West Hartford Student-Athlete Awarded Sports Media Scholarship

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A recent graduate of Hall High School will be setting out soon for Indiana University, aided in part by a $3,000 check he received Tuesday from the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance.

Jack Cote was one of three recipients statewide of the Bo Kolinsky Memorial Sports Journalism Scholarship from the CSWA. The award is named in memory of longtime Hartford Courant sportswriter and past CSWA president Bohdan Kolinsky, who died unexpectedly in 2003.

Cote received his award from CSWA President Tim Jensen of Patch Media.

He said his interest in sports media stems from his parents.

"My mom and dad both went to school for journalism, so I've kind of had that gene," he said. "They surrounded me with sports my entire childhood."

After sustaining some injuries, Cote began writing stories and taking photos for the CT Moose baseball program, for which he had played.

"It began as a weekly writeup of all teams, then turned into became like a sports information director for all five teams," he said.

Cote said he will explore all sports media options in college, in pursuit of his ultimate dream of becoming a sports analyst.

"I chose Indiana mainly for the connections and the networking, getting my foot into all sorts of journalism," he said. "They offer all of it, and their sports are great."

He submitted several varieties of work with his scholarship application, including a voice-over of an essay he wrote about his grandmother, which may be viewed below.