Laura Laughlin, a senior at South Aiken is one of the cross country team captains. Laughlin talks about her last two seasons as a South Aiken athlete and the future, that includes running at the collegiate level. Laughlin has a 5k personal best of 18:35.
scrunners: When did find out your were named captain of South Aiken\'s girl\'s team?
laura laughlin: I was named the girls varsity captain several years ago. Our team went through the process of letting several different people lead our warm up and stretching routine before voting. I was chosen then. The following year it became more of a coach\'s choice. My two coaches felt that Bethany Clark and I had been both good captains and we have both continued in these leadership roles since.
scrunners: What kind of responsibilities have you inherited as captain?
laura laughlin: The other captains of the team, usually two boys and two girls, lead the team through our warm up stretches everyday. We are often used as examples during plyometrics or speed drills to show or help others to learn them. At the meets, we keep the team together and make sure that everyone warms up, stays together, stretches out, and cools down after the race.
scrunners: Who voted on you as captain?
laura laughlin: At first, my teammates and then my coach.
scrunners: As a senior, what are you goals for your last cross country season?
laura laughlin: We have steadily been getting better as a team and getting closer and closer to a state championship. I hope that this, my senior year, will be it. Personally, I hope to be able to set a record whether in cross country or track, that will last a long time.
scrunners: What kind of goals is South Aiken setting?
laura laughlin: Speaking for the girls\' side, as a team, we are going for our fourth region title. Although we have our eyes on the state title.
scrunners: What kind of training did you undergo this summer?
laura laughlin: Over the summer I trained either with a group of other runners on the team or by myself. We started out all training together, but as summer went on and people\'s schedules got all mixed up I would weight train in the morning and then run, usually before going to work.
scrunners: Who do you train with in the summer?
laura laughlin: Normally I run in the Junior Olympics program with my coach, but this summer I decided not to participate because my work schedule would have made me miss too much practice. So instead I got together with different people on my team to run together.
scrunners: Do you train with your sister Amy on a daily basis?
laura laughlin: Over the summer we didn\'t train together so much, but during the season we almost always run together. We push each other at practice and help pace each other.
scrunners: As the state meet course has changed to Sandhills for \'04 how has that changed your training for the state meet?
laura laughlin: A little bit. We train hard all the time for the state no matter where it is. I\'m anticipating that we will be doing a little more hill work. Our coach also hopes to take us to the course sometime before the meet so we can train on the course and get used to that big hill.
scrunners: Do you prefer to run at Sandhills or Fort Jackson, why?
laura laughlin: Personally, I prefer Fort Jackson because my freshman year, the first year the state was at Sandhills, I ran so hard at the state meet that I passed out at the end from extreme fatigue and dehydration. It was an usually hot day and people were passing out left and right. Though I finished the race, I spent a good deal of time at the medic tent recovering. To make matters worse, during the varsity race, my older brother\'s last race, he too passed out along with Brian Hoepker, also from our team. The guys were set up to also win a state championship and for a number of reasons, lost it. I just have bad memories of the course.
scrunners: Do you prefer to run cross country or track, why?
laura laughlin: I definitely prefer cross country. I love long runs through the woods. I love the endurance of CC. I have no kick at the end, so the longer the race, the better I do. As a team, we are a lot closer together. We become an awesome family that does more together than just run. I feel like the pressure is not so much on the individual. Even though everyone has to train hard and pull their own weight, there is a team aspect, that it takes all seven runners on a team to make real success happen.
scrunners: When did you start run? Do you remember your first competition?
laura laughlin: I started running a little with my dad when I was younger. I really started to run on my own when I was in the sixth grade to gain endurance for figure skating, a sport I used to do. My brother was already on the cross country team and my dad urged me to run as well. I ran the Cedar Creek Turkey Trot, a 5k road race, where coach Busbee first saw me. Because he felt I did so well, we too encouraged me to come out. My first cross country meet was in the eighth grade at White Knoll. It was raining, and I was so nervous. But I remember that both my brother and I got first place and that he was so proud of me.
scrunners: Does anyone else in your family run, or did they run?
laura laughlin: Amy and I run obviously. But before us was our brother Mike who now runs for Winthrop University. My little brother runs a little in Junior Olympics and road races, but he really likes soccer a lot better.
scrunners: Did any of your parents run at the high school or collegiate level?
laura laughlin: My dad ran cross country in college at the Naval Academy and runs all the time now. He wishes he ran in high school like we do. My mom also ran in college but not for a team.
scrunners: What year of school did you start to run for South Aiken?
laura laughlin: I started track in 2000 when I was in the seventh grade and cross country the following fall.
scrunners: From your 2003 cross country season, what do remember the most and what do you want to improve on for 2004?
laura laughlin: Honestly, what I remember most is the injuries my team had going into the last part of our season particularly Amy\'s broken hip and then Morgan Hudgin\'s diagnosis of cancer. I believe it was just God\'s plan for our team to not let us get the state last year, but hopefully to come out stronger this year so the success will be that much sweeter.
scrunners: What was your biggest challenge in 2003-2004?
