Meet the Generals - Sophomore Meredith Lavin

After a week of holiday festivities, the blog is back with another member of the class of 2014. Below, Sophomore Meredith Lavin answers our Meet the Generals questions!

1. Name: Meredith Lavin
2. Year: 2014

3. Position: Midfield

My family and I at my cousin's graduation last spring.

4. Major: Biology (possible math minor)
5. Where do you live on campus? Woods Creek West
6. Favorite memory of last season? My favorite memory of last season is winning ODACs. I have never been part of a team that was so successful. It was an amazing experience.

My friends from home and I.

7. Goals for 2012: My personal goal is to survive physics and chemistry. They are both tough courses.
8. What do you miss most from home? My family and my mom's cooking.

High School Senior Night

9. Favorite thing about W&L? I would have to say the people. Everyone here is warm and wlecoming. I have made really close friends who will probably be a part of the rest of my life.
10. If you could have a super power what would it be? To fly

Thanks for all your answers Mere! Next week, the introductions continue with another member of the class of 2014. Make sure to check back for the first post of 2012!

Happy Holidays from the Generals!

Before the Generals headed into their finals, the team got together at Coach O'Brien's house for a morning filled with cookie decorating, a Yankee Swap, and some holiday treats!

Cookie Decorating

SG, Lotterman, Kirby, and Lauren ready for the Yankee Swap in front of the tree!

Ali proudly displaying her present!

Our laxers are cookie artists too!

From our Generals Lax family to yours, happy holidays!!! Next week the blog will introduce another one of our sophomores; be sure to check it out!

Meet the Generals - Sophomore Margaret Klein

This week we get to peak into the life of sophomore attacker, Margaret Klein.

Some laxers hanging out during Homecoming Weekend.

1. Name: Maragaret Klein

2. Year: Sophomore

3. Position: Attack

4. Major: Business Administration and French

5. Where do you live on campus? I live in Gaines Hall.

The Dirty Dozen (freshmen class) as ODAC Champs!

6. Favorite memory of last season: My favorite memory of last season is winning the ODAC championship. Being able to play Roanoke, one of our biggest rivals, and beat them for a second time during the season was a great feeling. I also loved being with the team on and off the field, especially all of our team dinners.

7. Goals for 2012: My goals for this season are to go undefeated in the ODAC, win the ODAC championships, and make it past the second round of the NCAA tournament. And also to beat Salisbury after our close loss to them in the second round of NCAAs.

My family and me at graduation.

8. What do you miss most from home? I miss my two dogs, Brownie and Maddie, and my Mom's cooking!

9. Favorite thing about W&L? My favorite thing about W&L is the sense of community and trust that defines the campus, and there is so much tradition that we continue to uphold. I also love being able to play a sport in college!

Leanne, Kirby, and Me on Parent's Weekend.

10. If you could have a super power what would it be? I would want the ability to fly. I always have dreams that I'm flying and I want to be able to do it in real life!

A big thanks to Marge for sharing her survey with us this week. Next week the blog gets in the holiday spirit with pictures from the Generals' Christmas party!

Meet the Generals- Sophomore Olive Waxter

As Sophomore Olive Waxter and the rest of the Generals prepare for finals week, let her introduce herself to you... Olive and el captain!

1. Name: Olive Waxter
2. Year: 2014
3. Position: Defense
4. Major: Biology (Pre-Med) Minoring in Environmental

Roomies

5. Where do you live on campus? Gaineslyfe!

6. Favorite memory of last season? We were sent to Lee Chapel as a team and were suppose to touch the doors and then run back. One of our most competitive players, Caroline Kingsberry, took a "short cut" down one of the steepest hills. She was in fact very far ahead of everyone, but as she turned around to encourage and push all of us (which really was trash talking) she fell face first into a huge mud puddle. The entire team was laughing and teasing CK (after making sure she was ok) as she got up and shook it off and laughed along with us. It was one of those moments that replay in your mind over and over again, so as the run continued down the hill to Lee Chapel (which is a tougher run than one might think) the entire team was smiling from ear to ear. Of course CK was right back up and back in the front of the pack in no time, but this was just one of those times where we were working at our 100% level as a unit and still were having a blast. It's what out lacrosse team is all about. It is amazing to me how much our team laughs and plays because each on of us is more competitive than the other, we push each other to places we would never have thought of going.

