Inspired Play

Field hockey and lacrosse starField hockey and lacrosse starAmy Shapiro was motivated toField hockey and lacrosse starAmy Shapiro was motivated toexcel by Quakers coach ValField hockey and lacrosse starAmy Shapiro was motivated toexcel by Quakers coach ValCloud and her older sister Amy Shapiro is one of the top female athletes at Penn. The senior sociology major from West Chester, Pa., has already been named second-team all-Ivy League twice in field hockey and honorable mention all-Ivy three times in lacrosse since arriving on campus in 1992. This year, she has established herself as the Quakers' premier lacrosse player, leading the team in both goals and assists. In field hockey and lacrosse, two sports which require similar skills, Shapiro uses her greatest natural attributes -- foot speed and cutting ability -- to excel in both. "I guess I'm better at lacrosse," the co-captain of the lacrosse team and starting midfielder on the field hockey squad said. "I didn't love field hockey until I got here, but I've always loved lacrosse. Penn has an awesome field hockey program, though, and I love playing both sports here." But according to her father, Shapiro's athletic prowess is not limited to those two sports. "I used to be the president of the soccer league in West Chester, and all four of my kids started playing soccer when they were six or seven years old," Jack Shapiro said. "She started playing for a mixed team, then graduated on to an all-girls team." Shapiro also ran track for West Chester East High School. Although that pursuit was originally intended merely to keep her in shape during the offseason, it wound up taking her to the Penn Relays twice. Both times, she ran the 4x100-meter relay for her high school squad. Next week, coincidentally, Shapiro will be running the same event in the media relay race at the Penn Relays. She will represent the Penn Athletic Communications Department, for which she is a work-study employee. During her senior year in high school, Shapiro was recruited by many schools. No one, however, made a stronger effort to win the favor of the academic and athletic talent girl than Val Cloud, who at the time was assistant coach for both the Penn field hockey and women's lacrosse teams. Cloud, who has since been promoted to head coach of the field hockey team and given up her lacrosse duties, is a native of the West Chester area. "Her daughter had played for a local high school, and Val has always been a big recruiter in the area," Shapiro said. Soon thereafter, Cloud was diagnosed with leukemia. She underwent a bone marrow transplant, forcing her to miss the 1992 field hockey season. She was back in time for lacrosse, though, and has gone on to be a major factor in turning field hockey into one of the University's most successful athletic programs. "I've been close with her since high school, and everything she's gone through has really inspired me," Shapiro said. Although Cloud's story has greatly motivated Shapiro during her four years at Penn, the speedy attacker counts her sister, Sarah Kalish, as her primary athletic influence. The sisters, who were born two years apart, played the same sports in high school and were both on the Pennsylvania state champion high school lacrosse team in 1990. Sarah went on to play lacrosse at American University and is currently the assistant coach of the women's lacrosse team at Cornell. "We always talk after games and give each other the scouting reports," said Shapiro, who also has two brothers. Shapiro had the opportunity to do something which no Quakers currently do -- start her freshman year. Four freshmen started that year, since there were no seniors on the team. During her sophomore year, there were still only two seniors on the roster. "My first three years here, the team stayed pretty much the same," Shapiro said. "Our offense has always been balanced with four or five people scoring, and that's the way I like to play. But last year we lost a lot of people, and this is the first year I've been our leading scorer." Despite the many accolades that have been heaped on Shapiro, she claims to be a poor defensive player. "Defense just isn't my strong point," she said. "It's just the way I am. I want to do things, not just stop the other team from doing them. My sister always played defense, and neither one of us could change." Shapiro hopes to take a year off before going to law school and coach lacrosse in either England or California. "As a female athlete here, I have nothing but good things to say. I think my experience at Penn has been so great because of field hockey and lacrosse. "I've made so many friends spending three or four hours at Franklin Field every day. It's going to be weird not doing it anymore."