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 March 26, 2013)
Ali McClure has learned a lot about what it means to be part of a team from the very first team she was on. Her family. “My family really did prepare me,” the Wissahickon senior said. “Sports and being part of a team were a big part of growing up for me. We were all involved in a variety of sports, and we all supported each other.” McClure followed in the footsteps of older brothers Michael and Alec and was part of Wissahickon’s swimming team since she was a freshman. “I started coaching the Wissahickon girls four years ago, so Ali was in the first freshman class that I coached for their whole high school careers,” coach Laurie Hug said. “I will miss her and her upbeat boisterous personality. She has matured into a terrific young woman.”
At the SOL American Conference championships, McClure was third in the 500 free and fourth in the 100 butterfly. She also anchored the second place 200 medley relay and was on the fifth place 400 free relay. At the District One AA meet, she finished 21st in the 100 butterfly and was 25th in the 500 free. “Ali made it to states in the 100 fly last year and had hoped to drop about a second to return this year,” Hug said. “Unfortunately, she ended up not qualifying this year. She showed great maturity and, after taking a little time to herself after her race at districts, she left the race behind her and didn’t sulk or show her disappointment. In this sport, it is very easy to get wrapped up in your own events, and it can seem like the end of the world when you don’t reach your goals, so I thought it showed a great deal of character on her part to continue to appear upbeat and show honest support of her teammates and friends on other teams while she was disappointed with her own performance. After her final high school swim at districts, she came up to me and said, ‘Coach Hug, it has been a great run!’ rather than complain about her performance. In life, things don’t always go as planned, and based on what I witnessed with Ali at districts, I am confident she will be able to gracefully handle whatever life throws at her.”
McClure will continue her swimming career at the University of Vermont where she will major in business.
To read McClure’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/ali-mcclure-0033212
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of March 26, 2013)
Sam Spector has an immediate answer when asked to name his dream job. “General manager of the Eagles,” the Cheltenham senior said. “But realistically, I would like to be an athletic director for a Division One school.” Don’t count Spector out as a future GM of the Eagles. The two-year captain, according to his volleyball coach, is going to succeed at whatever he chooses to do in life. “There wasn’t a single kid who didn’t vote for him for captain,” coach Chris Manser said. “He’s great in the classroom, he’s great in the community, and he has a great family. He has everything really that a kid needs to be successful, and he translates that right over to volleyball. You wouldn’t look at him and know he’s any kind of athlete. He’s not big, and he’s not especially fast, but he’s really smart, and he works really, really hard.” Those traits have served Spector well as a defensive specialist for the Panthers’ varsity volleyball team the past three years. “The best thing about Sam is he’s not going to show up on any stat sheet, but he just does whatever I ask him to do,” Manser said. “He finishes second or third in every category, whether it’s digs or passing or serving percentage or aces. Whatever it is – he’s very steady, and I think the other kids recognize that.”
Beyond providing a steading presence defensively, Spector also is an effective leader. “He knows where everyone else is supposed to be in addition to himself,” Manser said. “Sam’s kind of the veteran guy. He does it from the bench when he’s not in the game. He’s always talking to the kids and making sure they know where to be. If they make a mistake, he’s there to either offer constructive criticism or a pat on the back or something like that. He really is like having another coach, which is great.”
Playing volleyball is just one small piece of Spector’s life. He has been playing basketball since he was in second grade and continues to play in a junior league. He is active in community service and has organized a Run for Jake 5K race in memory of a Cheltenham student to promote childhood cancer research. He also has held a job since he was in 10th grade and is presently employed at Schmooze Deli. That has not kept Spector from excelling in the classroom. He is in the top 13 percent of his class and carries a 3.7 unweighted GPA. Spector’s course load includes AP classes, and he is taking a dual enrollment class at Penn State Abington. A member of the National Honor Society, he has been offered full tuition scholarships to both Syracuse and Drexel and has been accepted into all five schools on his college list. He is leaning towards Syracuse where he will major in sports management.
To view Spector’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/sam-spector-0033215
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