Youth in Focus

By Richard A. Ross

	Contributed sports picture by Ken Sherman Zac Bright is a three-sport senior scholar athlete at Tri-Valley who plans to study communications in college. Watching him play bears witness to his intensity for the game, defined by a never-hold-back attitude. Here, Bright goes up against Sean Buckley of Tuxedo. By no means one-dimensional, he has a lot going for him in his life apart from the competitive world of sports. (Click for larger image)

When Zac Bright was only two, his father, Neil, started throwing a Koosh ball to him and teaching him to throw it back. Neil Bright, assistant superintendent of the Tri-Valley Schools, said it was evident early on that Zac had unusual talent in baseball. Zac’s love of the game grew steadily as the years progressed.

Coming up through the ranks of t-ball and little league, Bright gravitated to the middle infield, first to shortstop and ultimately second base. He has played varsity basebcaall since ninth grade, but his year-round work with Steve Pinto of Pro Prospects in Monticello goes back to junior high.

“He taught me about discipline and the mechanics of swinging the bat,” said Bright, who plays American Legion ball in the Roundout Valley/Ellenville area in summer and fall to extend his season. The dividends are paying off. Last spring at Tri-Valley, Bright sported a .972 fielding percentage and a .408 batting average. “I could have done better,” said Bright, who was selected team offensive M.V.P.

Bright has set his sights on scoring 30 goals during this year’s 17-game season. The 2002 leading scorer has 13 so far in 2003, including five in one game against Eldred. Bright regards soccer as fun. The running builds endurance, a prerequisite for his success in basketball. “Baseball is what I’m best at, but basketball is the most fun to play.”

The Bears of Tri-Valley are coached by Jason Semo, not only a master of the game’s x’s and o’s, but a taskmaster when it comes to conditioning, fundamentals and dedication. This past summer, Semo coached the Bearcats, made up of Tri-Valley and Monticello players in the Sullivan County Summer League. In the off-guard position, Bright played tenacious defense and took a number of charges against sizeable players on their way to the rack. The Bearcats lost a heartbreaker to Section IV’s state finalists Downsville 51-50.

Tri-Valley hopes to loom large on the hardwood this year with Bright right in the thick of the action. Last year, he vowed his goals to Semo: take a charge a game and contribute a minimum of five points. With the graduation of leading scorer Kyle Humphrey, Bright (last year’s defensive M.V.P.) plans to up the ante.

“We need to win the big game this time around,” he said. For Tri-Valley, the road to Glens Falls goes through Fallsburg. Needless to say, he looks forward to his last high school baseball season this spring. Though poker-faced when it comes to sports, Bright said, “I’m a fun-loving guy who loves to hang out with friends or listen to music. I’m eclectic and love all kinds, except country,” he said, smiling.

With a 96 plus average and membership in the National Honor Society, Bright joins Heather Iatauro, Tri-Valley’s nationally ranked runner, as the school’s candidate for the Wendy’s International Heisman Trophy.

He is currently taking American government, English composition and computer graphics. At Sullivan County Community College he takes broadcasting and mass media with Scott Healy. Bright co-hosts a radio show that features music, sports and news. He plans to major in communications in college with an eye on a career in sports broadcasting. Schools he is considering include Syracuse, Northwestern, New York University and Ithaca College.

No performance anxiety in the Bright family. His mom, Pam is an actress and director of Big Sky Productions of Grahamsville, which will stage the Mid-Hudson debut of the Broadway smash “Proof” at Sullivan County Community College in November. His dad occasionally hosts The Gourmet Concert Hour on WJFF, a mix of rock, new age, jazz and witty repartee.

From his parents, he has garnered the importance of mindset, work ethic and the ability to take charge.

“If you can will yourself to do something, are willing to stick with it and make the sacrifices, you can get it done,” Bright said.

This week’s youth in focus knows whereof he speaks.