Q&A with Jamestown HS girls lacrosse鈥檚 Olivia Tomes
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Olivia Tomes is a senior girls lacrosse athlete at Jamestown High School and committed to the women’s lacrosse program at Iona College.
Personal Goals within your sport/athletic dreams:
Olivia Tomes: My athletic dreams are to continue for as long as I can with lacrosse.
What is your biggest challenge in your sport and what do you do to manage the challenge?聽
Tomes: The biggest challenge has been time management at the travel level and playing on multiple teams. Being organized and paying attention to time has become a clear focus. Yellow Jackets practices are over an hour away.聽 In being able to keep all the different schedules, I have created multiple ways to stay organized and am very self-disciplined with a structured daily routine.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?聽
Tomes: I love the competition and aggressiveness of the game, and then leaving everything on the field.聽My coaches for the Yellow Jackets always said to focus on the 60 minutes for us, to give our all during long weekend tournaments, and, once those 60 minutes were done, forget about it. There is no reason to stress or obsess over the past.
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?聽
Tomes: Before every game, I eat one waffle and drink a cup of apple juice. On the car ride to the game, I do not talk and instead listen to reggae. Once on the field for warmups, I listen to pregame 鈥渉ype鈥� music.聽
What do you do outside your sport?聽
Tomes: Outside my sport, I am a nanny. I love hanging with children. I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends as well.
What has being a member of a team meant to you?聽
Tomes: Being a member of a team has taught me how to be a leader. It is possible to lead and motivate without being bossy. It has also taught me emotional maturity in handling situations with coaches and teammates that I might not get along with very well.
Anything else you would like to add:聽
Tomes: Lacrosse has been my life since 3rd grade, and I hope that my love for it grows even more when I get to compete at the collegiate level.
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