Hey, We Know Her!
Congratulations are in order for senior dual-sporter and one-time GFH blogger Christina Benedetti. Bene was voted ODAC Women’s Lacrosse Player of the Year for her performance this season. You can read the full release on the athletics main page. If you don’t have time to click through, here’s the summary: Bene is an amazing athlete and person and we will be very sad to see her and the fellow seniors graduate next week..
While we are busy patting backs, we are proud to report that Washington and Lee Athletics won the 2012 ODAC Overall Sports Champion Cup for the ninth-straight year. In addition, W&L was awarded the ODAC Women’s Sport Trophy for having the highest-performing women’s programs. This was the ninth year that W&L has won the women’s side on top of the Overall Cup. A job well done by all the Generals competing in the blue and white this year!
Long time, No Post!
Greetings from Lexington! It’s been a while. A lot has happened in the past month. We wrapped up our spring field hockey season by hosting a playday with UVA Club and Tidewater FHC out of the Richmond area. The coaching staff was very pleased with GFH’s progress throughout March and the team’s performance on gameday. Several alums, including Grace McGee, Steph Mansey, and Laura Nugent brushed the dust of their sticks and came out to play. It was a great day of hockey, and we’re all excited to see what the fall of 2012 will hold for GFH.
GFH first years performing their annual skit at the GFH banquet
We also held our annual GFH banquet, graciously hosted by the Orrison family out at their farm. Team members were honored for their accomplishments in the classroom and on the field. It was a nice chance to see everyone together one more time before the rush of exams. I think I can speak for everyone when I say the highlight of the evening was Effie’s strawberry cake, which I still have dreams about weeks later.
GFH Seniors
GFH Juniors
GFH Sophomores
Spring break is almost over, which means the start of spring term. Several GFH players will be studying abroad in places like Belize and Nicaragua. Others will be spending the term getting valuable experience on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. and at hospitals in Richmond. The rest of us will be enjoying spring here in lovely Lex Vegas. Come by and see us anytime!
All-Academic, All-Awesome
Congratulations are in order for many of our GFH student-athletes and the team as a whole! The National Field Hockey Coaches Association recently announced the Gladiator by SGI/NFHCA Collegiate National Academic Squads and the National Academic Team Awards amd GFH was represented on both lists.
GFH was honored as a National Academic Team for achieving a team-wide GPA of 3.0 or above during the first semester of the 2011-12 academic year.
The following individuals were appointed to the DIII National Academic Squad for achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher through the first semester of the 2011-2012 academic year. Way to go!
Christina Benedetti *four-year member
Elizabeth Dye *four-year member
The Big 0-5
It’s a big day for one of GFH’s sophomores, Lauren Boone! Lauren turns the big 0-5, and she’s front page news on W&L’s main page.
If you see Lauren on the Hill today, wish her a happy 5th birthday!
Player Perspective: Iziar Moure, ’14
GFH was down at Disney this weekend and is busy trying to pass off their windburn as a sun tan, so this week’s post is courtesy of sophomore and GFH legacy, Iziare Moure. Iziar, a native of Argentina, is the third Moure sister to play on W&L’s turf field. Her sisters, Maitena and Amaya, graduated in 2004 and 2006, respectively, leaving big shoes for their little sister to fill. Iziar, in true Moure fashion, rather than following in their footsteps, is making her own unique ones. In GFH years of hockey, Iziar’s dance after she scores a goal is the best we’ve seen. Here, she talks a little bit about her W&L experience so far.
Iziar Moure, '14
When I decided to study at W&L I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play field hockey. The idea of committing to a varsity field hockey team and studying in a foreign country was overwhelming to me. My academic performance was my priority and I didn’t want field hockey to interfere with school.
