SuburbanOneSports.com recognizes a male and female featured athlete each week. The awards, sponsored by Univest, are given to seniors of good character who are students in good standing that have made significant contributions to their teams. Selections are based on nominations received from coaches, athletic directors and administrators.
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Female Athlete (Week of April 3, 2013)
Maggie Gratz caught the attention of Terry Rakowsky the first time he met the Central Bucks West senior as a middle school basketball player. Not only for what she could do on the court but for who she was. “From the moment I met her for the first time – I said, ‘Wow, this kid is special,” Rakowsky said. “You just know it, and then she follows up and never lets you down. Every page that turns – she’s doing something else that makes you go, ‘This kid is just amazing.’ She’s just an amazing kid.” Gratz was the only senior on this year’s SOL Continental co-championship squad who was part of the varsity for four years. “She has just been such a leader on and off the court,” Rakowsky said. “Her depth, her character – she leads by example. I thought she was a phenomenal player for us in every way.” Gratz was a captain and cornerstone of this year’s squad that advanced to the state tournament.
Basketball is just a small piece of Gratz’s life. An outstanding student, she is an officer in the National Honor Society. Gratz is vice president of West’s Student Government Organization, she is a member of student council, and she is a member of Key Club. She also has been a member of the school choir for four years. She has found time to serve as a student volunteer at A Woman’s Place, a Doylestown organization that provides support to victims of domestic violence, and she is on the organization’s Young Adult Advisory Board. She is the president and co-creator of the club called SAVA (Students Advocating Victims Awareness). Gratz, who aspires to one day join the Peace Corps, was one of 32 young people from around the country – one of only nine females – to attend last summer’s NFL Wharton Prep Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Gratz plans to major in global development or international development. “I always changed what I wanted to do,” she said. “When I started to think about what I really wanted to do, one thing I knew about myself is that I really enjoy being with people and I like people. I used that as my decision for going into this field. As technology advances, I still want to be someone who reminds people how much we have in common rather than what we do different. I have a big interest in wanting to better the world” From some, that might sound idealistic. From Gratz, it sounds like nothing more than a statement of fact. “She’s a kid who’s going to make an impact,” Rakowsky said. “She already has. She’s impacted a whole bunch of kids on our team forever.”
As for her college choice, Gratz is leaning toward the University of Virginia from a final list that includes Michigan and Rulane.
To read Gratz’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/maggie-gratz-0033416
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of April 3, 2013)
Chris Spadaro was destined to play collegiate soccer. Or at least so it seemed. The Council Rock South senior excelled at a sport he had been playing for most of his life, but his future took a dramatic turn when he was a sophomore and decided to go out for winter track to stay in shape for soccer. Spadaro was a natural, and a new passion was born. The Rock South senior went on to have a record-breaking career, and he has signed a letter of intent to compete in track at the Division One level at the University of Pittsburgh, opting for Pitt from a final list that included York and Temple. “I don’t really think he knew how good he could be,” coach Leonard Spearing said. “Last year as a junior, he medaled in states. He got a seventh place medal in triple jump. That was really his big coming out.” So began an interesting journey for the senior captain, whose career in track has had its peaks and valleys.
As a junior, Spadaro battled a hamstring pull during his outdoor season, and although the season was not what he had hoped, Spadaro medaled at nationals last summer, finishing sixth in the triple jump. Clouding the college picture was the fact that Spadaro continued to excel in soccer, earning first team All-SOL honors as a senior after contributing a team high 12 assists. “Chris is a tremendous athlete and a passionate competitor,” Rock South soccer coach Alan Nicholl said. “He is a very gifted player who was the centerpiece of our midfield. Players of his caliber are hard to replace.” Despite his success on the soccer field, Spadaro made the decision to compete in track at the collegiate level. “My last game in soccer against Neshaminy in the playoffs was really hard for me,” he said. “It almost made me flip my decision. I was like, ‘Let me work hard at track because that’s what I want to do.’” He reaped the benefits for his hard work by setting a new school record in the long jump (23’ ¾”). “That was the number one jump in Pennsylvania for three or four weeks,” Spearing said. “He set a new school record in the long jump.” At the Meet of Champions, Spadaro walked away with a second and third place finish, and he has high goals for his final high school season, which will include a trip to the Penn Relays after missing out on the prestigious event last year because of his injury.
Spadaro also excels in the classroom and is a member of the National Honor Society and English Honor Society.
To view Spadaro’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/chris-spadaro-0033415
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