By Hobbled by COVID, and still in quarantine, forward Blair Stapleton was told to stay away from her soccer team. But when warm-ups started for the Oct. 1, 2021, game against Northwest University, the team spotted somebody up on the hill peering through the gate.
Blair had come to cheer on her teammates.
“She sat outside of Nelson stadium and watched our game through the fence posts and waved to all of us as we were warming up,” said teammate Emily Funseth. “Even when she was missing out on all the fun and feeling sick, she still was there to support us and that really put a smile on my face.”
Seeing her friends smile and wave was the best antidote for the dispiriting virus.
“It was hard to watch from the outside and not be a part of the game, but I was still a part of the team and wanted to do what I could to support them,” said Blair.
Senior Blair Stapleton is double majoring in Public Relations and Communication with minors in Marketing and Print Journalism. She is a social media manager for Floating Leaf Studios and has taken on PR internships for St. Peter’s Hospital.
“I think communication is a very necessary, but often overlooked, skill in any job,” said Stapleton. “I went into it knowing it would benefit me professionally, as well as on an interpersonal level.”
Blair was chosen as captain for the Carroll Women’s Soccer team her senior year.
Leading her team in goals, Blair broke the program record and became the first Carroll women’s soccer player to be named CCC Offensive Player of the Week four consecutive times to start her senior season.
She was also named United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American, NAIA Honorable Mention All-American, United Soccer Coaches All-West Region, Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Offensive Player of the Year, and First Team All-CCC.
“Soccer has taught me that when you combine passion with accountability, you can truly accomplish anything,” said Blair. “It has tested my limits and helped me grow immensely as a person.”
Despite double majoring and double minoring, Blair has maintained a 3.88 GPA. Her professors and peers alike praise her dedicated work ethic.
She’s a very odd duck, but in the best way possible.
“I recently asked Blair to help on an urgent project, during a time when she was impossibly busy,” said Brent Northup, professor of communication. “She completed it quickly, with only a few sighs. I don’t think she sleeps.”
That work ethic will open many doors. She’s keeping options open.
“I’m in the process of applying and interviewing for jobs,” Blair said. “I am hopefully going to get a job working in PR in Helena. Grad school is not in my plans for now. As far as athletics go, I’m living and loving the retired life. I won’t pursue any soccer aside from comical adult league tournaments here and there.”
Her friends describe her as bubbly, kind, funny, dedicated – and weird.
“She’s a very odd duck, but in the best way possible,” says Funseth. “She is definitely one of the hardest workers on the team. She’s also a leader both on and off the field and someone you can trust to go to with anything at any time. Blair’s 100% someone you can look up to and a role model for younger players.”
Blair’s strong core values set her apart.
“Blair is a well-rounded student-athlete who excels and leads others in her academics, her faith, and her athletics,” said senior education major Kody Clements. “She is very willing to put herself out into the community and to help others.”
Blair’s unselfishness may be her signature.
“The thing I value most about people is their heart. As I’ve grown older, I’ve discovered that kindness is the most important part of someone’s identity,” said Blair.
As senior captain of the Carroll women’s soccer team, she supported her teammates on and off the field.
“I appreciate how welcoming she was when I came in as a freshman and how quickly I was able to build a solid friendship with her,” said Funseth. “She always made me feel so comfortable and important and never fails to make me laugh.”
On Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, Blair Stapleton tested positive for COVID-19.
“I found out that I tested positive on my 21st birthday,” said Blair. “We had just gotten back from a long bus trip, and we had mandatory testing on Mondays, so I went in that Monday to get tested per usual. Kris called me that night to tell me I was the only one on the team who tested positive.”
Blair remarked that she felt like she had a normal cold, but that she couldn’t smell.
“I was so frustrated because I totally felt like I could’ve been playing soccer still, but I obviously couldn’t,” said Blair. “I was required to quarantine for 10 days. I missed two home games and two games in Oregon because the day the team left for the trip was the day I was getting released from quarantine, but I hadn’t practiced in a week so there was no way I could go and play.”
Watching her team play without her was tough.
“That whole experience really helped me to not take the rest of the season for granted because I knew I’d rather be running full field sprints on Taco Tuesdays than sitting alone in quarantine and live streaming our team’s games,” said Blair.
Funseth spoke about how despite Blair’s COVID struggle, one of her favorite memories of Blair was watching her wave through the fence.
“Blair is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met,” said Funseth. “Her brightness is contagious.”
“I would say Blair represents Carroll College values because she focuses not only on the school aspects but the life aspects,” said Emily Blote, a senior biology major with minors in neuroscience and chemistry. “I would say Carroll represents hard work. I would say she represents Carroll because she’s kind and outgoing. She makes everyone feel like they’re welcome or that they have a friend if they’re in a room with her.”
Blair says she’s a lot like her mom, whom she credits for her values.
“I grew up wanting to replicate that compassionate approach to life,” Blair said. “I try to treat everyone I encounter with kindness.
“People remember the way you make them feel, and you never know when you’ve just made an impact on someone’s life… I believe the good always outweighs the bad. And ultimately, I just want to be someone who helps contribute to the good in others’ lives. If I can do that, I’ll feel like I succeeded.”
