Meet Weston multi-sport athlete Nola Dickie
WESTON, Mass. — Although Nola Dickie (18) has been making waves on the Weston High School (WHS) Girls Varsity Swim team (the 鈥淕LOWS鈥�) since freshman year, she doesn鈥檛 have a long history of swimming. At age 7, she swam for just a few weeks on the Weston Golf Club鈥檚 summer team, but it was there that she met two of WHS鈥� most inspiring coaches, Claude Valle and Erin McCarty. Their encouragement left a lasting impression, and by the time she entered 9th grade, Nola knew she wanted to be a part of the GLOWS.
Nola鈥檚 lacrosse journey is more conventional, having played for Weston Youth Lacrosse (WYL) since 1st grade. She continued playing for WYL through 8th grade before joining the WHS Girls lacrosse team as a freshman.
In swimming, Nola, who served as captain this past season, focused on the 100-fly, 100-free, and 50-free. Known for her grit and resilience, she never let the sport鈥檚 mental and physical challenges defeat her. Nola鈥檚 determination paid off: the GLOWS claimed the D2 State Championship titles in both her junior and senior years, and she earned Academic All-American honors in her final season.
On the lacrosse field, Nola is a hardworking, communicative team player whose leadership earned her the role of captain in her senior year. She helped her team reach the D4 State Final Four in both her sophomore and junior years.
Congrats, Nola!
Interview with Nola:
What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?
Nola Dickie: I hope to be remembered as someone who always put her teams before herself, led with thoughtfulness, and was a caring, enthusiastic teammate.
What do you love about your sport(s)?
Dickie: The team environment. I鈥檝e built lasting friendships across grade levels, and we support each other through everything. I鈥檝e also been incredibly lucky to have coaches who care deeply about us as both athletes and people. I鈥檓 especially grateful to Coaches McLaughlin and Wink for believing in me and for helping me develop a strong work ethic and leadership skills, and to Coaches Monz, Gavin, and Jess for their bottomless enthusiasm, support, and encouragement.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
Dickie: Whenever I struggled, my swim coaches would remind me that I had a choice: to be defeated by setbacks or use them as fuel to improve. There were countless tough moments in the pool when I felt like giving up, but their words inspired me. I learned to push through, pick myself back up, and keep moving forward with determination.
How do you prepare yourself mentally or physically for competition?
Dickie: I try to stick to a routine 鈥� eating well, getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, listening to good music, and going through a solid warmup. In swimming especially, it鈥檚 easy to get in your own head and mentally lose the race before it even starts. That鈥檚 why I鈥檝e learned to rely on things like music and meditation beforehand to stay focused and calm.
What is your biggest challenge in your sport(s), and what do you do to manage this challenge?
Dickie: Both swimming and lacrosse require a lot of time and commitment in order to see improvement. Whether it鈥檚 shaving off time in my swim races or mastering a defensive play in lacrosse, improvement is never immediate. But, I try to focus on showing up every day, having a good attitude, being 鈥榗oachable,鈥� and always giving my best effort. In the end, that is what pays off the most and makes the biggest difference in my athletic ability.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Dickie: I鈥檝e learned how to best support others, communicate clearly and positively, receive feedback, and put my team鈥檚 goals above my own. Being a good teammate is so much more important than being a talented athlete. I couldn鈥檛 have pushed through all the early morning practices, tough sprints, late meets, or rainy games without these girls by my side.
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