Maggers and Olive in Spain

7. Goals for 2012? FINAL FOUR HERE WE COME! With one year under the sophomores' belt, our class is hungry for more. Being so close to defeating Salisbury as freshmen really proved to all of us that this team can be as strong as we want it to be. Our upperclassmen showed us how to work, and now we are 100% ready to work, no excuses. Our class is the biggest returning class, and if we step up and bring all the freshmen along board, we will have a team that will do what it takes to win. The upperclassmen will continue to push us as we grow into the players they expect us to be.

8. What do you miss most from home? My dogs! Dogs are really an amazing part of peoples' lives in the way they interact with us and shape us. I can talk to my family all the time, but you really become separated from a dog since the only way to communicate with them is to play fetch or indulge them and allow them to sleep on your bed every once and a while (every night).

The Waxters

9. Favorite thing about W&L? I love the atmosphere that W&L creates. Just as an example: being part of the pre-med program is a big job, but you'd be surprised at just how community oriented the program is. At bigger schools the competition is really intense among students, but at W&L there is a lot of collaboration and helping each other along. In the changing medical world, the ability to work well with others is going to be very important. I think that the small size of the school makes everyone feel more comfortable and more at ease simply because there are familiar faces everywhere. The teachers are absolutely fabulous as well. I feel like I have a huge amount of people who really just want me to do well and succeed which is something that not every school has.

10. If you could have a super power what would it be? Teleport defeinitely! Teleporting is the ultimate super power because you can also fly and basically be invisible. You can teleport in the air and then teleport in the air further and you're basically flying. You can teleport into a room where you can't be seen either and if you get in trouble you just teleport out. Plus, it would be really easy to travel.

Thanks to Olive for filling us in on W&L and making a compelling argument for teleporting being the best super power. Good luck to all of our Generals as they head into finals week and make sure to visit the blog next week to meet another sophomore General!

What the Generals Are Thankful For

After spending the week at home with their family and friends for the Thanksgiving holiday, we asked the girls what they were thankful for...

Christina Benedetti '12- I am thankful for Harry Potter, Justin Bieber, and musicals (aka Glee and High School Musical).

Adele Irwin '15- I am thankful for my parents.

Emily Hardy '15- I am thankful for my family and all they've done to help me get to W&L. I'm also thankful for everyone's safe travels back to Lex!

Maddie McKaig '12- I'm thankful for having someone who cares as much about me as I do for him. And if you're thinking I'm talking about my boyfriend, you're wrong. I'm thinking of my cat, Mr. Waffles.

Taylor Zusi '14- I am thankful for my family and my dogs.

Cara Mulligan '15- I am thankful for Sarah Gray having all the seasons of Gilmore Girls and also for my new lax teammates!!

Sammy Yates '15- I am thankful for my family's good health.

Alli Shearin '12- I'm thankful for my dogs, Pup and Rus, and for all of the joy that they bring me!

Kirby Taylor '15- I am thankful for the abundance of food in my fridge and pantry (especially peanut butter and fig newtons) and a large family.

Meredith Lavin '14- I am thankful for my family and all the support they provide me.

All of the First Years (and Maisie) gathered around our own Thanksgiving style class dinner at the O'Brien house!

Leanne Stone '14- I am thankful for my two suite-mates Olive and Alice. I am thankful for their health and their extremely positive attitudes through tough recoveries from surgery.

Ashley Barnes '13- I'm thankful for my big brother and that I got to hang out with him over break.

Lauren Acker '12- I'm thankful for my family, I'm thankful for all of the seniors, and I'm thankful to be a general!

Alex Van Horn '14- I am thankful for my WONDERFUL roommate Meade.

Meade Brewster '14- I am thankful for my roommate.

