Infectious spirit shown by Black Knight senior

[attach]5229[/attach]That loud, enthusiastic voice you hear bursting from the fields or courts at Malvern is Abi Moody.

The captain of the girls Tier 1 field hockey team, current volleyballer and rugby pitch denizen, is avid about spreading her love of sports, which she says comes from having four brothers.

“I like getting people to love the sport as much as I do,” she said. “I think it also helps being brought up with such a big family, especially with it being made up of mostly boys.

“They always got me to play sports with them when I was younger, which gave me a lot of confidence in myself for when I started playing at school,” she added. “I believe they have made me who I am and that is why I am able to adapt to being a team leader.”

Moody’s confidence is reflected in her presence on any team, field hockey coach Lesley Gage said.

This season proved to be one of adapting to a new environment, as the grade 12 had a whole new squad to get used to.

“Not only is Abi a talented multi-sport athlete, she is also a fantastic learner,” she said. “She welcomes the opportunity to learn new skills and put them into practice in game situations.

“She plays with a high level of intensity and her teammates raise their own levels to match hers,” Gage added. “ She was a leader on the field, offering support, direction and constantly communicating with her teammates.”

With that said, Moody is always keeping her passion at the 11 setting on volume control.

“I don’t believe I have faced too many challenges but I can be a pretty aggressive player which comes from the passion that I have for the sport,” she said. “I play with a lot of intensity, which I think some girls who I have played with are not used to.

“But everyone knows I am just a very competitive player and love what I am doing.”

In 2010, Moody was a member of three OFSAA teams. This year is setting up to follow in the same path, as the field hockey squad travelled to Unionville for the provincials.

Though the squad finished 1-2 in the round robin, they held their own against some of Ontario’s best, including Sir John A. MacDonald SS from Waterloo, St. John’s Kilmarnock out of Breslau and fellow Hogtowners Michael Power St. Joseph Catholic High School.

Once the year is over, including volleyball, and the spring’s offering of rugby, Moody is thinking about her next step.

She says she wants to play at the highest level of rugby possible, but before that happens she wants to get a little adventure in.

“I may decide to take a year off where I plan to travel and live in South Africa to be a part of an animal reserve program or I will choose to attend university,” she said.

Whatever she opts for it will definitely offer one wild ride.