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12/14/2016 11:00 PMMaria Pittsinger joined the track team when she attended John Winthrop Middle School, although she couldn’t quite find her niche in the sport. However, many of Maria’s friends were playing field hockey at the time and so she decided to give that sport a try.
“I was no good at track and I love trying new things,” says Maria. “My friends said that field hockey was a very competitive sport and I’m a competitive person, so I thought I’d give it a shot.”
Maria attended The Williams School in New London for her freshman year and continued to play field hockey. Then as a sophomore, she transferred to Valley Regional. While there were some familiar faces on the team, Maria made many new friends, as well.
“It was a totally different group of people from middle school, but I knew I wanted to be a part of the sport,” Maria says. “It didn’t matter who was on the team because, with field hockey, you automatically become friends with everybody.”
Maria had always played midfield throughout her field hockey career. When Maria was a junior last year, Head Coach Beth McCabe Powers called her into a game and put her in at defense.
“I was scared out of my mind and didn’t know if I was up to snuff,” says Maria. “I did a lot better than expected.”
As a senior this season, Maria not only saw full-time varsity action for Valley Regional, but also saw her team succeed on many levels. The Warriors tallied eight wins and beat perennial powerhouse Haddam-Killingworth in the Shoreline Conference Tournament semifinals before getting edged 1-0 by Westbrook in the final. Valley also qualified for the Class S State Tournament.
“We came into the season thinking we were sort of going to linger in the shadow of the team of the year before us, but we had a great season,” says Maria. “As the season progressed, we just clicked. Even though we didn’t come out with [a win in the Shoreline final], I was really proud.”
On an individual level, Maria earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors and was named the Warriors’ Best Defensive Player. Maria, who recorded four assists on the season, attributes much of her growth to Head Coach McCabe Powers, who she says has been “so supportive.” McCabe Powers says that she saw the impact of Maria’s positive attitude throughout the campaign.
“Maria brought a lot to the table, not least of which was outstanding defensive play. She has a nice steady, calm leadership and is well-rounded academically and athletically,” McCabe Powers says. “It’s nice to have captains who are super nice, approachable, and studious, as well as athletically gifted.”
Maria says she was “elated” when she learned she would be a captain of the Warriors this year. She liked being a role model for the younger players, while working with her fellow captains. Although she greatly enjoyed her time with the Valley field hockey team, it was a bittersweet feeling for Maria as her senior season wound down.
“I was so proud for how hard we worked in that last game, but it was so sad knowing it was the last game I’d play with some of them,” says Maria. “It was really hard knowing this was my last real field hockey moment with this particular team.”
The good news is that Maria will still get a chance to compete alongside some of those teammates as she also plays with the Tsunami Field Hockey Club in the offseason. She hopes to continue field hockey at either the club or intramural level in college.
Maria is also looking forward to this spring, when she will once again be a member of the Valley crew team. After her sophomore field hockey season, Maria had learned that several of her teammates did either lacrosse or crew in the spring. Maria had given lacrosse a try during her freshman year at Williams.
“I wasn’t good at lacrosse and everyone said crew was an intense sport that needed dedication. Being the crazy competitor that I am, that appealed to me,” says Maria. “The second I started rowing crew, I fell in love with it.”
As a member of the Warriors’ crew team, Maria rows in the varsity boat from the stroke seat position with the responsibility of communicating with the coxswain and “keeping the cohesiveness in the boat.” She’s already excited for the 2017 season as the Warriors recently obtained their own equipment, including boats, a trailer, and oars. Maria says that she’d like to continue rowing when she goes to college, where she will likely study either business or Spanish.
“I’m looking forward to winning some races and being taken seriously by some of our competitors,” says Maria on the crew team’s prospects.
When Maria isn’t competing, she stays plenty busy working. Maria has four jobs: dog walking, babysitting, plus working at Essex Meadows and Brewer Ferry Point. She also volunteers with the Big Sister Outreach Program through Tri-Town Youth Services and is a peer captain. On top of all that, Maria is an honors student at Valley Regional.
Maria also feels appreciative for her family’s support. Maria’s twin brother Richard cheers her on at her games, while her dad, who played soccer at UConn, has helped her cope with leaving high school field hockey behind.
“Richard would come to as many games as he could and scream so loud cheering for me,” says Maria. “My dad was able to relate to my schedule and life and how I felt about the team and how I felt after the season ended.”
Looking back on her years playing field hockey at Valley, what stands out the most to Maria are the relationships she formed with her teammates and coaches. She loved having field hockey as an outlet and playing the sport with her friends.
“Every single team I’ve been a part of has been so welcoming and a huge support group. We’re all family,” Maria says. “I love the team and love being able to go out on the field and compete. Going to practice was the highlight of my day, going out to work off the stress of the day, and see my field hockey friends, my coach, and my co-coach. I cherished every second of it.”