Katie Lotterman '15- I'm thankful for my friends and family!

Elizabeth Bucklee '13- I am thankful for family and friends, both near and far, and for Skype, Facebook, and email that keep us in touch. I am also thankful for things like popcorn, grapes without seeds, Caesar salad, Chipotle, and the list continues...

Katie McCartin '15- I am thankful for all my family and friends and the opportunity to lax with some pretty cool people at W&L.

Jennifer Linder '12- I am thankful for the laughs my family enjoyed when my dog tried whipped cream for the first time.

Greta Witter '14- I am thankful for my brothers, all my lax pals, and my new nose.

Sarah Gray Erickson '15- I'm thankful for my family and all my new friends at school especially Adele.

The coaching staff is especially thankful for such a great team and all of their safe returns to campus following what sounds like a very thankful break! Visit the blog next week as we introduce another member of the class of 2014!

Coaches Head to IWLCA Convention

Last week Brooke and MK got up nice and early Wednesday morning to jump on a plane down to Naples, Florida for the annual IWLCA Conference and the President's Cup.

Each year the IWLCA, Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association, holds a convention for all of its members to get together and discuss important issues in the game and honor those who have worked hard to advance the game in the past year. After arriving in Florida, Wednesday and Thursday were filled with speakers such as Ryan Knapp from the NSCAA on social media and technology and Rebecca Ahlgren-Bedics from the Jeff Jansen Leadership Academy. We also spent a good deal of time discussing new rules at both our level and at the youth level, tournaments, as well as updates on all of the things the IWLCA has been working on this past year. The ballroom transformed from meeting space to dinner hall.

After a very long day of meetings on Wednesday, all the coaches got dressed up and ready for the IWLCA Honors Dinner. Our congratulations go out to all of the honorees for the 2010-11 season!

Muffy Bliss, head coach at McDaniel, MK, and Kristin Ramey, head coach at Denison, at the honors dinner.

Friday wrapped up with more discussions concerning tournaments and rules followed by a quick presentation on the great organization, Lax 4 Life. Lax 4 Life is a non profit lacrosse organization aimed at suicide prevention and awareness for young adults and adolescents. The organization started in 2009 and has raised a great deal of money to date toward their cause. Check out their Facebook page to get involved!

It wasn't all fun in the sun at the fields each day.

Once the meetings were finished it was time to change gears and get recruiting! No beach time for these Generals coaches, just plenty of sweating on the sidelines of some great tournament games all weekend.

Brooke and MK returned back to Virginia just in time to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday this week! Check back next week to hear what our Generals are thankful for.

Meet the Generals- Sophomore Alex VanHorn

Sophomore Alex VanHorn introduces herself to the masses in her own style below!

Just some classic besties- Horn, Hagey, Meade

1. Name: Alex Van Horn
2. Year: Sophomore
3. Position: Midfield
4. Major: Business Administration; minor in Mass Communication

Winners of the scavenger hunt… aka the BEST team!

5. Where do you live on campus? Kappa Delta sorority house
6. Favorite memory of last season? The last minutes of our ODAC finals game against Roanoke when it was obvious that we were going to win.. And of course the moment when the clock stopped and we were ODAC CHAMPS.
7. Goals for 2012 (personal, team, lacrosse, whatever you want to share)? My personal lacrosse goal is to SCORE GOALS! My team goal is for us to really work together and bond as a whole team. And my non-lacrosse personal goal is to really use and cherish everything available to us at W&L.

Some of us from my high school lacrosse team dressed up for Denim Day – repeat for the Gennies?!

8. What do you miss most from home? My dogs and my Mom’s food and actually having a mall and real civilization close by.
9. Favorite thing about W&L? I love the small class sizes and just knowing so many people when walking around on the Hill.
10. If you could have a super power what would it be? To be able to teleport myself anytime, anywhere.. DUH.

Thanks to Horn for the beautiful pictures and insight into her life. Also, congratulations to Lauren Acker who is being honored today as the General of the Month. Check back next week to hear about the IWLCA conference in Naples, Florida.

