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06/18/2012 12:00 AMIn order for athletes to maximize their physical strength, they must also be mentally strong and a great example of someone who combines both these traits is Amelia Hoyt.
Amelia recently capped her junior year at North Haven in which she was a defender for the soccer team, a foilist in fencing, and a singles and doubles player with the tennis squad. Amelia's favorite aspect of competing for the Indians-specifically in the latter two sports-is that she gets to engage in one-on-one battles that serve as a true test in mental fortitude, requiring one to not only outmaneuver, but also, outthink their opponent.
"Fencing and tennis are both a test of wills in which whoever focuses longer and harder is often the one who comes out on top," Amelia says. "There's a lot of strategy involved as you have to do certain things to force them to make a mistake so you can earn the point. I like that because it's more of a challenge than just being the first person to run across the finish line."
North Haven girls' tennis recently crossed the finish line this season, and though the Indians came up shy of claiming the state title, they still had perhaps the best campaign in program history by going 17-4 with Amelia playing a huge role. Amelia went 19-1 competing at No. 3 singles en route to MVP honors last spring, then went to the top doubles spot this year and experienced similar success with fellow junior Erin Norden as the duo was 13-2, made the All-SCC team, and qualified for the State Open.
"Erin and I meshed really well," says Amelia, a recent inductee into North Haven's National and Math honor societies who wants to study biochemical engineering. "We know each other's style because we've played against each other in practice and so we just clicked and got better as the season went on."
However, after singles player Emily Carroll suffered an injury that forced her into doubles play, Amelia returned to No. 3 singles as the season's home stretch arrived. Surely, that's a difficult transition for any athlete, but according to Coach Bob Migliorini, if anyone can handle a move of that magnitude, it's Amelia, and she proved it by winning five of her eight matches.
"Amelia is one the gutsiest players I've coached. She's a real grinder and opposing players don't like to play her because she makes them work for everything," Migliorini says. "Amelia showed tremendous flexibility when she went from playing doubles to singles and has an uncanny ability to keep the ball in play, make few unforced errors, and also covers the court well due to excellent quickness and anticipation. It's a real pleasure to coach Amelia because she is always open to suggestions for improving her game."
These characteristics are why Amelia will captain North Haven next season, a season in which she believes her team can once again make a run towards a state title. Amelia says it's been "an incredible experience" to aid the Indians' ascent into the state's upper echelon alongside a group of athletes who care a great deal about both the team's success and one another.
"We lose some of our best players, but we'll still be a strong team," says Amelia, who will also captain the fencing squad. "We've all put a lot of work into this to become successful and it's a great payoff when you work together and fight hard to win matches with people who are so passionate about the sport and care so much about each other."