North Port Athletic Rewind April 2017 | Page 14

14 | NPAR Archer, Good Sports donate $10K in athletic equipment NPAR Photos by Tami Garcia, [email protected] VIEW THE FULL GALLERY HERE Written by: Megan Hart NPAR Correspondent L ast month, the Tampa Bay Rays announced that Chris Archer will be the starting pitcher on Opening Day when the Rays kick off their season against the New York Yankees next month. Before he takes the mound at Tropicana Field, Archer stopped by at North Port’s Imagine School to present a donation to its athletic department. On March 29, the Rays and Good Sports, a nonprofit provider of sporting goods equipment, donated a combined $10,870 worth of baseball, softball and physical education equipment to Imagine. Imagine Athletic Director Tyler Zebkar applied for the equipment grant earlier this school year. As a charter school, Zebkar said, Imagine’s athletic budget does not match that of a traditional public school. This donation will help make up the difference. “We’re really excited that Good Sports chose us,” Zebkar said. “It’s great that we’ll be able to further develop these kids athletically.” Archer, who played for the victoriou