Cheshire, Conn – Bridget Wright, a spring track and field athlete and All-State cheerleader at Derby High School, has been chosen as the 2022 Michael H. Savage Spirit of Sport Award honoree. She becomes the 13th recipient of the distinguished yearly award, and as Connecticut’s honoree she will go forward as a nominee for the National Federation of State High School Associations’ (NFHS) Section and National Spirit of Sport Awards.
The Michael H. Savage Spirit of Sport Award seeks to recognize individuals who exemplify the ideals of the positive spirit of sport that represent the core mission of education-based athletics. The award may be given in recognition of a specific act or an activity of longer duration.
Wright is an All-State athlete, honor roll student and dedicated school and community volunteer. She has achieved those things and more while living with pulmonary stenosis – a debilitating, life threatening disease which required she undergo open heart surgery when she was just a year old. Surgeons found multiple blood pouring holes in her heart, a missing pulmonary artery, and other rare conditions. Doctors truly do not know how she survived a full year prior to the surgery.
Wright shares that, “I am not living the same way everyone else around me does, and walking past me at a glance, you would never know, which is what I am thankful for. I am strong and doing what most would not expect me to do after all I endured. But I am okay, I am living, and that is what keeps me going every single day.”
Derby Head Cheerleading Coach Jessica Blackwell gets to the heart of who Bridget is, “Bridget is a passionate and enthusiastic young lady with a strong work ethic. She holds herself accountable to attain the goals she sets forth for herself. Bridget embraces the growth mindset whenever she is faced with challenges and believes that overcoming adversity is the key to growth as a student and an athlete.”
Derby High School Assistant Principal Ray Coplin says, “Bridget’s most admirable trait is her huge humanitarian heart. She is extremely committed to volunteering regularly at her local animal shelter and was the humble organizer of the Cheer Squad’s animal shelter donation drive last year. Multiple DHS staff sing her praises for her constant willingness to sacrifice her own time for the sake of assisting others/”
Wright will be formally honored at the CIAC’s Annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet in May.
The CIAC thanks partner Buffalo Wild Wings for joining us in supporting and celebrating the Michael H. Savage Spirit of Sport Winner
(L-R DHS Principal Jennifer Olson, Superintendent of Derby Schools Dr. Matthew Conway, 2022 Michael H. Savage Spirit of Sport Winner Bridget Wright and DHS Director of Athletics Teg Cosgriff)
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