WOODBURY — Most athletes, especially seniors, enjoy the rest off from sports in their offseason. But Maylan Hardisty enjoys the opposite.
For the first time since eighth grade, Hardisty decided to play basketball her senior year, all thanks to a little persuasion from JV girls basketball coach Toby Denman.
“They had basically lost all their starters [to graduation],” Hardisty said, “and Mr. Denman, he wasn’t really forcing me to, but more like encouraging me to [play]. I didn’t mind it. But also it was Ireland [Starziski] because she did soccer and she didn’t do soccer at Woodland, so I was like, ‘Oh, if Ireland can do it, I can do it.’”
Even though Hardisty had little experience playing, Denman believes that she will be an important asset to this season as the girls basketball team lost six seniors, desperately needing the help of new players to fill in their shoes.
“Maylan is good enough to have played basketball all four years of high school, even though she previously didn’t want to or was afraid to or wasn’t interested or whatever,” Denman said. “But she decided to come out this year and it required a little bit of convincing. But she’s a pretty good basketball player and she’s going to help the team.”
Hardisty additionally played outside mid for the girls soccer team and is a key varsity player for the girls tennis team at Nonnewaug.
“I would say I’m passionate about all my sports; I try my best,” said Hardisty. “If I’m gonna do a sport, I wanna be good at it.”
Hardisty, who is also part of three academic honor societies at Nonnewaug, said she strives to be a good teammate and leader. Tennis coach Chris York thinks that she is a determined tennis player — and always up for a good time.
“Maylan works really hard every day,” York said. “She’s really consistent. She’s a lot of fun to be around. She laughs at herself when she makes a mistake, is pretty light-hearted on the court, and even though she is hardworking, she doesn’t take herself too seriously.”
Girls soccer coach Nick Sheikh, after coaching Hardisty for four years, has seen what she can do on the field and agrees that she has been as asset to have on Nonnewaug’s side of the field.
“Consistency — she brings a certain level of composure, she plays her strengths well, and does a decent job leading by example,” Sheikh said.
Although Hardisty ended up having a successful senior soccer season, she had an obstacle to overcome: shin splints.
“Being injured and not being able to play at 100% really affected my confidence on the field,” Hardisty said. “I felt I couldn’t contribute as much to the team as I’d wanted to my senior year. But I still tried my best every game because I love the sport and I knew my time playing Nonnewaug soccer was coming to an end. I found taking care of my body outside of soccer was very important, icing before after practices and before bed, doing extra stretching before and after games, and also doing strengthening exercises helped.”
But the difficulties and having to take extra time to take care of her body didn’t let that stop her. She continued to be an encouraging teammate, cheering on her team.
“She knows what’s expected of her, and tries to rely that to the younger kids on the team,” Sheikh said. “They can see that she doesn’t really panic, and I think working through an injury showed that. It’s very easy just to step aside and not work hard but she pushed through that — she was teetering on the verge of injury but still worked to get herself back up there.”
As Hardisty not only has a strong mindset in multiple sports, she has also been an inspirational individual for other athletes to look up to.
“One of the few times I saw an opposing coach pull a kid aside as they were coming off the court, and saying, ‘You were awesome today; you did a really good job,’ [was with Maylan],” York said. “She left an impression; the first time they played, she was kind of a deer in headlights, overwhelmed, but then she went up there and decided she was gonna go for it, play really hard, and work really hard. She hit winners, and she was awesome. They didn’t win their match, but I think her effort on the court helped the [overall] team win that day because the kids saw how hard she was working and what she was doing and inspired them to go play hard and throw themselves around.”
With Nonnewaug being a small school, it is easy for athletes to get close to their teammates, spending hours with each other each day.
Ireland Starziski, a senior at Nonnewaug who has recently played both soccer and basketball and plans on playing tennis with Hardisty, appreciates her ability to challenge teammates while still being a selfless friend.
“She pushes you to your limits and she just wants the best for you,” said Starziski.
Hardisty finds fulfillment in helping underclassmen have a smoother transition coming into the home of the Chiefs. Welcoming this year’s freshmen was her main goal as a captain on the soccer team.
“I enjoy that it’s like a family,” Hardisty said. “I’m friends with everyone on the team, and when freshmen and new people are coming up, it’s fun to make their experience better coming into Nonnewaug.”
Hardisty’s teammates have become like sisters, but one of those teammates actually happens to be related by blood.
McKenna Hardisty, Maylan’s younger sister by two years, enjoys having Maylan to look up to and helping her become who she is. The two girls play soccer, basketball, and tennis together at Nonnewaug.
“It’s kind of scary sometimes; those are big shoes to fill,” McKenna said. “But it’s nice having her as an older sister as she’s helped me get through high school and start out. She helped me make new friends and has helped me get out of my shell. She is obviously the reason I started playing tennis, too, and now she’s playing basketball with me, so what a great three seasons to have with her.”