Generals Welcome Goalie Coach Maisie Osteen

This fall the Generals welcomed goalie coach Maisie Osteen to the team. Below she introduces herself to the Generals' Nation.

Born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia I never dreamed where lacrosse would take me. In fact, as a kid, I didn't dream about lacrosse. I didn't know what lacrosse was until I went to an "informational meeting" in 8th grade. That was where my fate was sealed.

The first day of pratice our coach asked for a volunteer goalie for the day. Although she promised it was not forever, little did she know, it was. Once I stepped in the crease, I knew I was in the right place. In my first season as a Black Knight we went 0-12. It was rough but with a start like that things can only get better. My senior year we went 12-2 and advanced as far as possible in our division. High school lacrosse taught us all to work hard, rely on each other, and laugh... a lot! Maisie looking all pretty these days.

The recruiting process was a whirlwind and I ended up at Hofstra Univeristy in Long Island, New York. When I went on my recruiting visit I fell in love with the team, the coach, and the chance to be so close to the city. At Hofstra, I was the four-year starting goalie for the Pride. During my career we went to the CAA championship three times, winning the conferenc once, advancing to NCAAs once, and most importantly having fun, lots of fun. All the 6:00am runs, 8-hour bus rides, and late night study halls made us a closer team and a more effective unit on the field. I met some of my best friends at Hofstra and I would not change anything about my experience.

Maisie in between the pipes for the Pride.

I enjoyed life off the field, at Hofstra, as well. I majored in legal studies in business and minored in political science and history. I took a bunch of art classes and every opportunity to get in to the city to visit museums, go to street fairs, and experience different cultural events.

The summer after my sophomore year I played in a tournament with a few players from the Welsh National Lacrosse Team. I expressed excitement about the team to them because my grandfather was from Wales. During the tournament, I spoke to the coach and the next month I was flown over to the United Kingdom for a try-out. After a long exhausting weekend, I made the team, and started flying to Great Britain once a month for squad weekends. The team was filled with amazing and ccomplished women who ranged in age, experience, and backgrounds. We had doctors, police officers, and there were a few other students as well.

Maisie in the cage again, this time for the Welsh National Team.

After I graduated I moved to England to be closer to the team in the year leading up to the World Cup. I taught sports at the Royal School for Girls in Haslemere, Surrey, UK. At the school I was the head coach for five lacrosse teams with players ranging in age from 11-18. If for any reason I had started to think of lacrosse as a job, this position reminded me exactly why I loved the sport. I had so much fun working and learning with the girls. Also, being in the UK allowed me to substantiate my relationships with my Welsh teammates. We played in a number of tournaments, attended numerous events, and really got to know each other. In June 2009, the World Cup was in Prague, Czech Republic. It was a fantastic experience and although we did not do quite as well as we had hoped, ending in 6th place, we performed very well and confirmed our international position as a strong team.

After I returned from the UK I worked in Charlottesville for two years at both the Legal Aid & Justice Center and a small local defense firm. These experiences, along with some of my previous educational experiences, solidified my desire to go to law school and that, my friends, is how I ended up at Washington and Lee. I am particularly interested in pursuing a career in human rights and public interest law. I did a substantial amount of my undergraduate work in human trafficking prevention and research and, although, I am interested in continuing that research, I realize there is a multitude of valuable work to be done and I am excited to learn more about varying legal opportunities!

I owe a lot to lacrosse. It has afforded me amazing opportunities to travel, access to a great education, and millions of amazing memories playing the sport I love. The most important and rewarding part of my lacrosse career, however, has been the people I have met. My teammates, coaches, fans, and opposiong players are why this journey has been so special. Many of my best friends now are people I once played beside. We know each other so well because we have seen each other at our best and our worst and we have learned the difference.

I am excited to get to know the Washington & Lee lacrosse team better and I look forward to an amazing upcoming season. Go Generals!

Now that you know the coaching staff, check back next week to meet one of our sophomores who wasn't properly introduced on the blog last year!

