Whatever she does, Mary Michael Mahalitc does it with all her heart.
Whether she is scoring goals for the St. Joseph Catholic School soccer team or riding her horse, Bertha, in barrel racing competitions during the weekends, Mahaltic gives her 100 percent best each day.
“She is a leader and the leading scorer on our team,” St. Joseph soccer coach Jana’ Slay said. “She is very driven and helps our team in a lot of different ways. As a midfielder, she helps control our offense.”
Mahaltic’s school days start out early. Each day she wakes up at the crack of dawn to tend to the horses in her stable. A senior at St. Joseph, Mahaltic then works hard at school as she studies with a goal of one day becoming an equestrian surgeon. Later, it’s off to a soccer practice or a game. Her day finally concludes with barrel racing practice.
Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to complete a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. Though both boys and girls compete at the youth level, in collegiate and professional ranks, it is a rodeo event for women.
While barrel racing may not be as dangerous as riding a bull, Mahaltic has the scars, including broken ribs, to prove it still comes at a price.
“I love barrel racing because of the adrenaline I get out there riding my horse,” Mahaltic said. “You have to put everything on the line if you hope to win.”
Mahaltic has the scars from soccer as well. She is recently recovering from a stress fracture in her shins that she received from taking so many tough hits on the soccer field.
Even though it was not always easy, Mahaltic does not want to miss a single second of being out there this season with her teammates.
“This team is my family, and I want to always be there for them,” she said.
