Maya Toomey-Stout helps direct the attack during her middle school volleyball days. (John Fisken photos)
Toomey-Stout waits for her pitch, mere seconds away from unleashing her gazelle-like speed.
It’s an honor.
That’s how Maya Toomey-Stout feels about being an athlete.
A quicksilver speed demon, she excels at numerous sports, be it volleyball, basketball, softball or track, using her gazelle-like speed and smarts to blend her skills with her teammates.
Toomey-Stout, who will join twin brother Sean as CHS freshmen in the fall, plays with a smile and it’s genuine.
“I don’t really have a favorite sport because all are different and very fun each in their own way,” she said. “I enjoy a lot of things about being an athlete.
“Even the title is an honor,” Toomey-Stout added. “Being an athlete means that you push yourself, create challenges, and are also able to keep your grades up.
“I honestly don’t know what I would do without sports.”
This spring, she was one of the leaders on a Central Whidbey Little League Juniors softball squad which rolled to a 13-3 record.
Setting the table for the Venom, she was an aggressive lead-off hitter, spraying the ball, then using her speed to create havoc.
On a team which ran their foes into the ground, she was the premier base thief, often zipping into second before the opposing catcher could even get out of her crouch, much less make a throw.
“I love to run,” Toomey-Stout said. “And I think that running will help you in almost every sport.”
Not content to rely merely on her speed, she’s intent on fine-tuning all the aspects of her skill set.
In fact, as this article appears, Toomey-Stout is down in Ocean Shores with other Wolf girls hoops players at a summer camp, putting in work as a team.
“Areas that I would like to work on more aren’t really things I have been working on,” she said. “In volleyball, I want to improve in hitting/spiking the ball and in basketball I want to improve on shooting.”
A strong student who enjoys math (“it’s my strongest core subject”) and gym, Toomey-Stout wants to be a true student/athlete, and not just a jock.
“With all the sports I’m doing, I have a goal to keep concentrated in my studies and to keep my grades up,” she said.
Whether in school, competing in the arena or just hanging out with family and friends, Toomey-Stout has a large circle of supporters she can turn to for advice, help or just a reliably boisterous cheering section.
“There are so many people that I look up to,” she said. “My moms (Lisa Toomey and Beth Stout) have always told me to keep working hard and to never give up.
“My brothers (Sean and Cameron) don’t really tell me anything, but I push myself to be a great athlete like they are.”
Regardless of the sport, Toomey-Stout is part of an especially strong wave of younger female athletes in Coupeville right now, and the band of sisters looks out for one another.
“With my friends, not all of them are in my grade, but they always support me,” she said. “They always give the best pep talks, and they make me laugh even if I am crazy nervous before games.”
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