| Wildcat Of The Week: Weston's Erika Lamere |
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| Wildcat Erika Lamere |
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6-11-09, Weston- When 12 year-old Weston resident Erika Lamere is playing little league baseball, you can easily mistake her for another one of the boys. But the fact that she blends in amongst her little league peers, despite the long blond pony tail that hangs down from the back of her baseball cap, is what sets Erika apart from the rest. Erika is not just one of the boys. She is currently the only girl playing in Weston Little League Nation League baseball.
"The boys treat you basically like you play," said Erika. "But sometimes they will bring it up and extra notch on me."
Erika has been playing little league town baseball in Weston since her t-ball days. She plays for the National League Giants, and says that she likes hitting and catching the best about baseball and that she mostly plays at catcher for the Braves. When asked about a catcher's ability to control the game Erika said,"I don't really think about that when I am playing. I just kind of play it." She does, however, say that she likes throwing people out, trying to steal second.
A sixth grade student at Milton Academy in Milton, MA, Erika is an outstanding athlete and student. She participates in several extra-curricular sports like tennis, basketball, lacrosse field hockey, and swimming.
"I play a lot of sports," she said. "I would say my best sports are basketball and swimming."
Erika plays lacrosse, basketball and field hockey for Milton Academy and basketball and baseball for Weston town. She spends her summers at the Weston Golf Club competing against other country clubs in the area in tennis, diving and swimming. She spends a full day practicing with the swim team, diving team and tennis team at the club.
"I basically live at my golf club during the summer," said Erika.
Erika is an excellent student who says that math is her favorite subject and that it just "clicks" for her while science is her least favorite. She live at home with her mom and dad, her two older brothers Danny and Justin and her dog Molly and her cat Magic. Danny is 16 and also attends Milton Academy where he runs Cross Country. Justin, 13, attends the Fesseden School where he plays football, basketball and baseball and will join his siblings at Milton Academy in the fall.
Erika says she is a big fan of the supremely popular Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. The first book, Twilight, is her favorite and she is currently in the middle of the second book.
"It's kinda creepy," she said of the story. "But the way that she writes about it is cool."
Her favorite movie is, interestingly enough, "She's The Man" with Amanda Bynes. In the movie Amanda Bynes pretends to be a boy so that she can compete on the boys soccer team.
"I can relate to that, by being the only girl in sports," she said.
In her spare time she listens to Kiss 108 and likes to listen to pop music. Unlike mos girls her age, she is not a fan of The Jonas Brothers and says she thinks that they are "cheezy".
As for her future aspirations, Erika is smart enough to realize that her options are numerous. She named her possibilities; basketball player, Olympic swimmer, or possibly a veterinarian.
"I just decided this year that I may want to be an interior designer," she said. "I was flipping through the channels on TV one day and came across HGTV. I really like to watch that."
There can be no doubt that Erika has what it takes to become whatever she chooses, based on her work ethic and her determination to succeed at whatever she chooses. Erika thinks that any girl that wants try out for town ball but may be afraid to play with the boys should do it. She advises that one never knows what could happen and that they may find themselves loving it.
"I think being Wildcat of the Week is cool," she said. "Because I got chosen and that's kinda cool."
You, Erika are the one that's kinda cool.
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| Previous Wildcat Of The Week from 6-1-09 |
| Wildcat Of The Week: Weston High Senior Cyana Chilton |
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| Wildcat Cyana Chilton |
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6-3-09, Weston- 18 year-old Cyana Chilton, starting goalie for the Wildcats Girls Lacrosse team, never played a moment of Weston Youth Lacrosse growing up. She decided in her freshman year she was going to try out for the freshman lacrosse team so she could play with her friends and figured goal tending would be her ticket on to the team since there is usually a shortage of goalies.
"My friend, who was the varsity goalie for the boys team, Mike Spector (who is also a Wildcat Senior), taught me," she said. "For like two weeks before the season we had intense goalie training sessions."
Much to her surprise, she not only made the varsity lacrosse team, but won the starting goalie position.
