, showing them that you don’t have to be Lebron James to succeed on or off the court. It’s not always going to be sunshine and rainbows — there are ups and downs. You just have to keep going with whatever you want to do. Being a positive role model is a good feeling. Right when I walk into that gym I’ve got like five kids coming up to me and saying ‘Hey, coach Zach.’ I love the ability to give back to the younger generation.’’

For more information about the New Tampa Family YMCA, located at 16221 Compton Dr., call (813) 866-9622 or visit TampaYMCA.org.

New Tampa YMCA Picks Top Volunteer

Coach Brigid Merenda is congratulated for being named the New Tampa Family YMCA Volunteer of the Year.

Volunteer youth basketball coach Brigid Merenda has been named the New Tampa Family YMCA Volunteer of the Year.

At the New Tampa Y in Tampa Palms, Brigid uses her skills and experience as a college basketball player for the University of South Florida (1993-97) to teach the next generation of players the sport she loves.

“I have the ability and the skills to coach, and I had a lot of volunteer coaches in my life, so I want to give back,” says Brigid, who — in addition to her “day job” as a lawyer — also is a color commentator for radio broadcasts of the USF women’s basketball home games. (Our congratulations go out to the team, which is making its fifth NCAA tournament appearance in the last six seasons, all under the leadership of head coach and New Tampa resident José Fernandez.)

Among the many volunteers at the Y, Brigid stands out.

“Brigid has been heavily involved in growing the girls’ basketball program with a unique talent to teach a group of young girls in a fun, but competitive way,” explains Michael Cosentino, executive director of the New Tampa Y. “Brigid is always on the court, active and involved in teaching the game. Coach Brigid realizes that if you teach skills in a fun way, your team will learn about the game and be successful, even at a young age.”

Brigid says she and her husband, Jason, have been members of the New Tampa Y since about 2003. She began coaching at the Y about three years ago, when her daughter, Sophia, who was five at the time, wanted to play basketball. Now, Brigid’s son, Charlie, is five, and will start playing basketball this summer.

“If you see a coach running around high-fiving everyone,” Cosentino says, “then you are probably watching Brigid coach. She has as much fun as the kids!”

Brigid received the award at the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA’s Community Impact Dinner on Feb. 27, at TPepin’s Hospitality Centre on N. 50th St. in Tampa, where more than 500 guests were in attendance.

Janelle Wells New Tampa YMCA Volunteer of the Year

The New Tampa Family YMCA on Compton Dr., just south of Tampa Palms Blvd., offers plenty of ways to not only get a good cardio physical workout but also to grow the heart through volunteering.

Janelle Wells will attest to that. Wells was recognized February 16 as the New Tampa Family YMCA’s “Volunteer of the Year” during the Tampa Metropolitan YMCA’s annual Community Impact Dinner that highlights the work of numerous volunteers from all 15 Tampa-area YMCAs.

“Not many people know that the YMCA is a nonprofit, four-star charity (as rated by Charity Navigator), focusing on youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility,” says Wells, who has been volunteering at the New Tampa YMCA for three years. “They are committed to uniting all walks of life to create positive social change.”

There’s certainly plenty of choices in New Tampa for people who want to exercise, ranging from 24-hour corporate chain fitness centers to private trainers who deliver the tough love of a boot camp drill sergeant. Wells says the YMCA offers something none of those other options can offer:

“Even with the trend of privatized youth sports and boutique for-profit health fitness clubs, the Y has stayed true to its mission of serving the community, and that speaks volumes to me,” says Wells.

Wells serves on the New Tampa Family YMCA’s advisory board and is its current chair. She coaches teams and assists with community events such as the Fall Festival and Healthy Kids Day. Wells also helps with YMCA programs in communities outside of New Tampa as a member of the Tampa Metro YMCA Oversight Committee.

Volunteering at the YMCA also gives Wells — who has a Ph.D. degree in Health and Human performance from the University of Florida in Gainesville — a chance to combine her love of sports and healthy living with her professional expertise. She currently also teaches in the Sport & Entertainment Management program at the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business.

“I developed service-learning projects for my Sport & Entertainment Management M.B.A. and M.S. students, where each individual is encouraged and expected to volunteer 20 hours,” says Wells.

Some of the YMCA’s activities Wells and her students have been involved with are drowning prevention and the Y’s Teen Achievers and Teen Leadership development programs, as well as its Veggie Van, that sells low-price vegetables in neighborhoods lacking a nearby supermarket.

The contributions of time and energy that Wells and other volunteers make are appreciated, says Tampa Metro YMCA communications director Lalita Llerena.

“The Tampa Y is committed to strengthening the community, but we couldn’t do this without the help, support and guidance of our volunteers,” she says.

Wells cites, “compassion, courage, commitment, and service,” as principles guiding her volunteer efforts and daily living. Describing herself as “a working mother of three,” Wells says volunteering and serving others is its own reward and considers the opportunities to do so with the YMCA as another way the organization benefits her family.

“The Y has shaped my life through (its) spirit of service and connection,” says Wells. “It’s a haven that allows me the opportunity to live healthy, engage with my family and serve the community.”

Since opening in 2001, The New Tampa Family YMCA has become a go-to place in New Tampa for residents wanting to engage in not only fitness routines, but in other activities as well. Members can swim in the City of Tampa’s only 50-meter full-Olympic-size pool, get a workout in the indoor wellness facility that’s equipped with everything from weight machines to treadmills, or find a group activity such as aerobics, basketball and so much more.

There’s even a rock wall available for indoor mountaineering. Youth sports such as basketball and a variety of camps are available for children, as well as classes providing instruction in swimming, martial arts and more.

For more info about recreational activities and volunteer opportunities at the New Tampa Family YMCA, located at 16221 Compton Dr. in Tampa Palms, visit online at TampaYMCA.org or call 866-9622.