WOODBURY — When Nonnewaug science teacher Toby Denman looked at his class roster before the fall of 2020, he saw a familiar last name.

Starziski, Ireland.

He knew the name. After all, her older sister, Skyla, was in Denman’s advisory and a player on his JV basketball team. Plus, he’d met Ireland before.

“One famous encounter was when I was driving through Watertown and I saw the whole Starziski family in a Jeep with the top off and we stopped to chat with each other, so I’ve known her for a while,” Denman recalled.

Denman was excited to have Ireland in his class – but it wasn’t meant to be.

“It will be fun to hang out with this kid for the year,” Denman thought. “Then all of a sudden she disappeared.”

Starziski decided to stay home in Beacon Falls and go to Woodland. She said it was a tough decision that ended up leaving her second-guessing.

“I was planning to attend Nonnewaug freshman year along with my twin brother, Mac, and sister, Skyla, who was a junior at the time,” Starziski said. “I decided to stay at Woodland because I thought it was gonna be better for me, and I didn’t want to be in the ag program. I was just scared. I don’t like change.” 

With Skyla and Mac being at Nonnewaug while she was at Woodland, it was tough for her to not have her siblings with her.

“It was definitely kinda weird, them all being Nonnewaug and me not with them,” Ireland said. “I felt like I was just missing out.” 

Three years after Ireland decided to attend Woodland instead of Nonnewaug, she’s finally here. Ireland transferred in a week into the new school year. While she was happy about the new opportunity, she said there were awkward moments at first.

“It was definitely not easy,” Starziski said. “I had to make friends while everybody was settled in with their friends, and I kinda just jumped in, but it was better than where I was.” 

While the transition was not easy, Ireland had the advantage of relying on sports to build new relationships. 

“If I didn’t play soccer, I feel like I wouldn’t be as happy as I am because that helped me adjust and make friends,” Starziski said. 

However, transferring a week into the new school year while sports teams had already started conditioning and practices, Starziski had to quickly adjust. 

“Transferring in the beginning of the season without any preseason work and the team already being conditioning definitely set me back,” Starziski added. 

Regardless of this setback, girls soccer coach Nick Sheikh saw that Starziski was determined to give it her all. 

“I think it was a little bummer on her end that she wasn’t 100% right away,” Sheikh said, “but she still gave it her all.”

Sheikh was pleased that Starziski joined the team. Apart from her valuable contributions to the team, he believed she made a smooth transition. 

“I think she adjusted pretty well. She had a skill set that was readily usable,” Sheikh says. “I think the team took her on board nicely. Her stepping it up in some big games was definitely a good memory.”

Senior Gianna Lodice, who plays center-mid on the girls soccer team, agreed that Starziski’s transition was smooth.

“I think her transfer to our team was pretty seamless,” Lodice said. “She tried her hardest at every practice and every game that she played in. It was awesome having her. It was a fun time for sure. I think she definitely brought a lot of grit to the team. She was a gritty player. She gave the people on the sideline that she went up against a tough time for sure. She also had a really awesome shot and was really good at corner kicks, so she helped us out with a lot of set pieces, which are super crucial for soccer games.”

Sophomore McKenna Hardisty is glad Starziski decided to play. Months later, they now consider themselves good friends. 

“Soccer was really fun, and I’m glad she played soccer because it really kickstarted our friendship,” Hardisty says. “I think it’s also helping for basketball because the chemistry is a lot better since having her on a team previously, I know how she works now.” 

Aside from all the accomplishments Starziski achieved during her senior season, there were a few setbacks, including shin splints.

“I couldn’t play towards the end of the season because of how bad my shins hurt. They would just progressively get worse,” Starziski said. “I just wouldn’t rest or do anything I needed to do to properly take care of them, so they would just get worse and cause me to not be able to play.”

Later in the season, Starziski dealt with pulling her quad. She was adamant about giving the end of her season her all, regardless of battling with these injuries. 

“Pulling my quad at the end of the season taught me how to treat my body and take care of myself outside of sports,” Starziski says.

Starziski was committed to making her final year of playing girls soccer at Nonnewaug count. 

“It could’ve been easy for her to say, ‘Oh, I’m injured; I’m not gonna play,’ but she did the opposite, and it was good to see her jump out there,” Sheikh said.

In addition to Sheikh, boys soccer coach Toby Denman agrees he was also impressed by Starziski’s dedication during the Berkshire League tournament championship match against Thomaston.

“I saw her play soccer a little and felt like she was a good athlete, works hard, and competes,” Denman adds. “The one game I filled in [as coach] for the soccer team, I found out the kid was a gamer. Her quad was bothering her and I could tell she was hobbling a little bit, but she said, ‘No, I wanna play, I wanna play.’ But once the game got out of reach late, I was like, I’m pulling this kid out of the game to protect her from herself because I knew she really wanted to play, but nothing good was going to come out of it at that point.”

Starziski has displayed many characteristics of a passionate, driven athlete during her soccer season. Many think she will continue to exhibit these qualities onto the basketball court. 

Having played basketball since she was 4, Starziski brings a lot of experience for the floor. Denman, who coaches JV girls basketball, thinks her skills will contribute a lot to the team this year. 

“She brings athleticism [and] basketball knowledge having played before,” Denman says. “And she’s a really good shooter. She’s gonna be an impactful newcomer in the league this year.” 

Hardisty says Starziski is an ideal player to share the court with.

“She’s really good at basketball, not just as a player but as a teammate,” Hardisty said. “She’s there and wants to help everyone get better, and she’s very unselfish when she plays.”

Starziski is not only known for her positive aspects as an athlete but also her bubbly personality. 

“She’s super funny and likable and definitely engaged with all of her teammates super well and made a fun season for everybody,” Lodice adds. “She was a great teammate and it was a lot of fun to get to know her. Obviously we had never met, so it was fun getting to know a new teammate. She’s really funny. She just made a lot of our practices and games really fun.”

Starziski’s peers, coaches, teachers, and even siblings all agree upon one word to describe her: funny. 

“In true Starziski fashion, she brought a good sense of humor to the table,” Sheikh says. “She lightens the mood but still works hard.”