Mia Tobin is an excellent leader.
That’s why when the St. Hubert High School junior midfielder was picked to be a captain this year, she knew she had the tools to do it.
She’s not just a captain on the soccer team, she’s a captain in school, too.
“It meant a lot to be picked because we have so many great players,” Tobin said. “I think they picked me because they know I work for everything and have since freshman year. And I get along with all the girls and I always try to talk to the other girls and make sure they’re ready. We usually vote, but this year the coaches picked it. We have a lot of girls who didn’t play before this year, so I’m happy I can help.”
She didn’t win an election to be captain, but she did win one when she was elected to be the president of her junior class.
“I’ve been president since freshman year,” Tobin said. “I wanted to be involved in a lot of different things and I knew with student council, you do a bunch of things, so I decided to go for it and I ended up winning.
“You do a lot of things. One of the things we do is make sure the freshmen know the alma mater, and this year, we’re teaching it to the sophomores, too, because they weren’t in school last year (due to the pandemic). I go to a lot of meetings and help plan things. It’s fun and you’re representing the school. I love the school.”
She also loves the soccer team, and she’s having a lot to do with the team’s success this year.
The Bambies had a weird year. Due to weather cancellations and coronavirus protocols, games were canceled early in the season, so the Bambies have two makeup games this week. They are 3-3-1 with a game against Little Flower remaining. That game will be played after the Times goes to press. A win would move them into fourth place, which would give them a home playoff game against the fifth seed on Thursday.
It’s been a rough year because of the way the schedule has fallen. Hubert had to play three games last week, so the Bambies are playing a lot of soccer in the past two weeks, but it sure beats being on the sideline like they were last year.
“I’m happy we’re playing because the majority of our team are seniors, but we have a lot of young players who are really good, too,” said Tobin, a Torresdale resident. “We have a really good team this year so we really wanted to make the playoffs. It’s been going really well.
“We have great coaches who really try to make us get better. My favorite thing about the school with the coaches and the teachers is, they’re so supportive. They always want you to get better. They always support you.”
Tobin, who also stars on the Bambies’ basketball team, has been around the programs for a long time.
Her sister Celine graduated from the school in 2018 and she also played soccer and basketball. That meant Tobin was at many of the games.
“I knew it was the best place to be before I was here because growing up, I was really close with my sister Celine,” Tobin said. “When she was playing, I went to all of the games and events at the school. I knew I loved it before I got here. And when I got here, I knew I loved it even more.”
On the field, Tobin loves being with her teammates. But she also loves what she’s able to do while representing the Bambies in school.
Thanks to being a strong student, she’s a member of the National Honor Society. She also gets a lot out of being a member of Students Against Destructive Decisions, a group that helps students avoid trouble.
“SADD is a group of girls and we have discussions against drugs and drinking and driving,” Tobin said. “We learn more about that and work together on that kind of stuff. It was a group I really wanted to join, I always heard about it, and my freshman year it was called off because of COVID and last year we couldn’t do much because (of the hybrid schedule). It’s a cool experience, I like being involved. This year I’m excited for it because I’m in school full time. We’ve had some meetings, and we’re planning some cool things.”
A really cool thing would be winning a Catholic League championship.
The Bambies might not be the favorites, but in a crazy league, Tobin likes her team’s chances of having a memorable campaign.
“We have a lot of seniors, so we want to win this year,’ Tobin said. “We are just a really close team. We have some girls who transferred in, but it seems like they’ve been here forever. We’re all just sisters.
“A lot of it starts with the coaches. They are so supportive. We just want to win as much as we can so we can keep playing together. This team really likes each other.”
A championship would just add to the pedigree of her family.
Tobin’s cousins are soccer stars Shane Holmes, who starred at Father Judge and Holy Family, where he is now an assistant, and Mark Tobin, who led Roman Catholic to a Catholic League championship and is now a senior keeper for the Tigers.
“I have a big family, and we are always there for each other, supporting each other,” Tobin said. “I went to a lot of Catholic League games. I’ve been around sports my whole life. I was always at gyms or fields. I’ll go to games and say, ‘I’ve been here before, I played here before.’
“My family goes to watch each other, too. It makes it fun because you’re there for each other.”