laura laughlin: Obviously to try and push ourselves toward the state title. For me, I have been pushing myself to improve in hopes of being able to run in college.
scrunners: In track, what do you want to remember the most and what would you like to improve on come the spring?
laura laughlin: I hope to be able to set a school record, probably in the two mile that will last a long time. But I hope to be able to look back on my whole high school running career and know that I did my best and gave all I had.
scrunners: With college on your mind, have you thought about running in college?
laura laughlin: Yes, very much so. I really really hope to be able to run in college. Running has become such a big part of my life that I don\'t believe I could give it up. Any college that I\'m looking at, I see what their running program is like though my academics come first. I\'m a student athlete, student first then athlete.
scrunners: What schools are your interested in?
laura laughlin: I\'m kind of leaning towards the University of Georgia or Clemson although I know that USC is recruiting me, which is a very flattering offer.
scrunners: When talking to college coaches, what kind of questions have they asked you and what have you asked them?
laura laughlin: I have been talking to many of the coaches of places that I have looked. Most of the time I tell them what my PRs are and how I train. I also usually ask if my times are totally off the mark and would they let me run for them. Of me they ask similarly what kind of training do I do.
scrunners: What do you look for in a coach and what do you expect a coach to look for in you?
laura laughlin: Honestly, I haven\'t thought much about that aspect. I have been running with the same coach my whole career and I know it will be a big change to run for someone else. But I couldn\'t have asked for better coaches. They have come to mean more to me than guys who make me work.
scrunners: Have you ever been injured? Explain?
laura laughlin: Yes, my first ever season of track I got a bad case of tendonitis in my Achilles tendons that took me out of the second half of the season. I suspect it was from training and racing so much at such a young age. Other than that I get the occasionally shin splints or maybe really tight hamstrings at the beginning of a season. But nothing too terribly bad.
scrunners: How did you recover?
laura laughlin: Well I recover from the minor aches and pains with ice and epson salt baths. I take a little bit of Advil for inflammation but I kind of have a pet peeve about taking lots of pills.
scrunners: Where do you like to train in Aiken?
laura laughlin: In regards to training, I love running in the woods. So a recovery day of hill repeats in the woods is one of my favorites. I also enjoy the long runs we do on Saturday mornings.
scrunners: Who has been South Aiken\'s team rival and do you have an individual rival?
laura laughlin: Aiken is always the cross town rival and when the Milner sisters ran they were often pitted against Amy and I. Now we look at some of the bigger schools like Northwestern, Mauldin, or Summerville as teams to look for, but maybe not really as rivals. Then of course there is always Amy.
scrunners: How did these rival\'s develop and when do they become most intense?
laura laughlin: The Aiken, South Aiken rivalry is the strongest I suppose because they\'re our cross town competition in everything. The rivalry between the Milner\'s and I was hyped up when I first beat them I suppose. I guess they had never been challenged. But they were great competitors and I have great respect for them. Amy and I, we push each other in practice and in races. I just have to be careful because she has a better kick than I do.
scrunners: What kind of race strategy works best for you? Explain.
laura laughlin: I don\'t have a great sprint so I have to break free of my competitors in the middle of a race rather than waiting until the end.
scrunners: If a race scenario changes from the expected how do you alter your plans.
laura laughlin: I try not to let it get to me too much. Even though circumstances around me may change, I still have to run my own race. But I do have to adapt and pace myself for each particular race and course.
scrunners: Does South Aiken have a team tradition prior to a meet?
laura laughlin: We always warm up as a team, meaning the varsity stay together the JV each for our own races. But we always say a team prayer and a cheer before we run. At the end of a practice or a meet we bring it in and say and Irish proverb followed by another cheer. Before the region and state meets, we usually get together and have a spaghetti or lasagna dinner and watch some sort of inspirational movie. The tradition is to watch Steve Prefontaine.
scrunners: What would you say is the most prestigious meet you have competed in?
laura laughlin: Well the state championship is pretty prestigious in my mind as well as the Coaches Classic because in that you are up against the best from all the divisions and from other states than South Carolina.
scrunners: How did do you fare?
laura laughlin: I\'ve done pretty well at the state meets that I\'ve competed in save the one where I passed out. I don\'t normally place as high in the Coaches Classic but over the years both my times and places have improved.
scrunners: Have you ever meet a professional athlete? If so what did you discuss with them?
laura laughlin: I have. At the Great American Race in Winthrop a few years ago I met Alan Webb who was there racing the night before with the University of Michigan. I didn\'t have a whole lot of time to talk to him but I asked him how long he had been running and what, to him, was a hard work out.
scrunners: Do you have a favorite running book or movie, if so which one and why?
laura laughlin: Though a lot of my team really lots up to Steve Prefontaine, I think he was a great runner but not so great as a person. Instead, I kind of look up to Eric Liddell, a runner from Scotland in the 1920\'s. He was favored by far to win the Olympics for sprints but refused to compete because the race was held on a Sunday. Instead he went on and got a gold medal in a different race that he was not favored to win. From there he became a missionary in China and died there in a concentration-type camp. As a Christian myself, that kind of devotion and sacrifice is admirable and amazing, a goal to strive for.