MK Heads Out For Some West Coast Lax

While the rest of the Generals were busy raking leaves and painting rooms for our Fall Clean-Up Fundraiser, I jumped on a plane bound for Seattle and some West Coast lax!
The clinic venue on a beautiful fall Seattle day!

While it was definitely my fastest trip to the West Coast and back, (I was in Seattle for only 27 hours) it proved to be a great day to help spread the game of lacrosse. Through the club team I also coach during the off season, XTEAM, I was sent out to coach a WomensLax.com clinic with some of the coaches from USC. I worked with Devon Wills, USC defensive coordinator and US National team goalie, Hilary Bowen, USC offensive coordinator and four time national champion with Northwestern, Regan Bosch, director of lacrosse operations at USC and Duke '08 graduate, and Catherine Rodriguez, Syracuse class of 2011 and local Seattle laxer. We had more than 50 laxers come out for a great day filled with stickwork, shooting instruction, small games, and scrimmages.

After the clinic the coaching staff had a little time to explore Seattle before boarding our respective planes back home. Below are some pictures from our little trip eating our way through Pikes Place Market!

Unfortunately no on ordered anything, so we didn't see any fish throwing.

We stopped to sample cheese curds and the famous Mac and Cheese at Beecher's Handmade Cheese!

We even added our own little bits to the famous gum wall!

Seattle is a great place where lacrosse is definitely growing and getting better all the time. The next time I make a trip out I only hope I can stay a little bit longer!

Next week's blog will be filled with an introduction, but you'll have to check back to find out who we're introducing!

Generals Clean-Up All Over Town

This past weekend the Generals enjoyed some great fall weather and got outside to get their hands dirty! SG taking a quick break!

Each of the girls spent a few hours either Saturday or Sunday working with a few of their teammates to help out a faculty or staff member from the university with some sort of housework.

Alli and Horn showing off their tools of the trade!

We had a huge response from people on campus who wanted to have the team come out to their homes and do a little yardwork. The girls did everything from gardening, raking, trimming bushes, painting, cleaning gutters, to sanding, window washing, weeding, and car washing.

CK scraping paint off some old shutters!

A big thank you to all of the faculty and staff who supported the team through this great fundrasier, and a huge thank you to the team for doing all the hard work to get us to our training trip in February!

Visit the blog next week to hear about MK's lightning fast trip to the West Coast!

Hola Mis Amigos! From Junior Elizabeth Bucklee

Generals Junior Elizabeth Bucklee is spending the fall semester abroad in Barcelona, Spain. Below she fills us in on her life across the pond!

Hola mis amigos! I hope that all is well in Lex and that Fall Ball was a success! I cannot believe that it is already mid-October and that the semester is halfway finished. The workload has picked up a little bit over here and I just finished my first two midterms today. Classes are going well but the Spanish style of learning is very different from what I am used to at W&L. Class is completely lecture, professors do not have office hours, and our grade consists mostly of our midterm and final with maybe a little quiz squeezed in somewhere. But the best part is that I do not have classes on Fridays! Luckily, I've been able to take advantage of that and do some travelling. Me outside of my homestay (doors to the left) and my senora's pottery shop (glass doors to the right).

Not that I like escaping from Barcelona for too long, though! I love this city, the beach, the food, the architecture, the siestas, and the Catalan culture. My homestay family is awesome - Pepa, mi senora, is an amazing cook and I can smell lunch and dinner cooking right below my bedroom every day. She makes pottery and her shop is located below our bedrooms and living space. Pretty cool! We live in El Gotic, which is the old Roman city aka the original Barcelona. It's very touristy, but absolutely beautiful and very central to the rest of the city. There is always something going on in Barcelona and it's fun to walk and get lost on the side streets with the cafes and tiny shops. I decided to study abroad on my own, which has been great because my independence has definitely grown and I've made friends from other universities in the States. But being located in a major city has many perks, liking having my W&L friends come and visit for the weekend! Me at the top of the mountain in Parque Guell which was designed by the artist Gaudi.