Fortunately, I have two older sisters who were student-athletes at Washington and Lee that provided me with advice through their own personal experience. They both agreed that their grades were higher during field hockey season because they were more disciplined and had a better time-management. Field hockey definitely taught them how to be productive and handle multiple tasks. After discussing with my parents and sisters about whether I should join the team, I decided to email Wendy and ask her for the summer workout. At that moment I decided field hockey would still be part of my life for at least one more year.
The first day of preseason I certainly regretted my decision. I was expecting something different, something not so physically demanding and stressful. I didn’t anticipate being so nervous doing something that I loved. I still don’t know why I was so anxious and worried. Maybe it was because I was one day late to preseason due to a flight delay and didn’t have the chance to meet everyone before starting to play. However, once we all went to the locker room to shower I realized I was over-reacting. Girls were actually really nice and welcoming. I still remember the first time I met Christina Benedetti. She was brushing her hair and when she saw me she walked straight to me with a big smile on her face and said “Hi, I’m Bene.” Once I had the chance to talk to them, I realized they were actually really nice. Nevertheless, I was still intimidated by some of them, especially by Emmy Mathews.
Luckily, my birthday was the third day of preseason- I’m being sarcastic. I didn’t really know anyone. I couldn’t even distinguish the freshmen from the rest of the team, except for Victoria, who was my neighbor at Graham Lees. Therefore, I didn’t know how to approach this “issue.” ‘Should I tell anyone? Should I just keep it to myself?’ either way I didn’t want to spend my 19th birthday eating cake by myself. So I decided to tell the team including Baner and Tommy, our equipment managers. The morning of my birthday I went to the locker room to get ready for practice. When I entered the room I noticed that someone had decorated my locker; there was even a birthday hat! I was so excited.
Iziar's oldest sister, Maitena, during her playing days
After my “birthday party” in the locker room, I realized I had made the right choice. It was going to be an incredible year. The field hockey team is one of the most valuable things I have here at W&L. No matter which sorority you are in or what year are you, this group of girls has no boundaries. We are all so different, but at the same time we get along really well. I definitely made the right choice by committing to the field hockey team and I encourage girls that have not yet decided whether they want to form part of a team to do so.
From the Cage to the Chair: Kirsten Kyne
W&L’s famous Mock Convention is just around the corner and you just might recognize the state chair of the Maryland Delegation, profiled here. Learn more about this unique event on the Convention’s website and follow us and we follow this historic election. There will be parades, speakers and a lot of red, white and blue!
On the Sidelines
Jane lends her blogging skillz to Generals Athletics over on the W&L’s Sidelines Blog. Check it out here! Spoiler alert: there are pictures of dolphins involved.
GFH 2012 Clinic and Information Day!
GFH is happy to announce it will be hosting a one-day clinic and information session on March 10th, 2012 on our turf field. Come join us for a full day of quality hockey instruction and see our beautiful campus for yourself. It will be a great opportunity to meet the coaches and players and learn more about Washington and Lee!
Questions? E-mail beallj@wlu.edu. Ready to register? Click here: Clinic Flyer and Registration
Hope to see you there!
Christina Benedetti Featured on “Why W&L”
Check out GFH’s own Christina Benedetti, featured on Washington and Lee’s “My W&L” page. GFH gets a bunch of shout outs and provides quite the scenic backdrop.
A General on the Ravens
This week’s post is brought to you by junior goalie and recently elected captain, Kirsten Kyne. A Baltimore native, Kirsten shares her thoughts on what it’s like to be a Raven’s fan. We have a lot of GFH fans out there in Maryland, so I’m sure this post will ring true with many of you.
With the field hockey season over and winter break coming to a close, there’s only one thing on my mind: football. And no I’m not talking about the BCS. I’m from the North and we watch the NFL. I specifically watch the Baltimore Ravens and this football season has been nothing if not interesting to watch. There were extreme highs, and then the next week would follow with an unbelievable low. Thus is the life of an NFL fan.
