WEBSTER GROVES – Throughout the remainder of the 2020-21 school year, the Webster University Athletics Department will feature Gorlok senior student-athletes. The senior student-athletes were asked 21 questions about their time at Webster, which will help everyone get the chance to know them as individuals and how much they've grown during their time as a Gorlok student-athlete.
The Senior Spotlight feature is scheduled to run every Monday and Friday until all the senior student-athletes have been profiled.
Our 13th Senior Spotlight features senior women's cross country and track and field runner
Lindsay Poitras (Imperial, Mo./Fox).
- What is your name? What sport(s) do you play? My name is Lindsay Poitras and I run cross country and track. So that means I run a 6K during cross country season and my events in track can range from a 5K to the Steeplechase, 1,500 meters and a little pole vault.
- What is your major? My major is Exercise Science. I was a double major in Psychology with an emphasis in mental health as well, but I dropped that in order to graduate early instead!
- How many years have you been a student at Webster? This is my third and final year at Webster. I started in the Fall of 2018 after graduating from high school.
- What attracted you to attend school and compete in athletics at Webster University? My sister was going to Webster at the time and I was doing college searches and is actually now a Webster alumni and my boyfriend at the time decided to run at Webster too which I had never known Webster even had a running program, so I decided to e-mail Coach (Dan) Graber and see what he thought about me. It was genuinely just for fun because I had my eyes set on going to Maryville University. Turns out, Coach Graber is an amazing human and was the only college coach that came out to watch me race my senior year and made me feel so special on my campus tour. Coach Graber made me feel like he was interested in my well-being as a person, a student, and then an athlete last and that was treatment I had not received from any other colleges, and that hierarchy was exactly what I was looking for in a college coach.
- What are your plans after graduation? I am officially going to Logan University of Chiropractic to study for my DC (Doctorate of Chiropractic) and also receive my master's degree in Pediatric Chiropractic Care at the same time.
- What has been your favorite class at Webster and why? I LOVE ASL 1 and 2 (American Sign Language). Deaf culture is so amazing. There were point in the class where I wished I was deaf just because the way deaf people live and their culture is so much cooler and so much more accepting than our normal American culture. In ASL , we got to go to Deaf Inc., which is right at the corner of Big Bend and Elm and we could only use ASL because everyone who works there or goes there is deaf. We had other events where we would go around St. Louis and hang out at the deaf events so we were immersed in the culture and fully able to communicate with those around us. It was eye-opening and simply just so much fun!
- What is your most memorable athletic moment at Webster? Definitely, my bittersweet moment was when I ate it hard during the Steeplechase at the SLIAC Outdoor Track Championships in 2019. I smacked my shin so hard on the barrier and ended up going headfirst into the water pit and fully submerging myself. I had a bone contusion for about 10 months on my shin, but hey, I still got a third place medal and got to stand up on that podium regardless! AND we got it all on camera, shot-for-shot.
- What is your most memorable/best academic experience at Webster? I don't think I have had it yet. I am super excited about conducting my senior thesis during my last semester this coming spring. It was such an autonomous project and I have done all the research and background to prepare for administering and collecting data. I love researching so this has been the best thus far.
- Outside of sports, what is your favorite hobby or activity? I love watching movies and dancing. Comedies and kid movies are my favorite and as for dancing, I love learning all kinds of disciplines. My background in gymnastics has set me up for everything from ballet to jazz to interpretive and even acrobatics. I love it all.
- What is your favorite food? Movie? Book? TV show? My favorite food is Trolli sour gummy worms. I just love candy. My favorite movie is Mulan or Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the Jim Carrey version). They are both rooted in my childhood and will never put me in a bad mood. My favorite book is hard to pick because all I read is my textbooks nowadays, but my favorite textbook is the medical terminology textbook since it has terms for any body system or part of the body you can think of and if I'm honest I love reading my textbooks because it's all so interesting to me. My favorite television show is THE OFFICE!! I have seen all nine seasons over 10 times easy. I quote it daily in my regular language like people are supposed to know what I'm referencing.
- What is your pet peeve? Gosh, I absolutely hate when people are late. Like, just set your alarm a little earlier and have some self-discipline to get out the door in a reasonable time.
- Would you consider yourself a morning or a night person? 100% morning person. My friends can vouch that I will wake up most mornings around 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. (regardless of practice) and then be in bed by 9-9:30 p.m. I think I might be a reincarnated grandma.
- What is your typical pre-match meal? I like to protein load three days before a race, carbohydrate load two days before a race, down a Pedialyte and tons of water and carbs one day before and then just stick with light foods like applesauce and bagels the day of the meet.
- What is your typical meet day ritual? I just make sure I have my glittery eyelids, my legs are shaved, and my hair is done up cute with ribbons and scrunchies in space buns or pigtails. Otherwise, I really try not to think too hard on race day because then I overthink during competition.
- What Webster University faculty or staff member has had the greatest impact on you and why? It might be a little cliche to say my coach, but honestly Coach Graber. He does everything in his power to help us athletes, including sacrificing time with his own family for us. You can tell this isn't a job for him and every athlete he coaches impacts him just as much as he impacts us. He learns from his coaching mistakes and is constantly trying to better himself for his athletes and for the Webster running program. His humility is unmatched and his care for his athletes is comparable to that of a family.
- What do you enjoy most and least about practice? I love early mornings!! My teammates might not be ready for my 7 a.m. pep, but I sure am. Also, I really don't have anything I don't enjoy about practice. I am genuinely grateful to be able to see my teammates and Coach every morning and do something we all bond over and love together. I don't see how there can be anything bad!
- What advice would you give to underclassmen at Webster University? Holy smokes, it goes by so fast so don't waste your time where you are not appreciated. You are going to find your niche of people and that is who you should put your time and efforts into. In our social media based ever shrinking world, I have learned it is truly quality over quantity and you are not going to miss out on the "college experience" because your circle is small. You are going to have closer bonds and better memories because of this.
- If you had to listen to one song on repeat forever, what would it be and why? Rather Be by Clean Bandit. Clean Bandit is my favorite band. I love all their music and in this particular song, they feature another one of my favorite artists, Jess Glynne. Her voice paired with their beats just makes me want to dance and sing, and it takes me back to when I was 14 when I first heard it and it gets me all nostalgic.
- What is a funny story that you can tell about your coach or about your team that people might not know? Oh my gosh, Coach Graber has the best stories I swear. Then whenever he tells you them, it's so goofy because he is just so unemotional and dry with his humor that sometimes you never know when to laugh or not. Like this one time, he told Cora (Reed) that he's going to sign up her up for the 10K race and we all laughed like LOL, Coach, good one. Well, he was not laughing, and we all got concerned because it turns out he was seriously going to sign her up!
- What is something that people may not know about you, but should? I have this iconic cackle when I laugh. My friends know when I've entered a building because they'll hear it. Yes, I said, an entire building, not just a room.
- f you could spend an hour with three people (past or present), who would you choose and why? My dad for sure because he's my best friend. We always have a great time watching movies and having great conversation. I would like to spend an hour with Tom Holland or honestly any of those Marvel boys because I mean, who wouldn't???? Also, I would take an hour with Kristen Bell. She is my total lady crush and she's so funny and sweet. I think we'd be fast friends.
