WEEK #14: MAEVE S.

 

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

 

Hello! My name is Maeve, and I’m from North Bay, Ontario. I’m in Grade 12 at Chippewa Secondary School, and next year, I’m going to Queen’s University to work towards my lifelong dream of becoming a teacher.

 

I love painting and drawing (and art as a whole), and I teach an art class at my local Early Years Center. The AGO in Toronto is one of my favourite places in the world!

 

I love living in Northern Ontario- anywhere there’s rocks, pine trees, and cold, clear water, I’m at home. I play on two ringette teams, though some years I’ve played on three. Ringette is an amazing sport that was invented in my hometown, and is now played worldwide. I’ve played at almost every level of ringette: C, B, A and AA. Through those experiences, I’ve met so many amazing people.

 

I also run in my spare time, and swim on my school’s swim team – I’ve found that those activities help me improve my skills in ringette!

 

What inspired you to participate in sport? 

 

Growing up in Toronto, my parents always found ways and places for my brother and I to play. Aside from taking swimming and skating lessons and playing soccer, we were taken to the park almost every day to play on the monkey bars, or encouraged to climb trees in our backyard.

 

Throughout my childhood, I developed a love for play, and as I grew up that love for play translated into a love for sport. I started playing volleyball, soccer, and ringette. Ringette was my favourite- it was almost ironic that we ended up moving to the birthplace of the sport I fell in love with.

 

I was inspired to participate in sport because of my parents. I continued to play sport, and likely will for

the rest of my life, because of the people I’ve met, memories I’ve made, and the joy I feel every time I step on the ice.

 

What are some strategies you use to balance sport and academics? 

 

Balancing sports and academics is something that takes a bit of work, but that can absolutely be done. I think that the best strategy is to keep open communication with your teachers: ask them what material you’ll be missing while you’re at a tournament and ask for extensions if you need them.

 

If I’m studying for a test, I try and remember things during practice. Whenever I start to feel sore during skating drills, I repeat the metabolic pathway for anaerobic respiration in my head over and over again to distract from the soreness (and I’m sore because of anaerobic respiration!).

What advice do you have for parents, coaches or sport administrators to encourage or improve sport for females? 

 

Athletes need to be encouraged to participate in as many sports or activities as they want to. When a young athlete shows skill in a specific sport, she’s often forced to focus on it and develop sport-specific skills because she shows potential. This early specialization hinders long-term athlete development, and can keep her from developing a wide variety of sport-interchangeable skills. Sports promote physical literacy and fun, and this shouldn’t be forgotten.

 

What is a quote that motivates you?         

 

A quote that motivates me is “Don’t stop until you’re proud”. Whenever I face something difficult, it can be really easy to want to just get it done quickly. This quote reminds me to do my best in whatever I do, and that the only person I need to impress is myself.