Senior's final blaze of glory

Amy Weinstein is dedicated. The only senior on the Penn women's lacrosse team, Weinstein is the sole remaining member of a recruiting class of 11. She has played under three coaches in four years with the Quakers and last year switched to a new position from one she had played her entire life. And through it all, this tri-captain's devotion to lacrosse has been unwavering. But it takes something a little different to illustrate the lengths to which Weinstein is willing to go for the things that matter most to her -- like her need for Bon Jovi tickets. A few weekends ago, the senior drove up to Giants Stadium on a Monday night, slept in her car overnight, and then waited several hours in line for 11th-row tickets to her favorite band's concert this July in Giants Stadium. "She is hysterical -- she's obsessed with Bon Jovi," junior and fellow tri-captain Traci Marabella said. But Weinstein's devotion to this band is but a mere shadow of her dedication to her sport. Upon graduation in May, this psychology major has an internship lined up with the Connecticut franchise of the newly formed Major League Lacrosse -- an outdoor professional men's lacrosse venture. Weinstein already interned on the MLL's inaugural travelling Summer Showcase tour last summer, and is planning to work with lacrosse in some capacity far into the future. But for this Fairfax, Va., native, she'd have it no other way. "Lacrosse is so much of my life," Weinstein said. "It's always been such a part of my life, and I want it to continue. I couldn't imagine life without it." And that love of the game is evident to all around her. "She is a lacrosse-head. She goes to all of the Wings games, she does internships, and every time there's a camp she's there," Marabella said. "She gives so much of herself to the lacrosse team. She's so willing to do what's best for the team." One small way that Weinstein has given of herself for the team has been to host recruits -- most of whom, according to Maravella, end up attending Penn. "I stayed with her when I was a prospective student, and she's the reason why I came to Penn," junior Jen Hartman said. "She took me to all these parties." That's not to say that Weinstein is a regular party-animal -- on the field she's all business. In her first two seasons at Penn, Weinstein was one of the Quakers best attackers. As a sophomore, Weinstein netted 11 goals -- third-best on the team. But that team went 1-12 and suffered through some off-the-field turmoil. When new coach Karin Brower came to Penn last fall, everyone knew changes would be in store. An improved 6-8 overall record in 2000 was a change that was expected. But moving Weinstein from attack to defense probably wasn't. Citing her size, her experience, and the physical nature of her play, Brower thought moving the 5'8" Weinstein was in the team's best interests. And after some initial consternation, Weinstein jumped into the challenge headlong. "My entire lacrosse career had been at midfield or attack," Weinstein said. "And when I was growing up I'd always done track or gymnastics or tennis, which are all individual sports. "So most other girls knew some general defensive strategies from other sports, but I didn't know really how to get out of a pick or other defensive techniques." She watched, learned and persevered, and with 14 starts at defense from last spring under her belt enters the 2001 campaign as the leader of Penn's back line. "She's very intense in her defense," Brower said. "And she has an attack mindset on defense that a lot of defenders don't have." And there is no doubt that Weinstein's teammates realize her importance to the squad. "She's an incredible defender and has the best check on the team," junior tri-captain and Daily Pennsylvanian sportswriter Emily Foote said. "She gets the job done quietly and better than it needs to be done." But Weinstein isn't quiet all the time -- take her job last fall for instance. Interning with the Athletic Department, Weinstein was responsible for sling-shotting T-shirts into the Franklin Field crowd every time the Penn football team scored. If you saw her then, there's an equally good chance that you've seen her in any number of University publications, lacrosse stick in hand. Weinstein, though, thinks the photos in all these publications seem to look the same. "It think it was the one time they took a photo of me with the ball in my stick, and they use it everywhere," Weinstein said. "It's in the student-athlete guide, it's on the schedule card, it's on the media guide..." As the only senior on her young team, Weinstein admits that, at times, it's been hard for her to relate to her teammates. As a captain and leader, though, Weinstein puts that aside, her love of the sport outweighing the constant challenges she faces. Overcoming a knee injury in the preseason that limited her practice for several weeks, Weinstein is now at full strength and says she is "excited and optimistic" about the season. Yes, even more excited than she is about those 11th-row Bon Jovi tickets.

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