Cape Henry Athlete of the Week
Ashmore Standing

The 2010 season has been full of adversity for the varsity girls lacrosse team. With the graduation of a few key players over the last two seasons, the Dolphins have infused a youth movement to take the program back to the level it is accustomed, and this week’s Athlete of the Week, junior Ashmore Standing, is at the center of that movement.

Standing has been at Cape Henry for two years, competing with both the field hockey and lacrosse teams, and she has displayed her competitiveness and tenacity on both fields. She has been named a 1st team All TCIS player for the past two seasons (2008, 2009), and she is on her way for a third straight selection to that squad. In addition to being named 1st team All TCIS in 2009, Standing finished the season 4th on the TCIS scoring list.

“She is instantly recognizable on the field for her lightning fast speed coupled with an insatiable drive to score,” head coach Jen Baker said of Ashmore. “She plays with the game sense of a player far more seasoned. Her sense of timing on offense provides her with endless opportunities to score, and she very consistently converts on those opportunities—whether it’s taking the shot herself or drawing the double or triple team and making the outlet pass to someone else who can take the shot. ”

That ability to score allowed Ashmore to tally 45 goals and nine assists last season. She added 31 draw controls, 17 ground balls, 14 forced turnovers and 1 interception, which were key to the Dolphins gaining possession. So far in the 2010 season Ashmore has scored 17 goals and dished out three assists, but it’s the intangibles she brings to the team that has made the most impact.

“She just doesn’t give up and she loves to compete,” Baker continued. “She doesn’t get shaken by physical contact or high stress games. She stays focused on the ball and tries to force the other team to make mistakes that she can then capitalize on. She has proved that she can outrun, dodge and score against the very best of teams, and we have faced some of the best this year without question. She’s very positive with her teammates, but at the same time holds them to a high standard and tries to encourage them to be better.”

Over the course of the past week the Dolphins lost in the final minute to Norfolk Collegiate 16-15, the second time Cape Henry has fallen by that score in the final minute this season. In the loss Standing posted five goals and one assist in addition to gaining 11 draw controls. She showed no quit in the back and forth contest, and she put forth everything she had until the last second elapsed. The Dolphins followed that disappointing outcome with a 17-4 loss to a powerful Springfield (PA) program. Standing stood tall against the lofty competition by scoring three of Cape Henry’s four goals, and she was still driving to the cage at the end of the game despite the large deficit.

“She is devastated when we lose,” Baker finished. “Being on that field really means something to her, and she is very disappointed when it doesn’t go our way. In a season that is likely going to be remembered for the lessons taken from the field she is perhaps going to grow the most—and her teammates from her example—because she exemplifies all that is great about athletic competition. She perseveres, she is tenacious, she plays through physical adversity, and she never gives up no matter how frustrating the game. At the end of the day, sports are worthwhile not for the stats or for the record you compile, but for what you learn on the field about yourself and about being a part of a team, and Ashmore is a great example of the bigger picture of competition.”