The Latest Update from 2007 Graduate Mallory Lobisser

After graduating from W&L in 2007, I headed straight to grad school at UVA for my masters in accounting. It was a quick 9 months in Charlottesville, but without lacrosse, I found myself with a lot of free time. While I definitely missed the forced workouts on the field every day, I finally had the opportunity to pursue a few things that I hadn’t had time for throughout my four years in Lexington. I immediately got in touch with the athletic director at St. Anne’s-Belfield School in Charlottesville and was given the reins of the girls JVB lacrosse team. I coached girls from 7th grade through 10th grade and we had a great time! My patience was tested on a regular basis, but I loved sharing my passion for the sport with the girls and watching them improve from our first game to the last. It was something I definitely hope to do again in the future!

In addition to coaching, I took a job at Dover Saddlery. Horses have always been my passion, but finding the time to be both a rider and a lacrosse player in college was never easy. Working at Dover gave me the opportunity to work with other people who love horses (not to mention a killer employee discount!). Being surrounded by “horse stuff” unlocked a long-suppressed desire to be a horse owner so last January, I became the proud owner of a Dutch-Warmblood colt named Benji (see photo).
When I was a senior in high school (2003), my trainer back home in Seattle gave me the opportunity to show her horse, Sally. Sally was quite a character and despite her antics and stubbornness, we had many successes in the show ring. Our time together culminated with a trip to the world renowned facility Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Alberta. To this day, it was one of the most amazing competitive experiences I have ever had (next to beating Amherst in the NCAA tournament in 2005!) When I went away to college, I sadly had to leave the barn and horses behind. In June 2007, my trainer called me and told me that Sally had given birth to an adorable chestnut colt that would be named Benji. I didn’t actually meet Benji until August when he was just 2 months old, but I fell in love immediately and was ecstatic when my trainer agreed to sell him to me.

Since then, I have gotten back in the show ring on another of my trainer’s horses (Puerto Rico – See photo) and passed the CPA exam. In September, I once again said goodbye to the barn back home and moved to Washington, DC. I began working for Deloitte & Touche out of the McLean, VA office and I am a staff auditor and my largest client is Fannie Mae (I am sure you can imagine how exciting that is…) Benji arrived at his new home in Virginia at the end of April 2009 and I don’t think he is missing Seattle one bit. It will be a long road to the show ring as Benji is just coming two years old, but the experience of working with a young horse has been amazing.
I miss lacrosse, my teammates, Lexington, and W&L, very much, especially each spring, but horses have given me the opportunity to foster two things that made my days as General so rewarding: my competitive spirit and teamwork. Lacrosse taught me so much about success and failure and the lessons I learned are invaluable. I will always be proud to be a General!