I've also done my share of travel so far- I've visited Madrid and Toledo, Seville, Sitges, Munich, Valencia, and I am going to Paris next weekend (shout out to Karen and Andy who will be there to celebrate a birthday and anniversary and my dad doesn't know I'm meeting up with them so shhh). It is so easy to get around in Europe and the flights are pretty cheap. I hope to book a couple more trips or day trips in Spain before I fly home in December! My favorite part about travel so far has been the hostel experience. You feel SAO college and sao Euro (but maybe we've just gotten lucky with the past few hostels we've chosen??). You think First-Year dorm situations are funny? Try living with your friends in bunk beds, a communal bathroom, and in a different country for a couple of nights. Me and a friend outside the cathedral in Valencia.

I miss the fall weather (Barcelona is still in the 80s), W&L Lacrosse (I get weird looks running in Generals Lax gear), the close proximity of everything in Lexington (I take a 20 minute metro ride to school), real coffees (cafe con leche is great, but sometimes it's a little mucho on the leche), and my friends! Somehow a group of us got talking about Harry Potter the other day and I mentioned that I had been sorted. Naturally, everyone was curious as to what house my lacrosse team had chosen for me. I'll let you guess if they were shocked or not at my reply. Can't wait to see everyone in January and let me leave you with this inspirational quote on the wall of the gym here in Barca- "SI QUIERES, PUEDES!"

Special thanks to Buck for filling us in on her adventures! Use Google translator to find out what's keeping Buck motivated! Check back next week for a wrap up from our Fall Clean-Up Day happening this weekend all over Lexington!

Generals Work Hard On and Off the Field

Where have the last four weeks gone??? Fall ball has come to a close after four weeks of hard work by all of the Generals. The final weekend was quite a full one with Habitat builds, soccer and field hockey games, and of course our play day against Roanoke, Lynchburg, Swarthmore, and Mary Washington complete we fantastic tailgate!

After our final practice on Friday the remainder of the team that had not already done so spent half of their Saturday cutting, hammering, screwing, and sawing out at the Habitat build site that the rest of their teammates visited a few weeks ago. The house had come along by leaps and bounds compared to where it was just a few short weeks ago, and the girls got to work quick pushing closer to the completion of the house. Between the clean-up done inside, the pickets made on the front porch, the soffit installed, and the edge work done, the house was looking better than ever after a day of the Generals' work.
The last group of Generals to head out to Buena Vista to help Joe and Kelly (either end) on the Habitat build site.

While working with their hands on Saturday was definitely tiring, the girls were ready to go come Sunday when Roanoke, Lynchburg, Swarthmore, Mary Washington, and CNU arrived on campus to play. We could not have asked for more beautiful weather to spend all day on the turf for some great lax! The Generals head up field after a draw. Photo credit to John Van Sant!

The Generals played four 30 minute running time games against conference opponents Roanoke and Lynchburg and out of conference foes Swarthmore and Mary Washington. This was a great opportunity for the team to finally play someone other than ourselves and really work through all of our systems. The scrimmages even gave the Generals a chance to work through the two new rule changes for the 2012 season with only two people on the draw circle and having to play a man down during cards. The day finished with a great tailgate put on by all of the Generals' parents. A big thank you to all of them and a special thank you to Tom Waxter for coordinating the whole affair!

All in all the day was a great cap to the fall season and only a jumping off point for even better things to come in the spring! Only 95 days until preseason!

Visit the blog next week as we introduce our new volunteer goalie coach Maisie Osteen.

Homecoming Weekend Brings Alumnae Back to Campus

Although it was definitely a crisp, fall morning the Generals came out ready to play on Saturday with some great alumnae making it to the turf as well! All the Generals, past and present!

The team has been working hard for the first three weeks of fall ball, so it was nice to get on the turf and play a real competition. The current Generals played both on the blue and white team, rotating between working with their teammates in the systems we run and working in with the alumnae who definitely came out ready to show their stuff! The play was at a very high level for both 30 minute running time halves, but the current Generals managed to squeak out a win.

Coach Diamond O'Brien and the alumnae before the start of the game!

