Kaestner: Off-Season Workouts Continue for Blue Devils

DURHAM, N.C. - Throughout the fall, senior Christie Kaestner will send blog updates to GoDuke.com, giving fans inside access to the Duke women's lacrosse team. Read her eighth post below for the inside scoop on the team's recent activities.

Hola amigos!

I'm writing you all from the rolls of my couch, not able to move or function correctly due to the working out we've been subjected to all week. Lifting, running, stick work oh my! Must be off-season … oh yeah it is! Off-season for Duke Lax means lots of working hard, working together, and working forward. We are scheduling classes (the freshmen are up next and they are PANICKING. Fun fact: I have never stayed with the schedule I originally picked yet at Duke. It's flexible, people, relax), starting end of semester projects/papers, and figuring out how to make food points stretch another five weeks (oh wait, that might just be me). Things are winding up, unfortunately not down, and Duke Lax is in full out accomplish mode, working hard to do what we do best - kick butt, if I do say so myself.

Last weekend was an exciting one as we welcomed many visitors. As I mentioned our apartment had eight visitors Friday night, and we were tempted to simply not leave. Our best friends Caroline, Leighton, Blair, and Augusta made us, the residents of C26, realize how lucky we are to have not only free weekends to be college students but also friends that love us like we love them! It has been a fairly uneventful week as everyone has been buckling down with work and figuring out classes in their spare time. Molly Quirke, Tara Stokes, Sarah Bullard and I played an epic tennis match Thursday night under the lights at the Morreene Rd. Park, which resulted in the seniors' illustrious victory. Our assistant coach, Josh Hexter, announced his new favorite song is Only Girl by Rihanna … I think we're rubbing off on him too much. Our football team got a well-deserved and hard fought victory over Virginia, and we are excited to watch them play Boston College this weekend. The women's soccer team is currently in Florida to take on Cal in the first round of NCAA's, and Duke Lax wishes them luck and a deep run in the tourney!

We had a delicious dinner in Scharf Hall Thursday night with our Friends of Jacklyn little sister, Meg Wasley. Always a treat to see her and her family; we were treated to pasta, chicken, salad, and unbelievable rolls (I think between Sarah, Virginia, and I we ate like 12) after a tough day of working out. Meg looked great in her brand new cheetah print shirt from Justice and I think was just as excited to see us as we were to see her. Her brother put on a private dance session for us (he's 10) and it was great to be able to spend some time with Meg and hear about the things she's been doing lately. We all hope to see her again very soon.

It's simply been such a calm and uneventful week as we are running, lifting, getting some work in with our sticks, and getting homework done. Thursday was “defense day,” obviously never my favorite day, until I spent the entire practice standing (or should I say, moving my feet in a game like situation) behind the cage and feeding people as the defenders worked on marking the cutter. Now that's my kind of day. I have decided that Jackie Klauberg's stick is one of my new favorite feeding targets and the girl catches everything I throw her way. I did miss Mie Graham, my usual crease defender, as she moved up top to mark the cutters and couldn't try to swat down all my feeds. It has been a great week, and we have another visitor full weekend coming our way! Harry Potter premier this week; I might have to write a separate blog about just that, I'm thinking. Countdown to family and Thanksgiving has begun and I think everyone is excited to go home. We miss our mommies and daddies! The weather has been warm, the sun is shining, and we are plugging along here at Duke. It's just your typical November here is Durham, and thanks for stopping by!

Love, Lax, and attempting to lay out,

- Krispy7 -