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Senior Spotlight: Blair Weymouth
By Leora Tanjuatco
Blair Weymouth knows the end is near. The clock is ticking and her days are numbered.
“There’s no life in lacrosse outside of college,” she acknowledges.
And so, as the weather gets warmer and May creeps closer, the co-captain is savoring every moment of this season.
“I remember when we were first years, and we were making fun of the fourth-years when they were saying, This is the last time we’re going to be doing this.’ I remember thinking, Oh my gosh, shut up.’ And now it has sort of hit me and it’s like Oh my gosh. This is true. This is all that I have,’” Weymouth recounts with a smile.
Thankfully, graduation comes with more than an uncertain future. The seniors are planning a trip after final exercises.
“We’re trying to take the spring break that we never got to have. We kept talking about it and now it’s finally going to happen. But, because of time constraints, we’ll have to fit four years of spring breaks into five days,” Weymouth said.
Where are these lacrosse superstars headed?
“Somewhere very, very relaxing,” Weymouth responded.
While she admits that lacrosse has basically been her life for the past four years, her time and efforts have enabled her to become one of the best attackers in the country. This past summer, she had to undergo surgery, but what would normally be seen as a setback only inspired her to work harder. And as for her goals during her last year?
“I want to work as best as I can with these senior attackers on the team because it’s my last season. I want to give it my all, which is so cheesy, but it’s true,” Weymouth admitted.
While her answer showcases her dedication to her team, the past few seasons haven’t exactly gone perfectly, as the team’s mental shortcomings last season were a factor in their early exit of the NCAA tournament.
“I just hate that sometimes we’re the team that doesn’t come out or show up for the first half of games,” Weymouth said. “So, from my perspective, even when we’re getting out there for warm-ups, I want everyone to take it seriously and not have to come back from a deficit like we had to do all throughout last season. But at the same time, I think the loss in the NCAA championships inspired us all to be focused and ready to go for this year.”
And at this point in the season, when the energy from the opening game has worn off and the players are taking the field twice a week, Weymouth’s job as captain becomes even more crucial. Co-captain Jen Holden, at the very beginning of the season, stressed that the team’s mindset and enthusiasm would have to be maintained.
“Blair and I, our biggest job is to keep everyone focused,” Holden said, shortly after the team buried Virginia Tech. “The games are going to start coming. And game after game, you have to get up for every single one. The first couple of games, we were all really excited. But as the season continues and we start traveling, it’s hard to keep everyone pumped up.”
But with leaders like Weymouth and Holden, the Virginia women’s lacrosse team is not going to be lacking in enthusiasm and heart. According to Holden, Weymouth stands out in her all-out effort.
“She goes hard all the time,” Holden said. “She goes hard after every ball, and if there’s a turnover, you can count on Blair to get back. Even in practice every day, she is 100% going hard to everything. And you can see it on the field when she’s going to goal. She goes as hard and fast as she possibly can.”
Sounds like Weymouth has decided to lead by example. And as the weeks fly by and each hard-fought game is quietly reduced to a W or an L, the leadership of these two seniors will be increasingly important.
But while Weymouth is scoring goals and making plays, it’s easy to forget that she’s just another college senior, both excited and scared about the world after the 2009 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championships and the walk down the lawn.
“We have nine seniors and we’re all freaking out,” Weymouth said. But, we’re also very excited. This is it. In a few weeks, it’s all over.”
But for right now, it’s time to play.