From left to right: Sports Commission Board of Directors President Rob Yowell, Olympic Gold Medalist Misty Hyman, Shipla Tummala, Tiffany Tate, Jim Bruner, Sports Commission President Jon Schmieder. Photo courtesy of The Phoenix Regional Sports Commission.

Every year, the Phoenix Regional Sports Commission recognizes a number of individuals for their dedication to youth sports, outstanding character and positive leadership.

The 2012 Youth Athlete of the Year is  Shilpa Tummula. Tummula was the captain and guard of her basketball team at St. Mary’s High School in Phoenix, which won its second consecutive state championship this year. She was student council vice president, literature club president and involved in the Earth club and Letterman’s club. She graduated at the top of her class with a 4.2 GPA and will attend Harvard University in the fall, where she will play basketball and study biomedical engineering.

The title of Youth Sports Coach of the Year was awarded to Tiffany Tate, who is the assistant coach for the girl’s basketball team at Seton Catholic Preparatory High School in Chandler. Tate, who has cystic fibrosis, played basketball all four years in high school; her team won two state championships. Though she had to stop playing the sport, she continues to coach and mentor student athletes.

The Youth Sports Contributer of the Year is Jim Bruner, who has been active in leadership roles in the Valley for nearly 40 years. Among other leadership positions, he served as president of the Scottsdale Boys and Girls Club, a member of the Board of Directors for the Arizona Sports Foundation and the Founding Board Member of the Scottsdale Cultural Council. Bruner also credited for bringing Major League Baseball to the Valley, and is recognized for prompting the construction of Chase Field and through those efforts bringing the Diamondbacks to Phoenix.

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