May 22, 2009

     More than being a good athlete, Kristyn Wright is a good teammate. She is defined not merely by how much she adds to the stat column, but by how much she adds to others around her, both between the lines and outside of them.
     She is a good sport, a leader, a hard worker, a volunteer. She is a role model.
     Wright is all the things that defined Rachel Carey, which is why she will be honored with the 2009 Rachel Carey Spirit Award at the Rocky Hill Athletic Hall of fame induction ceremony in June.
     "I was absolutely ecstatic," Wright said of her reaction to being told she'd receive the award. "I know what a big deal it is. I was especially honored because I know what an effect [Carey] had on the Rocky Hill community."
     Carey, an excellent softball pitcher who's superb athletic achievements were still dwarfed by her character, died in a car crash in January 2003, but left a legacy that will last far longer than the 16 years she lived. Part of that is the Rachel Carey Spirit Award, handed out annually to a female, high school athlete from Rocky Hill.
     "There were a bunch of other senior girls who were very capable of winning this award," Wright said. "It was a nice surprise."
     Wright, a senior at East Catholic High School in Manchester, was a standout basketball player for the Eagles under coach Nick Economopoulos. A point guard, she helped the team reach the Class M semifinals as a sophomore - the Eagles lost at the buzzer to Holy Cross - and was a team captain her junior and senior year.
     "When you have somebody that has high expectations and is positive and has the work ethic that she has," Economopoulos said, "it's just a great formula for success. And that's why she's probably going to be successful in whatever she achieves.
     "What I'm talking about is not just something that's out on the basketball court or on the soccer field or on the track, it's something that she has everyday of her life. It's part of her make-up."
     Wright played soccer as a freshman and sophomore but sustained an ankle injury her junior year. It required surgery and forced her to miss much of her junior season on the basketball court.
     Although she opted not to return to the soccer team for her senior season, Wright came back to lead the basketball team to a somewhat surprising 16-4 record this year and trip to the second round of the Class LL tournament.
     "She became the person who led the team in prayer, led the team in discussions after a team meeting," Economopoulos said. "She always sets the right tone. When that happens, there's less chance [of a coach] having to deal with people problems and more of an opportunity to deal with basketball problems."
     Currently, Wright is a sprinter on the track team. Though it's her first season on the team, she recently qualified for states in the 400 meters. She also runs the 100, 4x100 relay, 4x400 relay and, occasionally, the 200.
     But, the East Catholic experience is by no means limited to athletics for Wright, who described the school as "more of a community" than just a school. "By going to East Catholic," she said, "I think I've grown a lot and became a better person through leadership skills and also volunteering. ... Stepping into leadership roles on sports teams also helped me grow as a person."
     Wright said it's unbelievable to be regarded as, among other things, a role model. "It's not necessarily that they want to be just like you," Wright said of what it means to be a role model, "but that they want to have an affect on their community like you did or show leadership like someone does."
     Wright will bring her leadership qualities and strong work ethic to the University of Rochester in the fall, where she'll be a part of the basketball team (Division III). She's not sure about a major at this point but, whatever field she enters, she shouldn't have a problem making a positive impact.
     "There's just some people," Economopoulos said, "when they come into the room, they light up the room and you say, 'Wow, that's a good kid there. I'd like to have a kid like that or a daughter like that.' That's the way Kristyn is."