News Detail | Athletics

Ray Tate Student-Athlete Scholarship Recipients Announced

10/15/2019

Two senior student-athletes were awarded the prestigious scholarship.

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the 2019-20 Ray Tate Student-Athlete Scholarship winners, seniors Crary Moore and Michael Zuccaro! Both students were awarded $1,000 scholarships due to their excellent character, strong work ethic, and extracurricular involvement, among other criteria. Way to go, Crary and Michael!

“Ray Tate was a man who cared deeply about the student-athletes at The Steward School and he was the founding President of the Spartan Club,” Chuck Wingfield, president of the Spartan Club, said. “The Ray Tate Student-Athlete Scholarships were created to honor him and to highlight the role he believed that athletics play in developing well-rounded young adults.”

We caught up with this year’s winners to learn how athletics at Steward have impacted them on and off the field.

What sports and extracurricular activities have you participated in at Steward?

Michael: Soccer, tennis, basketball, band, student life committee, and National Honor Society.

Crary: Soccer, volleyball, Model UN, diversity club, theatre, and National Honor Society.

What do you love about playing sports at Steward?

Michael: There are great opportunities here because of our size. I’ve never had a coach who wasn’t encouraging and positive—they pick you up in the down moments but also push you when you need it. Also, I love the camaraderie. Everyone’s nice and we joke around, but when it’s game time, it’s strictly business. We have each other’s back.

Crary: I agree—people want to win. We’re competitive here. We have fun but we leave it all on the court.

How has being an athlete made you a better student?

Michael: I take being a student-athlete to heart. I’m not an athlete-student.

Crary: Balancing sports and school has made me more organized, responsible, and dedicated as a student.

How has playing sports made you a better person?

Michael: As an athlete, I’ve learned to lead by example. Also, because playing sports is my choice, I know I have to be dedicated to it. This is true in the rest of my life too. I stick with the things I choose to do.

Crary: I’ve become a rock for my teammates. I can be supportive and give advice when something’s wrong. And when I’m frustrated myself, being an athlete has helped me learn to overcome.

Do you have a favorite sports moment at Steward?

Michael: For tennis, it’s winning states back to back! In soccer, we have certain songs that we play on the bus right before every away game. We all know to listen for them, then we start jumping up and down and singing along.

Crary: Before every volleyball game we listen to the same speech together as a team, “Winning Is Simply a Mindset.” We’ve all memorized it. It’s made us stronger together.

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