A big thank you to all the alums you came out to play and push our current players! In attendance were:

Class of 2001- Ellen Ritsch

Class of 2006- Kate Lester and Margaret Batten

Class of 2010- Meredith Freeman

Class of 2011- Kathy Brown, Kate Donnelly, Katharine Farrar, Wilton Megargel, and Kate Speare

You would never have known that they hadn't been practicing all fall right alongside the curent Generals!

With one fall competition day under our belt the Generals look forward to the scrimmage day this week. Check back next Wednesday for a recap!

The Generals Support Their Field Hockey Teammates and a Great Cause!

After the finish of the second full week of fall ball the team was not done with their time spent together just because we were done on the field! The girls cheer on their field hockey teammates at the turf field!

After a little muddy Friday practice the team was able to enjoy a team dinner at DHall before heading over to the turf field to support their teammates on the field hockey team. While the weather did not hold up for the whole game and the end score was not in favor of the Generals, the girls were loud and proud as they supported their friends. Great job to Christina Benedetti, Ashley Barnes, Taylor Zusi, Catherine Klinedinst, and the rest of the field hockey team!

While most of the team spent their Saturday morning catching up on some rest from the long week of practices, 9 Generals and MK headed out to Buena Vista to help out Habitat for Hummanity.
Sammy, Adele, Kirby, and Cara get their tool belts on and ready!

Site coordinator, Kelly met the group and filled us in on the home owners and the way Habitat works. Our new friend Joe then arrived to teach us all we needed to know and assign us our jobs. The girls did a number of jobs throughout the day including:

Roofing... our first years were the only ones brave enough to go up with Kelly!

Framing for ceiling work... Meade, Katie, and Kelsey hammered away all morning!

Sawing... Maddie and Horn overcame their fear of the power saw to become pros in building pickets!

The girls did a great job of getting right into the work and getting their hands dirty. Kelly and Joe were both very appreciative of the work the Generals put in and the girls had a great time!

Fall ball is more than half over; check back next week to hear about the 2011 Alumni Game!

Team Bonding: Both as Laxers and as Generals

First things first... Congratulations to Team 1 for winning the A to Z scavenger hunt last week! After a great practice on Friday capped by a full field scrimmage, the team was treated to a Salerno's team dinner at Coach Diamond O'Brien's house with salad, chicken and pasta, garlic bread, and of course, ice cream and cookies for desert. After a great first week of fall ball the girls really deserved a time to hang out and enjoy some great food!
The team dives into some delicious food from Salerno's!

Once dinner was finished Team 1 was announced as the winners of the scavenger hunt. Team members Maddie McKaig, Margaret Klein, Alex Van Horn, Katie Lotterman, Sammy Yates, and Cara Mulligan all received one "get out of conditioning free" card to be used this fall.

We were even lucky enough to have our field hockey players join us for our team dinner!

Later in the weekend the whole team got together again, but this time they were joined by all of the other athletes on campus as well. Senior captains Lauren Acker and Christina Benedetti were both part of the organization of the "23 All-Athlete Tug of War" that happened on Sunday night at Wilson Field under the lights.

Bene manning the tug of war bracket.

"23", chosen for the 23 varsity teams on campus, is an organization on campus working towards the goal of creating a community of athletes at W&L. The hope is that as all of the athletes get to know each other better they will be more likely to come out and support each other at home events.

Some laxers get excited in an early round of tug of war.

As the student athletes arrived they were each given a t-shirt and a 23 wristband. Each wristband was a different color representing the tug of war team that each athlete would join in the competition. There were laxers on every team mixing in with tennis, basketball, field hockey, soccer, and every other W&L athlete all over Wilson Field.

Olive and Mere get ready for one of the later rounds with the eventual champion red team!

All in all, it was a great night to see all the Generals out enjoying some competition and ice pops early in the fall. The laxers will be out later this week to support the field hockey team on Friday night as they take on Bridgewater. Go Generals!

Visit the blog next week to see the team supporting their hockey teammates and supporting a great local cause!