Nola Maney is one of the top field hockey prospects in Massachusetts. While she invests a great deal of time and energy into the sport, she understands that it’s not everything.
She said field hockey has helped her develop, on and off the field.
“I have to remember that field hockey is a small part of my life,” Maney said. “[Yet] when I’m on the field, I’m at peace. I can relax even under the most stressful circumstances. Field hockey has given me so many opportunities to travel, meet new teammates and make new friends.”
Maney is a 14-year-old freshman at Lynnfield High School. She’s already achieving much more than the average freshman, earning First-Team All-Cape Ann League honors. She was referred to as a “freshman phenom” by the Boston Herald.
“I work extremely hard at field hockey,” Maney said. “I play 11 months a year between high school, indoor season with my club team and the outdoor season in the spring. For the last two summers, I was fortunate enough to be chosen for Nexus championships, which is a national showcase.”
Maney’s parents, Cara and Joe Maney, have taught her to remain humble and level-headed whether or not accolades are heading her way.
“Every day when we drop her off at school, we tell her to be a friend to someone who needs it,” Joe Maney said. “That makes us prouder than any achievement she could have in field hockey. My wife and I are both special education teachers. We see how kids struggle and how isolation can be debilitating. I was so proud when she was in the sixth and seventh grade and she’d come home and say, ‘Dad, I sat with so and so at school today.’ That is even more important than any report card. In eight years, nobody will care if you could hit a ball, they’ll care if you were a nice person.”
To that point, Maney was recognized as an “Unsung Hero” by an organization called “A Healthy Lynnfield” last year as an eighth grader. She was recognized for her efforts by the town’s selectmen as well as a state representative.
“A Healthy Lynnfield creates projects around things that are really important and inspiring people to help the community through positive changes,” Maney said.
Maney balances academics and being a three-sport athlete at Lynnfield High (she also plays basketball and lacrosse), along with a year-round club field hockey schedule with the 16-and-under Northeast Elite field hockey association, comprised of top players from Massachusetts and New Hampshire. That means regular trips to Byfield and Lowell.
She still prioritizes for her Jewish faith, as she got bat mitzvahed last year. Maney received private Hebrew tutoring from Stephanie Gladstone of Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead.
“Honestly, my bat mitzvah was one of the best days of my whole life,” Maney said. “I was working hard with balancing school, religious studies, sports and multiple teams. It was a blast to see it all pay off, with everyone I love celebrating me for a whole day. I always wear a round necklace to remind me that God is always around.”
Although her bat mitzvah theme was “smiley faces,” her mom Cara was quick to add that the candelabras were real field hockey sticks. “Each person came up and lit a field hockey stick,” she said.
Maney would welcome the opportunity to compete in the Maccabiah Games at some point in her field hockey career.
The youngest of four sisters, Maney began playing field hockey at age 6 in 2017. The sport has taken her all over the U.S., including a selection camp at the U.S. Field Hockey Center in Virginia Beach.
“Every place it’s brought me and the people it’s brought me [have] been special,” she said. “I’ve made a whole new family and traveled. It’s taken me some places where I’ve had some of the best memories with my friends.”
In Lynnfield, Maney was one of three freshmen who made the varsity squad this past season. Lynnfield won the Cape Ann League Championship for the first time in more than a decade and lost to undefeated four-time defending state champion, Uxbridge, in the state quarterfinals.
During the Thanksgiving break, Maney traveled to Virginia for a field hockey showcase, where college recruiters were scouting prospects.
“I want to continue playing as long as I possibly can because of how much I love it,” Maney said. “I’m excited to make more friends and have opportunities with more people.” Θ
