Stephanie Zimicki: Feb. scholar athlete

LANCASTER, N.Y. (WIVB) - February's female scholar athlete is one of the most unique we've ever had. Along with being a top student, Stephanie Zimicki of St. Mary's High School is an equestrian rider.

"I think I like being an equestrian rider the most because it's really different than everything else. A lot of people, not because they don't recognize it as a sport, but they don't really think about when they think of a sport. That's what makes it really unique. I got involved because my grandfather owns a boarding facility in Lockport and my parents have always been involved in horses. I've been riding ever since I could walk," beamed Zimicki.

St. Mary's math teacher David Hall said, "I think for Stephanie to have such an unusual sport, as you put it, I think she's the perfect person to take that role."

Zimicki continued, "I'm very active in Niagara County 4H. That's where I do a lot of my showing, at Niagara County Fairgrounds in Lockport. I go to the fair that they have there, and from there I've gone to State Fair. I've won a couple first places there, which I'm pretty proud of, at State Fair."

"I think what drives Stephanie as a student is that she's self-motivated. She takes a lot of pride in her work. It's always very neat, it's always organized. She's a great student to have as a role model in my class," Hall added.

Zimicki concluded, "Ace-ing a test, I really put forward the work and I studied. That's one of the biggest challenges for me, is I have to study really hard and work really hard for my grades. Riding, it's more an accomplishment of me and my horse together. Knowing my trainer is going to be proud of me, and my parents are going to be proud of me, it's a really cool experience."

She will attend Alfred University next year where she'll major in business, with a minor in equine studies.