Get to know Norfolk Collegiate School soccer players, sisters Mary Bradley and Devin Howlett
NORFOLK, Va. —
Name: Mary Bradley Howlett
Age: 17
Sport: Soccer
Sports participated in: Cross Country, Basketball, Swimming, Lacrosse, Track, Field Hockey, Volleyball, Tennis
Years in current sport: 9 (competitively)
Team/s: VB City and Norfolk Collegiate
School: Norfolk Collegiate
Grade/Year: 12th grade, Class of 2023
Name: Devin Howlett
Age: 16
Sport: Soccer
Sports participated in: Field Hockey, Basketball, Cross Country, Swimming, Tennis
Years in current sport: 8 years
Team/s: VB city, Norfolk Collegiate
School: Norfolk collegiate
Grade/Year: 11th grade, Class of 2024
“You can only control how hard you play.” Mary Bradley and her sister Devin keep this at the forefront of their minds as they lace up their shoes and tackle their athletic goals.
The Howlett sisters, who are only a year apart, have participated on many sports teams throughout their lives. While soccer has been each of their focus for nearly a decade, they are two athletic girls who enjoy the activities and challenges that come with organized sports. They’ve played various positions on fields from field hockey to soccer and lacrosse. They’ve dove into swim events and have slammed tennis and volleyballs.
Though they’ve had many coaches, one in particular from their time playing basketball left his mark. Mary Bradley and Devin also happen to call him dad. They have each applied his coaching advice to all of their teams (possibly because he reminds them of the same thing to and from sporting events). It was he who told them, “You can only control how hard you play.”
Mary Bradley plays striker for her travel soccer team, VB City in Virginia Beach, as well as for Norfolk Collegiate. Now a senior, she has learned some significant life lessons about making mistakes from her many years of experience. Every time she hits the field, whether in practice or a game, Mary Bradley focuses on bringing the best version of herself to her team with consistent improvements.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t always mean she has a successful day. Because she recognizes that she is only in control of herself, she is quick to take responsibility for her actions. But that can cause Mary Bradley to be particularly hard on herself when she makes a mistake. She has had to learn how to cope when she doesn’t live up to the high expectations she sets for herself. “I’m constantly trying to remind myself that I am doing the best that I can,” she said.
She shared a memory from when she first joined her travel team a few years ago. “I used to miss a lot of wide-open goals, which made me lose a lot of confidence. I finally realized that I have to accept that I can’t change what I have done in the past and learned to move forward.” All she can control–as her dad said–is how hard she plays now.
Mary Bradley humbly admitted she’s not sure she misses any fewer shots these days, but she feels like her mentality has reached a much better place. And when she’s playing from a place of confidence rather than fear, she enjoys her time far more. (It’s probably safe to say her stats have improved, as well). After this year, Mary Bradley hopes to play at the collegiate level. Whether or not she’s able to continue her soccer career in college, she has developed personal skills she can apply outside of soccer for the rest of her life.
Mary Bradley’s sister, Devin, has had similar troubles with her mind in soccer, but she has found that her teams have been the support she needs. She, too, plays for VB City and Norfolk Collegiate. “I can get caught up focusing on my mistakes,” she said. “My coaches and teammates encourage me, which helps me get out of my head.” It also helps that her position doesn’t have time to dwell. As a left-wing, she hustles on both sides of the field, setting up plays for her team to score and sprinting back to support defense when the other team has the ball.
For Devin, having teammates is one of the best parts of playing soccer. They add the social aspect to the sport, and they’ve also helped her learn how to work with others. “Soccer has taught me how to listen to other people’s suggestions and accept help,” she said. But at the end of the day, she’s there to play hard and have fun with her friends.
In or outside of their sport, both sisters look to enjoy time with the people they love. They each mentioned how they love hanging out with their friends during their free time, especially–Devin added–when at the beach.
“We also spend a lot of time with our family,” Mary Bradley said. It’s no wonder that when they combined two of the things they love–family and sports–when their dad coached their team, they both came away with lasting memories.
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