- 2016 Highlights
Personal Statement
My name is Maddy Vaughn and I will be graduating in the class of 2017 at Clayton High School. I hope to major in psychology, which is a subject I have always found interesting. My athletic goals are to go to a school where I can actively participate on that team and be an asset. I became a women's lacrosse goalie during the winter of my freshman year, due to a previous goalie quitting. During my eighth grade year, I played midfield. While coming into high school I had some experience playing lacrosse, but continuing as a goalie had never crossed my mind. However during one of our winter team meetings, our coach came up to the freshman and asked if anyone was interested in playing goalie. I told him I would try it and I signed up for my first clinic a few days later. While at that clinic, I had only a few pieces of the equipment that I needed. I borrowed the rest from the other goalies that were at the LB3 lacrosse clinic. The LB3 coach was hesitant about putting me in the cage, considering this clinic was supposed to be for advanced players. Finally she said I could give it a try. My father told me that he did not think that it was a good idea, since I did not have all my equipment and I looked at him and said, “dad, I am going to get bruises” and ran onto the field. During that two hour clinic I fell in love with the position.
Now, after playing one season and continuing into my next, I have grown as a student and as an athlete. While playing goalie I have learned that I am stronger than I thought I was. I am a very hard worker, and if I want something, I will make it happen. I am dedicated to both my sport and to school. I try to challenge myself to be the best student, athlete, and person that I can be. One of the Clayton coaches, Panke, always tells us that we are students first, then athletes. He tells us that to get playing time, we first must have good grades. I respect Panke in so many ways, and this is one of the reasons why. My goal for this school year is to keep pushing myself academically.
While playing goalie, I realized pretty quickly that I had to become a leader of the defense. That meant that I had to communicate to them who was open and where they should be. To do this, I had to step out of my shell and become loud, which was hard for me due to my naturally quiet nature. Once I overcame this obstacle, I noticed that I became a better player and the defense flowed more, because when I started talking they knew that they could trust me and that I would tell them if someone was open or if someone was cutting.
I think that what makes me different from others is some of the experiences that I have had and the different views that I can bring. I am very open minded and willing to help. I always try to put others before myself, if they need help or if they just need someone to talk to. I love to volunteer and to help others. I have two-hundred plus community service hours and I hope to keep volunteering. I am a student educator at the botanical gardens, I have worked with children with disabilities and help them ride horses, and I have also built a hospital outpost in the mountains of Peru. I have had many great opportunities and I hope to keep improving as a person, an athlete, and a student.