"I ended up being pretty good at goalie," she said. "It was a huge adjustment but I'm really glad that I made the varsity team that year. It turned out to be a great experience for me."
The experience so great, that year they advanced all the way to the sectional finals in the MIAA Division 2 tournament. The same game they played last Thursday at North Andover.
"I learned a lot from the upper classmen that year," said Cyana. "I think I really grew up as a lacrosse player and a person."
Cyana says that although she sometimes has a "love, hate" relationship with lacrosse; having both good days and bad days, she likes being the last line of defense in the game.
"I like that it comes down to just me and the attacker," she said.
Cyana believes that for the first time in the history of the program, this Wildcat team is very balanced.
"There are no weaknesses," she said. "That really helps us. Other teams may see a freshman and think that she is weak, but that is not true on our team. Everyone's either a really strong attacker or defender."
Cyana and the Wildcats advanced this season to the MIAA Sectional finals against a North Andover team that they have faced twice before. Unfortunately, they were not able to pull off the win, falling 11-5 last Thursday to North Andover. As a senior captain in lacrosse, Cyana understands her position as a role model.
"I feel like people notice my attitude in the games," said Cyana. "If I'm frustrated or sort of freaked out then I feel like it spreads to the whole team, but I feel like it's that way for a lot of the seniors."
Wildcat Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Kelly Trahon is proud of the job her team has done this season and believes that Cyana has had a great year.
"Goal tending can really make a difference," Trahon said. "She's had an unbelievable year and has a 51. save percentage, which is strong for a goalie."
Cyana is a big Coach Trahon fan and says that she is probably one of the best coaches she has ever played for. Cyana says Trahon's intensity is the key.
"She knows what she wants and is very clear about telling us," Cyana said. " I think she has improved this program by focusing on team play as opposed to making individuals better. I think that has really helped us to advance at our level in lacrosse."
Cyana plays both soccer and basketball for Weston High and has been a member of the varsity soccer team since her junior year and a varsity basketball player since her sophomore year. This year, she was a DCL All-Star in basketball. Cyana clearly has a defensive mind, as she plays stopper in soccer and enjoys playing defense in basketball.
"I have to be prodded to contribute to offense," she said. "I have always loved to play defense in basketball."
Stanford University will be her destination come fall, where Cyana is thinking she may study International Relations. She is a high honors student at Weston High who says, "Yeah, I work pretty hard in school." Her favorite subjects are Spanish, English and History and can report that she is a humanities person. Her least favorite subject is science and says that the numerical sciences are not her strong suit. She is a member of Weston High School orchestra where she plays the cello and says her Weston High experience has been great.
"I had great teachers and I made great friends," she said. "I'm really grateful to have had the opportunity to go through such a great school system like Weston's"
Cyana spent two of her summers in high school doing community service abroad in a program called, "Amigos de las Americas". Students travel to a Latin American country for two months and live in a rural community with a family and one other American and work together on a sustainable development project. Cyana traveled to the Dominican Republic her first year and lived with a family with three children; the mom, a teacher. The second year, she traveled to Panama and lived with a multi-generational family.
"I didn't really speak Spanish well before I went," she said. "But I am fluent now."
Cyana lives at home with her mom and dad and her sister Perri who is 15 and a sophomore at Weston High. Perri also plays soccer and basketball for the Wildcats, and runs track in the spring. Cyana has a Facebook and her status at the time of the interview was lacrosse related, "Cyana is already nervous about Thursday night." She says that she does not Twitter, and thinks that it might be a little weird. She said laughingly, "I don't feel like people would be interested in the minute details of my life."
Her favorite book is "One Hundred Years Of Solitude" by author Gabriel García Márquez because she likes the genre of magical realism and loved the interesting characters and story. Her favorite food is Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, and it is usually her "pre-game" treat. Her favorite movie is Slumdog Millionaire, and says that she would someday love to travel to India.
"I think being Wildcat of the Week is amazing," she said. "I have read about the other Wildcats of the Week and I just feel so honored and out of place because they are such great athletes and I never considered myself to be of their caliber."
Your caliber, Cyana, both on the field and off, is most certainly what makes you a perfect Wildcat of the Week.
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