Starting in July, my mind became completely obsessed with sports. Yes, the summer workouts for field hockey begin in June, but July is when Training Camp begins for the Baltimore Ravens. Almost every summer, my sister and I make the trip up to McDaniel College to watch our favorite players prepare for the upcoming season, hopefully resulting in a Super Bowl (which hasn’t happened until 2000…Here’s hoping that changes this year!).
This summer was different for many reasons, though. First, the NFL Lockout was in effect so there was no training camp until late in the summer. When the Lockout was lifted, there was one Ravens practice open to the fans making it very difficult for us to get out there to see our boys. Second, this was the first summer that I worked two jobs; one as an intern for Inside Lacrosse magazine, and the second as a pool manager in an apartment complex. I had a great summer, but it still felt like something was missing without a trip to Training Camp.
Pre-season games came and went very fast. I can’t say the same for field hockey pre-season. Two-a-days still get me every year. I was mostly looking forward to September. This is when I would be able to get back in the goal during a game after almost a year of sitting on the sidelines and, as an added bonus, the Ravens were playing the Steelers in Week 1! This rivalry is unlike anything other in sports (it even is stronger than our rivalry with Lynchburg). Something about this game brings out a different side of me that is only seen when I’m on the field.
The Generals had already played five games when it came time for my other team, the Ravens, to play their first. This field hockey season was especially great for me and other NFL fans because we were lucky enough to not have any games on Sundays. When September 11 came around, no one could move me from the screen as I watched my favorite team DEMOLISH my least favorite team. It was amazing. For the whole next week I was on Cloud 9 because we started off the season with a win against the Steelers.
The very next week, the Ravens dropped the ball, literally and figuratively, with a loss against the Tennessee Titans. Really Ravens?! They beat one of the best teams in the NFL one week, and then lost to one of the worst seven days later. It was infuriating watching the team play so badly.
All throughout the season, the Ravens continued to win many games, but would lose a few that had many analysts and fans wondering, “What team is the real Baltimore Ravens?” They ended the season with many records set for the franchise: sweeping the Steelers in the regular season, going undefeated at home (8-0), sweeping the AFC North Division (arguably the best division in the NFL right now), and setting many individual records as well. They also earned a first round bye in the play-offs by gaining the Number 2 seed in the AFC.
It was a very interesting season to be a Ravens fan.
This year, I had the privilege of going to two different NFL stadiums two weeks in a row. On December 18, I travelled up I-95 to Philadelphia to go to my first Eagles game. The Eagles had a rough season this year and I had been told that what I was going to see wasn’t what was typical of a normal play-off bound Eagles team. When I got there I was amazed. There were more tailgaters than I had ever seen. The stadium was packed and everyone was going crazy. There were no “Fire Andy Reid” chants that I had heard about on SportsCenter because the Eagles were crushing the Jets. I even found myself humming along with their fight song because it was played so often.
Those fans are so passionate about their teams up in Philly and it was amazing to see how much they really cared about their players and coaches. They were behind them the whole time. It was an absolute blast.
The next week, I got to spend Christmas Eve at M&T Bank Stadium watching a Ravens game. That is honestly one of my favorite places in the world. The sea of purple that shows up is amazing. Everyone is on the same page. When the defense was introduced and Ray Lewis came out and did his signature dance, the entire stadium went nuts. All I know is that I plan on being a season ticket holder one day. You won’t be able to keep me away.
I ended up almost losing my voice at the game because I was screaming so loudly. Most of my teammates and coaches can attest to the fact that I’m a very loud person, but when I was surrounded by strangers at the stadium, they were very impressed that a 5’3” girl could make that much noise. What can I say? I love my Ravens.
So this weekend when I sit around watching the Wild Card games praying that we don’t have to face the Steelers again, I’m going to be looking back on the wild ride that this NFL season was. There were ups and there were downs. But at the end of the day, I stand behind my team and know that they’re going to get the job done and hopefully bring back the Lombardi Trophy to Baltimore.
Go Ravens!
