Eagle Parent Perspective

From Karen DeBlois (mother of Katie, BC Lax '09)

Welcome to BC Lacrosse:

It seems like just a few months ago, not three years, that Tim and I were getting ready to take our youngest child, our daughter Katie, off to BC. We had been through this before with our sons Tim (Cornell '04, lacrosse) and Michael (Nazareth '06, basketball and golf) but taking our baby girl (please don't tell Katie I referred to her like that!) and dropping her off 5 hours from home was daunting. We stayed the night before move-in day with my brother and his family in Wrentham, 45 minutes from BC, and got up at the crack of dawn to head to campus thinking we'd be the only ones there but when we got close to Upper Campus, the roads were already full of over-packed vans and U-Hauls ( see "Things I wish I knew......, following). Before we knew it we were headed home with an empty van and no Katie. Our son Mikey started calling my cell before we even got on the Turnpike and called a few more times before we left Massachusetts. The calls were short with questions about the weather and when we'd get home but it wasn't until about the 4th call that I realized he was worried about me and how I'd feel leaving Katie behind. My macho 6 foot 4 inch son was worried about his old mom.......not that he'd ever put it that way.

Well, that was just the beginning of the wonderful adventure that is BC and BC lacrosse. We have had more fun than we ever expected and met people we hope to have as life-long friends. The BC laxers are and have been a wonderful group of girls. They certainly have had their share of ups and downs on the lax field but the way they work so hard and take care of and support each other on and off the field is amazing. They are a tight-knit group who love to laugh and love to have a good time. As the saying goes "apples don't fall too far from the tree" so you will find the lax parents to be a great group also. There's always a crowd of parents and other assorted relatives at the games, whether it's a freezing cold mid-week game or a game in sunny California. Tim and I usually show up an hour or two before game time to get the grill fired up and get those "cold drinks" iced down. It's a nice time to catch up with the parents and relax. After the games we normally have a full-out tailgate for the team, coaches, family and friends....all are welcome. There is usually enough food for an army even after the hungry girls have had their fill. There will be e-mails flying, or maybe we'll just use this blog, to give everyone a chance to help out with the tailgates. If it's not convenient for you to bring things for the tailgate (long distance, arriving by air, whatever), I keep a little fund of donations and purchase or order whatever we need.

Tim and I will be hitting the road next weekend to move Katie in to her Mod. We are looking forward to meeting all the freshman parents. I will be doing rosters and buttons for the parents and should have them available for the first game this Fall. If anyone has any questions or suggestions, please give me a call at 315-730-0915 or e-mail at deblois97@aol.com.


Things I wish I knew before moving my daughter in to Upper Campus at BC:
Parking is severely limited on the Upper Campus.
You may be able to get there hours or even a day earlier than they tell you and get moved in before the crowd hits.
If you arrive at the busy time (daylight), you will have to wait in the crowded streets surrounding Upper until a spot opens up for you to park.
When you get a parking spot you are allowed about 20 minutes to unload. It's helpful if someone is along to sit in the car and watch the stuff at the curb while others bring things up to the dorm room.
There is usually volunteers to help carry things in.
If you plan to help your daughter get settled in/unpack/decorate, someone will have to go park your vehicle somewhere away from Upper (the Beacon Street garage is usually available) and walk back.
There will be many helpful, watchful BC security people directing you where to park but their job is to keep things moving by enforcing the 20-minute rule.
Pack some water and snacks, it can be a long day.

Sweeeeeet Carolines

Caroline McGuire & Caroline Yanofsky (aka CJ - for your convenience) are so thrilled to be part of the Boston College Lacrosse staff. Below is some background about us!

Caroline McGuire:

Caroline comes to Boston College after serving as the assistant lacrosse coach at Davidson College where the 2008 squat enjoyed a successful 11-5 record. Before Davidson McGuire was the director and assistant coach for the NewLax Lacrosse Club in Darien, CT. After a year of working at the high school level, Caroline decided to join the corporate world in good 'ole NYC, where she was a sales planner for Metro Networks/Westwood One. She quickly realized she missed lacrosse and knew she needed to get back into coaching. That's when she made the move down south to Charlotte, NC to help guide the Wildcats in 2008.

A native of Darien, CT, McGuire attended the University of Richmond where she led the Spiders to Atlantic 10 conference titles in 2005 and 2006, while also appearing in the NCAA tournament both seasons. After leading her squad to a win in the Atlantic 10 Championship, McGuire was featured in May 2006 Sports Illustrated "Faces in the Crowd". Elected a captain during her senior season, McGuire was named A-10 Offensive Player of the Year in 2006 and was named an IWLCA/US All-American. She was also awarded Most Outstanding Player of the A-10 Tournament in 2006 & 2005.

Caroline's fast facts....

Favorite Musician: U2/BRUCE
Favorite Song: Anything 80's
Best Lax Moment: Beating UVA my senior year/ Beating Temple in A10s with 19 seconds!
Favorite Sports Team: NY Giants (sorry all you Beantown fans)
The McGuire fam: Two older sisters (Michaela 31 & Kate 29) who live in NYC. Parents Mary Ellen (old) & Mac (older) who live in Rowayton, CT with their fourth child Jack (our yellow lab who is 12). Both are Boston College Alums who will probably be at every BC game - decked out in their VERY old school Boston College attire.


CJ Yanofsky:

CJ joins the BC staff this season after graduating this past spring from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. CJ was a four year varsity letter winner and was named captain her senior year. CJ broke the school record for assists and led the Bantams in points for three years. She was named to the 2007 and 2008 All-New England Small College Athletic Conference First Team and the IWLCA/US Lacrosse All-American Team. She was selected to the IWLCA/US Division III All-Berkshire Regional First Team, the womenslacrosse.com Division III All-American Team and was named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III All-New England First Team.


Yanofsky, a three-time, all-regional and two-time, All-NESCAC and All-American honoree, will be a great asset to Boston College with her extensive attack knowledge.  Yanofsky, the recipient of Trinity's Robin L. Sheppard award, for outstanding ability on the field and exceptional dedication and loyalty to the game of lacrosse, is an alumna of The Rivers School, in Weston, MA.   Yanofsky graduated from Trinity with Faculty Honors with a degree in Sociology and Visual Studies.


CJ's fast facts....


Favorite Musician: James Taylor and Billy Joel
Favorite Song: Anything Country!
Best Lax Moment: Scoring the winning goal in sudden death beating Amherst to move onto the NESCAC Championship game. Also, making it to the NCAA tournament junior and senior year!
Favorite Sports Team: SOXPATSCELTS!
The Yanofsky fam: Two siblings (Samantha 24 & David 21). Samantha lives in Los Angeles and David is a senior at WashU in St. Louis. Parents Susan (old) & Richard (older) live in Needham, MA. Both parents were born and raised in Newton, MA.