Clearly, there are different levels of fast in sports.
The most obvious would be those who run track. Fast there for a girl would be something under 12 seconds for 100 meters.
But for a sport like field hockey, there are no 100-meter dashes. The field itself is only 100 yards long. Fast there would be most valuable for 20 or 25 yards.
Poway’s Anjolie Norton has that kind of speed.
“On a shoot out, the ball is placed 25 yards from the goal,” explained Titans coach Ari Hooper. “Most players need the full eight seconds allowed to run, dribble the ball and shoot (from inside the 20 yard arc).
“Against University City in the Helix Tournament, Anj dribbled through three to four players and scored the winning goal, taking 4.5 seconds. She just has that burst.”
Norton realizes that speed is her friend but also has no idea what kind of speed she will take to the University of Michigan, where she’ll play starting in the fall.
“I got timed for the 40 a couple of years ago,” said Norton, “but I honestly don’t how fast it was. I know I’m faster now, but I’ve never run track or anything. I can eliminate defenders with my speed, though.”
She managed to race past a lot of defenders this season, which ended last week when the No. 4-seeded Titans lost to No. 1 seeded La Costa Canyon in the section semifinals, 5-2.
Up to that game, Norton had shattered the school scoring record set a year ago by Elizabeth Edmonston of 33 goals and 12 assists for 78 points.
With a three-goal, two-assist opening round playoff game against La Jolla in a 5-4 overtime victory, and both goals in the semifinal setback, Norton pushed her own record to 40 goals and 19 assists (99 points), which according to MaxPreps is No. 1 in the state.
But Hooper said Norton is more than just a quick player.
“She’s best under pressure,” said Hooper, who played for Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, and is in her first year as head coach of the Titans after being an assistant for two years.
“An example is we were tied with 3-3 Fallbrook with 5 or 6 minutes to play and I called time out. I told the team we didn’t want overtime where anything can happen and somehow the ball ended up with Anj and she scored.
“She has gotten so much better since her sophomore year,” she said about Norton, who didn’t get to play field hockey her freshman year because of COVID.
“She sees the field much better and won’t hesitate to get the ball to a teammate if that player has a better chance to score. Like anyone, she can get frustrated when things don’t go right but she channels that to speed on the field. She motivates herself and even gets faster.
“She’ll show Michigan they made a great choice.”
Norton played soccer until the sixth grade but her mother, Nicole, saw a flyer for field hockey and since her daughter was looking for something new to try, mom suggested a sport she had enjoyed in P.E. class.
Being a center-mid in soccer, Norton gravitated to that position naturally and that’s where she can do the most damage, both offensively and getting back to help on defense. Speed helps there, too.
“I wanted a new challenge, to try some new skills, and field hockey is a very positive sport,” said the 5-foot-4 18-year-old. “Where I think I’ve improved the most is seeing the field better. I’d see it in soccer and now I can see the whole field in field hockey, too. I’m more aggressive and, yes, I use my speed.”
Norton led the Titans to an overall record of 22-4-1, the best in school history, but will now go back to her club team, RUSH, to stay in shape while maintaining a 3.95 GPA and participating as a Titan Ambassador.
“Titan Ambassadors are 20 seniors, not just athletes, who visit elementary schools and interact with kids,” she said. “We help put on parades, the Fall Festival, we work within the community. We go to recess and encourage the kids to play anything—handball, basketball, on the swings—and to not just enjoy sports, but activities like choir or drama, to be diverse.
“It’s really fun. I feel very comfortable doing that — I like giving back.”
