Meet St. John鈥檚 College HS lacrosse player, Kentlands native Olivia Weston
KENTLANDS, Md. — Hi, my name is Olivia Weston. I have lived in the Kentlands for 12 years with my family. I attended Rachel Carson, Lakelands Park and will be a junior at St. John鈥檚 College (SJC) High School in the fall. I love the Kentlands/Lakelands community and the friendships I have, despite not attending our local high school.
For as long as I can remember, I have played a sport. From the obligatory toddler soccer, to gymnastics, to city of Gaithersburg track and field, to Gaithersburg basketball to dance, to swimming, to club/school field hockey and lacrosse. I have learned and grown from every sport, both on and off the field.
I currently play Varsity Field Hockey and Lacrosse at SJC and am on Capital 2024 Blue Club lacrosse. Lacrosse is my thing. I started playing in second grade when my best friends family gave me a lacrosse stick as a Christmas gift. I thought, that is an interesting gift. But, they saw something in me that I did not see in myself. 聽I did not know much about the sport.聽 My dad is a huge basketball fan and started to study the similarities between the two sports in footwork movement, how the ball advances, similar positions, etc., He became somewhat of a student of lacrosse because he could cross-reference basketball and quickly learned the game to support me.
While the lacrosse stick may have been an interesting gift (we still laugh about it), it is one of the best gifts I ever received. 聽I do not know where lacrosse takes me, but what I do know is I am enjoying the ride and having a lot of fun.
This year, for the first time in history, women鈥檚 lacrosse championship had a prime-time spot on ESPN and the final game sold out John鈥檚 Hopkins stadium.聽 It鈥檚 been thrilling to see this sport continue to gain notoriety and momentum.聽 I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to play on Under-Armour All American Teams, represent the DC-Metro area in national tournaments, receive recognition for high level play, as well as win team championships. Most importantly, I have made incredible friendships, been taught life lessons on disappointment and perseverance, and truly understand the value and meaning of teamwork.
Additionally, as a student athlete time management becomes an important skill. I have to self-manage a rigorous school workload with multiple practices, games, and workouts in a week.
I proudly wear my SJC We are a Family and Capital Family t-shirts. As an only child, I am lucky to have 40+ sisters who look out for me, give feedback, 聽鈥渃all me out鈥� when needed, and want nothing but the best for me and us. 聽I could not ask for better bonus families.
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