Student at Del Val strives for success every day. Junior captain Maggie Prouty has fulfilled this vision of success in a multitude of ways and is still hungry for more.
On Oct. 21, against Hopewell Valley, Prouty broke the record for the amount of assists in one season. She now has 20 assists and with the time left in her season is aiming for more.
“Being consistent with working hard in my conditioning helps my endurance through those tough third and fourth quarter plays, where my assists can really pull through if I stay engaged,” Prouty said.
Prouty believes that team work and leadership is the key to a strong team. Engaging in a rigorous club program, Omega, being team captain, and playing for ten years has given Prouty lots of knowledge for the sport, and she knows the best way to use her knowledge is through others.
No milestone can surpass the way she feels after witnessing her teammates come together and work with the guidance she gives them.
“I really like helping the best I can with my game knowledge,” Prouty said. “A lot of the girls of the team aren’t super experienced so I know it’s helpful to have someone that can help with a certain skill or technique. Getting assists is very rewarding when I’m helping my team because it shows all the work we put into our teamwork.”
One of her teammates, junior Lydia Bagley, admires Prouty’s love for the team and sport. When playing with her, Bagley notices her smarts and leadership which shine through in every game. She is inspired by her determination in not only bettering herself, but also her peers.
“[Prouty] is really good at figuring out how to get through to people,” Bagley says, “she has a lot of strategy, she thinks of things that nobody else would think of in a game. When she says it everybody’s like, ‘oh my God I didn’t even realize that’. And when we do what she says it always just works out.”
Though there might be many factors that have brought her to the skill level she is today, she believes the biggest keys to her success is staying composed and humble.
During intense matches, stressful situations, and even mistakes, Prouty focuses on the moment she’s in, rather than the score or what happened prior to any errors during previous plays. This helps her mind to not loose focus of her ambitions and stay engaged in only field hockey.
“Getting frustrated only makes your skills sloppy and lazy, not passing all the way through or dodging wide enough can cost too many mistakes through out the game,” Prouty said. “It’s not worth dwelling over when the rest of your play is on the line.”
In her future, Prouty wants to compete at the collegiate level and attend an academically focused university. She is aware of the time that college level athletics consume, but loves the sport so much that she still wants to play even though her academics are her main priority.
She aims to improve herself in both Field Hockey and learning during college, taking any opportunities given to her in order for her to succeed in her adult life.
Prouty advises those who aim for similar goals as hers to stay constant no matter what. She believes this will take you much further in any life skill you plan on excelling at.
“Practicing three hours in one day doesn’t have nearly as much weight as practicing for five or ten minutes without brakes,” Prouty said. “Consistency is such an important life skill with sports, school, and jobs. Trusting yourself and being confident that you will succeed after putting work into something is the only way it will ever work out.”
