Laura Albero Headed to UVA
Laura Albero, an eighteen-year-old senior at Kempsville High School, truly defines the term “student athlete.” She has spent her entire high school career mastering the techniques necessary to succeed both on and off the field. Her hard work has paid dividends; in the fall, Albero will be attending the University of Virginia. Gameday Magazine recently had a chance to talk with Albero during a visit to the school she will call home in August.
Gameday Magazine: What sports have you been involved in while at Kempsville?
Albero: I’ve been on both the track and cross-country teams.
Gameday Magazine: Can you explain the difference between the two for those who might be unfamiliar with them?
Albero: Cross-country is a fall sport. In that, competitors run a 5K race, which is 3.1 miles. Track, on the other hand, is played in the winter and spring. It involves numerous different types of events. I run the mile and the open 800 meter.
Gameday Magazine: How did you become involved in these sports?
Albero: I decided to run track as a freshman because my sister, Kim, had done it. She competed in the pole vault and was really good. She is now a fourth-year student at UVA. As far as cross-country goes, my coach, Kendall Tata, convinced me that I should try it. I did and really liked it so it kind of took off from there.
Gameday Magazine: What sorts of awards have you won athletically?
Albero: In cross-country, I won the coaches award. But even more exciting than that is what we accomplished as a team. We advanced to regional competition this year which was a big accomplishment because we were not ranked very high.
Gameday Magazine: Can you tell us about Kempsville’s outdoor track team that you are competing with right now?
Albero: There are a lot of good things going for the team this season. First, we’ve got some really great pole vaulters. One young lady just broke a team record. We’ve also got some really strong sprinters who should do very well in competition and our distance runners are very good, too.
Gameday Magazine: What do you think contributes to the strong showings in these areas?
Albero: Of course, individual talent is a big part of it. Most of these people have been doing this for a while and have gotten really good. But also, I think the coaches play a big part. Every coach has his or her own area of expertise. For instance, Tata helps focuses on the sprinters and Shawn Wilson works with the distance runners. But these coaches are very team-minded. They bring everyone together so that we can compete and win as a team. That is a big part of Kempsville’s successes.
Gameday Magazine: Can you tell us how successful you have been academically?
Albero: I have a 4.2 GPA.
Gameday Magazine: What are your plans after high school?
Albero: I’m not sure what I want to study yet at UVA. As far as subjects go, I really like the Psychology and Government classes that I am taking. But I’m going into UVA with an undeclared major and I’ll see where my studies take me. Athletically, I will keep running for sure. Since I’m going to be focusing so much on academics, however, I’m probably going to participate in a club instead of on the school’s team. Running is something that I have fun with, though, and I plan to keep doing that.
Gameday Magazine: What people around you have helped you achieve so much success?
Albero: My parents have always supported my siblings and me by setting high expectations for us. But they always made it clear that we were expected to do well so for our own benefit. That encouragement has helped me out a lot. Aside from my parents, my coach, Kendall Tata, has been an inspiration as well. She was a runner at Kempsville herself. In fact, she set a school record. After high school, she went on to run in college so she understands very well the balance that a student athlete must strike between academics and athletics. For me, schoolwork and athletics is a nice balance between work and play and that is something everyone should strive to achieve.
Gameday Magazine: Well put, Laura. Congratulations on your successes at Kempsville and good luck as a Cavalier.
