ALWAYS A WARRIOR

Ben Armstrong ('12)

LAKE WORTH- Every small school talks about being a family, but Trinity Christian Academy is proving it in the athletic department.  Five TCA alumni are giving back to their school by serving as coaches, and it was the impact Trinity had on them that brings them back.

"I’ve benefited so much from growing up through the Trinity athletic program and having great coaches not only care about me as a player, but also care so much about who I am as a person and invest so much into who I would later become as an adult," said middle school volleyball coach Casey Armstrong, a 2018 Trinity grad.  "When I was given the opportunity to coach at TCA, I was so excited to be able to give to the next generation what I was given as a student-athlete. If I can have even half the impact on my players that my coaches had on me, I’d consider it a win for sure."

Armstrong played volleyball, basketball and softball for the Warriors during her time at Trinity.  She led the middle school volleyball team to a winning record this season.  Her commitment to Trinity is rooted in family, as her mother Missy Armstrong works in the financial office and her brother Ben is the varsity girls basketball coach. Ben led the girls basketball team to the regional playoffs last season, their first appearance in that round in almost a decade.  He is a 2012 TCA graduate and played basketball, flag football, and volleyball for the Warriors.

Recent graduates are continuing to make their impact on the athletic program, now as coaches.  Noah Bresnick (class of 2019) serves as the assistant cross country coach alongside his mother Denise Hornfeld who is the head coach.  The pair led the Warriors to their first district championship this fall. Bresnick was an accomplished runner at TCA, advancing to regionals in both cross country and track in addition to playing soccer and basketball.  When he saw a need arise at his alma mater, he wanted to help.

"After I graduated there wasn’t a coach so I decided to help and assist," stated Bresnick.  "I enjoy the sport and being able to coach lets me be still be a part of it." 

Another recent graduate making a difference is Sergio Chois (class of 2020). An all-district soccer player, he has stepped up this season to coach the middle school boys soccer team.  He wants to inspire players the way his TCA coaches inspired him.

"I hope I can inspire the younger generations to aspire to represent the school on an athletic level," explained Chois. "I also want to bring seamless transition from middle school development to varsity level."

Class of 1999 graduate Alesha (Pepin) Real has been a part of the TCA family for more than two decades. She has been a long-time teacher at Trinity and serves as an assistant coach for the volleyball program.  Her impact is seen on the volleyball court as a continuation of the difference she makes in the classroom.  This commitment to and love for the school has a big impact on the success of the athletic program, said athletic director Derek Chirch.

"Seeing our alumni come back and serve says so much about the family atmosphere of TCA," stated Chirch.  "We all view this as a ministry to our athletes and our coaches are making an impact that goes beyond sports.  It's exciting to see that impact lead to alumni coming back and making in the difference in the lives in this generation of athletes."

 

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