Weinstein's skills unaffected by late start

For someone who picked up a lacrosse stick for the first time as a high school freshman at tryouts, Penn graduate Amy Weinstein is pretty good at the sport.

Good enough, in fact, to compete in last weekend's North/South Division I Senior All-Star Game. Weinstein was one of just 40 seniors nationwide selected to compete in the game, which was part of the 2001 STX Lacrosse Festival held at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

But as her late start in lacrosse indicates, Weinstein was involved in other sports during her formative years.

Most significantly, the native of Fairfax, Va., was involved in gymnastics, and was captain of the team at W. T. Woodson High School.

After, and even during high school, however, the self-proclaimed tomboy realized that she would be unable to put in three hours a day at the gym.

"I hadn't been really good at gymnastics since I was in seventh grade because I was a little taller than everyone else," Weinstein noted. "I got involved in everything in high school, so I didn't really have time to make gymnastics a big commitment."

Not participating in gymnastics throughout the year made room for other sports.

"I knew that I wanted to play sports every season, and I didn't really play a sport in the springtime," Weinstein said. "A bunch of my friends decided to pick [lacrosse] up and I went along with them. It was a new thing and everyone was all excited about it."

Weinstein picked up the game quickly, and was a natural talent because of her speed.

At the end of tryouts, Weinstein became one of just two freshmen selected to the varsity squad.

But Weinstein modestly points to a different reason for her success.

"I went off to camps every summer and loved the game so much," Weinstein said. "My high school league was growing and not very good since it was in its beginning stages, so it was pretty easy to be a standout player."

Her achievements in lacrosse caught the eye of former Penn women's lacrosse player Brooke Jenkins, who graduated in 2000.

Weinstein had come to know Jenkins and her family -- residents of Alexandria, Va., a suburb near Weinstein's -- through lacrosse camps, clinics and tournaments.

"[Brooke's] mom, who coaches at St. Stephen's-St. Agnes, is one of the best high school lacrosse coaches in the country," Weinstein said. "She was one of the people who basically taught me how to play, since not a lot of coaches in my area knew anything about lacrosse.

"Brooke had gone to Penn, and was always recruiting in the area for Penn. She introduced me to the program and really got me interested in applying."

Weinstein stayed with Jenkins on her recruiting trip and loved it.

"It was one of the main reasons I came to Penn," Weinstein added.

During her first two seasons in a Quakers lacrosse uniform, Weinstein started in all but two games, scoring 18 goals in 48 games as an attacker.

After the departure of Anne Sage from the helm of Penn women's lacrosse and the arrival of current Penn coach Karin Brower, however, Weinstein became a defender.

"We made her into a defender because we realized we were probably going to be on defense a lot that year and she was our most physical player," Brower said. "And being physical is necessary to be a successful defender in college these days."

Weinstein -- who is renowned for her karaoke performances at the Blarney Stone -- anchored the Quakers' defense in her remaining two years at Penn. The recent graduate played a big role in reducing the Red and Blue's goals against average in 2000 and 2001.

Weinstein's efforts were recognized with a selection to participate in the Senior All-Star Game.

"I was really excited to make it, and I guess I was even a little surprised because I know there's a lot of other people out there who are a lot better than I am," admitted Weinstein in a humorous tone. "It was an honor because I stuck it out for four years and was the only senior left [at Penn]."

Brower also noted Weinstein's dedication to the program.

"She was the only one in her class that stuck with the program, and I think that's a big credit to her," Brower said.

At the game, Weinstein competed with some of the country's elite seniors, including Maryland's Jen Adams, who graduated as the all-time leading scorer in collegiate women's lacrosse history.

Weinstein was quick to make an observation about what inevitably results when you put the nation's best on the same playing field.

"There's definitely a lot of trash-talking done," Weinstein joked. "Really, though, the whole atmosphere of the weekend was so friendly, and it wasn't competitive. We all had dinner together, hung out with the coaches together and all went out together.

"It was great to be in such company in a social situation."

And though the game marked the end of her collegiate career, it wasn't the end of Weinstein's lacrosse career.

Weinstein now works as the Director of Operations for the Bridgeport Barrage, a Major League Lacrosse team.

And at the end of August, Weinstein will head to Manchester, England, for eight months to promote the sport to different schools and clubs.

"All my future plans point towards involvement in lacrosse and I'm hoping to stay involved with it as much as possible," Weinstein said.

And despite relocating that involvement to Bridgeport, Conn., Weinstein will never forget the four years she spent donning the Red and Blue.

"Penn lacrosse is just a real special thing to be a part of," Weinstein said. "There were a lot of stressful times, but definitely a lot of good ones too.

"Most of those good ones occurred this past year, and I wouldn't have traded them for the world."

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