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06/21/2018 12:00 AMGuilford resident Maddie Epke has put together an incredible stretch on the national youth sports circuit. Maddie plays field hockey, ice hockey, and lacrosse, and she competed in national tournaments for all three of her sports throughout this past year.
Maddie recently completed her 8th-grade year at Adams Middle School, where she played center midfielder for the field hockey team, center with the girls’ ice hockey squad, and both attacker and midfielder on the lacrosse team. In addition to playing for these squads, Maddie has earned quite a bit of nationwide recognition during the last 12 months.
Maddie was first selected to play in two national youth lacrosse tournaments during the summer of 2017. She competed for Nor’easter Lacrosse in the Brine National Lacrosse Classic and also the U.S. Lacrosse Youth National Championships with Connecticut Elite. After that, Maddie played for an ice hockey team that qualified for the U-14 Tier 2 National Tournament this winter. Most recently, she earned the honor to compete in the U.S. U-14 Futures National Field Hockey Tournament that gets underway in Pennsylvania this week.
“All the practices and extra work in my yard has led to success. I’ve learned different offensive and defensive strategies that have transferred over to the different sports,” says Maddie. “I think it’s exciting that I’ve accomplished this sports goal this year. I’ve had great coaches and teammates that have helped me on this journey.”
Maddie has traveled to many different states and competed across multiple terrains during her youth sports career. Still, she appreciates her close ties at home with the constant support of her parents and friends.
“I love playing sports and getting to see new fields and different ice rinks. Being able to hang out with my teammates is always fun, too. But I love to spend the time with my family,” Maddie says. “Besides encouraging me to do my best, my parents are always there to help me get ready, eat healthy, get enough sleep, and mentally prepare for games.”
Maddie’s sports all feature different intricacies, although each one of them also invites the same opportunity for her to improve her athletic skills, while helping her teams succeed. Maddie loves producing for her clubs, whether she’s putting the ball in the cage or the puck in the net.
“I love to stick-handle around players in field hockey. Opponents will try to swarm around me and I love the challenge of getting out of a situation,” says Maddie. “My favorite part of lacrosse is catching. Since I picked up my lacrosse stick when I was five, it’s always been something I challenge myself with. I spend time almost every day throwing and catching. I want to make sure that whenever I get passed to, I catch the ball. I love to score goals in ice hockey. It’s the hardest one to score in and, because it’s on ice, everyone and the puck are moving very fast. After we score, my teammates and I always come together to celebrate.”
Competing against some of the best youth athletes in the country can be a humbling experience, but it’s also been an important one for Maddie, who’s learned a lot as a result. Maddie says the challenge keeps her motivated to perform to her potential in all three of her sports.
“I’ve learned that you are always going to find someone who’s better than you and to never stop working hard. You can’t think because you accomplish something in a sport, that you are finished training,” says Maddie. “Since I don’t focus on one specific sport, I have to balance my time and energy between all three. Luckily, my parents are always willing to go outside and throw a lacrosse ball, shoot pucks in the driveway, practice my drives and passes in field hockey, or set up an obstacle course to help with my footwork and agility.”
Clarissa Clarke, the coach and co-director of the Nor’easter Lacrosse Club, says that Maddie is well on her way to becoming a top-notch player in high school. Clarke believes that Maddie has both the ability and the attitude to thrive as a varsity athlete at Guilford.
“Maddie is a very special athlete. Physically, Maddy is growing taller and increasing her speed and strength all the time. She has a great mind for the game and loves being a student of the game, which is highly unusual for players her age,” says Clarke. “She is the ultimate teammate who is ready to work hard all the time and push both herself and her teammates in the best way. Maddie is extremely coachable and always has a smile on her face. Make no doubt about it, Maddie has a very bright future ahead of herself.”
Maddie now has her sights set on competing in high school. Already having a sense for what Guilford High School sports is all about, Maddie wants to be a triple threat for the Indians who pushes each one of her teams toward championship glory.
“I’m hoping to help Guilford High School win state championships in all three sports. I spend a lot of time with the high school lacrosse team, because my mom [Wendy Epke] is the [head coach],” says Maddie. “I see how hard they practice and play, and I’m excited to be a part of all that next year.”