Maria Maytum '23 Recruiting Profile

As a student athlete, my lifestyles and game-play co-exist with each other, not just at the rink. My vitality and health are extremely important to me and I value things such as my body, up-lifting hobbies, new and uncomfortable activities, and time spent working on myself. Physically, I know that I will show up every. single. time. I push myself harder than I ever thought I was capable of — and this was life changing for me. on the ice, I’m an extremely swift and versatile player with game sense and focus, while off the ice, I'm busy working on my own mindfulness and hobbies I enjoy, such as competitively powerlifting and cooking for myself. I find myself to have and continue to gain several leadership skills as I've grown up such as encouraging my teammates to their best potential, even if that means having the uncomfortable conversation. I also expect my teammates to push me behind my own limits, and that we all plan to bring out the best in each other. I encourage unity and love the idea of bonding as a team, and I think every athlete plays better when they trust and respect their teammates. I pride myself as being the athlete that will never fail as a fallback, and neither as your starter. Academically speaking, I really enjoy classes like philosophy, psychology, and human rights. I find myself to be a dependable and prospective athlete and no limit to  my potential promises. I have faced my failures with this sport time and time again, and each time I find myself lost , but I knew I would only get back and better than where I previously was, and that's where my love for hockey stands. 

One of the most credible and unforgettable moments in my career was meeting my 14U-19U coach at the Erie Junior Otters, Sarah Erickson. I credit her as being one of the main reasons that I view Women's hockey with the respect and dedication that I have now, and my push for playing next-level hockey. Coach Erickson was the co-captain of her team, the Minnesota Gophers, and led her team with such an admirable pride and bond. She had been selected for the US National team, and told us her story of her long-term injury that occurred at the try-out. Even at thirty, you could see she was still mourning that accident, and it lit a fire in me. Coach Erickson had treated us no different than anyone else, and it was sometimes hard to see would push us so hard as many of us were still young. At 17 now, I'm able to see that treating a 14U team no different than any other team, despite age, gender, ability, is a truly commemorable act of respect and isn't something every coach is capable of. Pre and post game, Coach Erickson provided not just me, but our entire team with a type of motivation we had never seen before, and I promised myself I would follow her in the path she took to be as an amazing player and coach as she was. Over the years, I've had my own struggles in my hockey career, coming in all shapes and sizes. But there is nothing that overpowers my wanting of proving her proud and fulfilling my promise to myself.