West Hartford Student Wins CT Sports Media Alliance Scholarship

SOUTHINGTON, CT — For many years, Bohdan Kolinsky was the high school sports editor of the Hartford Courant, and past president of the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance (now the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance). Following his untimely passing in 2003 at age 49, the Alliance created an annual scholarship in his memory.

The 2023 recipient of the $3,000 Bo Kolinsky Memorial Sports Media Scholarship is Baylee Krulewitz, a senior at Hall High School in West Hartford. She plans to attend Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

She has long held an interest in sports journalism, and is involved with various media publications. She is co-editor-in-chief of her school’s newspaper, as well as a reporter for Youth Journalism International, a global organization where students learn about and practice their journalistic skills.

In college, Krulewitz hopes to write about sports for school publications, taking advantage of Northwestern’s place in the Big 10 Conference. She eventually intends to start a career as a multimedia journalist, specifically one who gets to travel.

CSMA vice president and scholarship chairman John Holt said, “We received 21 applications from around the state this year, many of them exceptional. Judges chose Baylee's credentials to be most exceptional, and the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance is proud to award her the Kolinsky Scholarship. Baylee becomes the 22nd recipient of the scholarship since it was first awarded in 2004.”

Krulewitz will be feted, along with other award winners, at the 81st Gold Key Dinner, slated for Sunday, Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington. Gold Key recipients for 2023 are Darien High School volleyball coach Laurie LaRusso, longtime Norwich Free Academy coach and athletic director Gary Makowicki, 1976 Olympian and former distance running world record setter Jan Merrill-Morin, North Branford High School field hockey coach Babby Nuhn and 27-year Major League Baseball umpire Terry Tata.

Other award recipients previously announced include:

· President’s Award – Dr. Leslie Wrixon, Glastonbury

· Hal Levy High School Achievement Award – Robert “Jiggs” Cecchini

· Bob Casey Courage Award – Ann and Paul Dagle, East Lyme

· Bo Kolinsky Special Recognition Award – Rand Pecknold, Quinnipiac University men’s ice hockey coach

· Art McGinley Media Award – Vickie Fulkerson, New London Day

Winners of the Doc McInerney High School Coaches of the Year, Bill Lee Male Athlete of the Year, Hank O’Donnell Female Athlete of the Year and John Wentworth Good Sport awards will be announced in late June.

Tickets are $75, and are available by contacting CSMA president Tim Jensen of Patch Media Corp. at 860-394-5091 or tim.jensen@patch.com. All proceeds support the Kolinsky scholarship fund.