scrunners: When not running what do you do for fun?
laura laughlin: I greatly enjoy my team. We hang out in none athletic setting a lot whether playing ultimate frisbee, which we all love, or going to the movies. I enjoy hanging out with my other friends in whatever we do. I enjoy sports of all kinds, particularly ice skating, which I used to do all the time. I also like to play music.
scrunners: With beginning runners becoming increasing more, what do you think they should to during their first year of running for training and racing?
laura laughlin: I think they should stick with it. A lot of new runners get scared off by the intensity and amount of work that we do at first. But if they stick with it and give their best everyday, they will get better and it will pay off in the end.
scrunners: What keeps you motivated to get out the door on a daily basis for school, running and life?
laura laughlin: Well sometimes it is hard and discouraging, but it is God that gives me my strength and my talent. It is his plan and will that I have the desire and ability to run. When I get tired and feel like I can\'t go on, He gives me the strength to go on. I feel like me gave me this talent and to not use it would be a waste of a gift.
scrunners: If there is one thing in the world you could do what would it be and why?
laura laughlin: There are a lot of different things I would wish I could do and it depends on what frame this is coming from. I wish I could win states in running. I wish that I could grow up and be an astronaut someday or be a mom and a wife. I guess it depends on what in the world I wish I could do in regards to running or school, etc.
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Full Name: Laura Kathleen Laughlin Academic Interest: Astronomy/ Physics and Journalism Brother/Sisters: Mike (20) Amy (16) and Andrew (11) Hobbies: Sports, ice skating, ultimate frisbee, reading, play music Date of Birth: 9/15/86 Personal Bests: 5K 18:35, 3200m 11:42, 1600m 5:24 |
scrunners: When did find out your were named captain of South Aiken\'s girl\'s team?
laura laughlin: I was named the girls varsity captain several years ago. Our team went through the process of letting several different people lead our warm up and stretching routine before voting. I was chosen then. The following year it became more of a coach\'s choice. My two coaches felt that Bethany Clark and I had been both good captains and we have both continued in these leadership roles since.
scrunners: What kind of responsibilities have you inherited as captain?
laura laughlin: The other captains of the team, usually two boys and two girls, lead the team through our warm up stretches everyday. We are often used as examples during plyometrics or speed drills to show or help others to learn them. At the meets, we keep the team together and make sure that everyone warms up, stays together, stretches out, and cools down after the race.
scrunners: Who voted on you as captain?
laura laughlin: At first, my teammates and then my coach.
scrunners: As a senior, what are you goals for your last cross country season?
laura laughlin: We have steadily been getting better as a team and getting closer and closer to a state championship. I hope that this, my senior year, will be it. Personally, I hope to be able to set a record whether in cross country or track, that will last a long time.
scrunners: What kind of goals is South Aiken setting?
laura laughlin: Speaking for the girls\' side, as a team, we are going for our fourth region title. Although we have our eyes on the state title.
scrunners: What kind of training did you undergo this summer?
laura laughlin: Over the summer I trained either with a group of other runners on the team or by myself. We started out all training together, but as summer went on and people\'s schedules got all mixed up I would weight train in the morning and then run, usually before going to work.
scrunners: Who do you train with in the summer?
laura laughlin: Normally I run in the Junior Olympics program with my coach, but this summer I decided not to participate because my work schedule would have made me miss too much practice. So instead I got together with different people on my team to run together.
scrunners: Do you train with your sister Amy on a daily basis?
laura laughlin: Over the summer we didn\'t train together so much, but during the season we almost always run together. We push each other at practice and help pace each other.
scrunners: As the state meet course has changed to Sandhills for \'04 how has that changed your training for the state meet?
laura laughlin: A little bit. We train hard all the time for the state no matter where it is. I\'m anticipating that we will be doing a little more hill work. Our coach also hopes to take us to the course sometime before the meet so we can train on the course and get used to that big hill.
scrunners: Do you prefer to run at Sandhills or Fort Jackson, why?
laura laughlin: Personally, I prefer Fort Jackson because my freshman year, the first year the state was at Sandhills, I ran so hard at the state meet that I passed out at the end from extreme fatigue and dehydration. It was an usually hot day and people were passing out left and right. Though I finished the race, I spent a good deal of time at the medic tent recovering. To make matters worse, during the varsity race, my older brother\'s last race, he too passed out along with Brian Hoepker, also from our team. The guys were set up to also win a state championship and for a number of reasons, lost it. I just have bad memories of the course.
scrunners: Do you prefer to run cross country or track, why?
laura laughlin: I definitely prefer cross country. I love long runs through the woods. I love the endurance of CC. I have no kick at the end, so the longer the race, the better I do. As a team, we are a lot closer together. We become an awesome family that does more together than just run. I feel like the pressure is not so much on the individual. Even though everyone has to train hard and pull their own weight, there is a team aspect, that it takes all seven runners on a team to make real success happen.
scrunners: When did you start run? Do you remember your first competition?
laura laughlin: I started running a little with my dad when I was younger. I really started to run on my own when I was in the sixth grade to gain endurance for figure skating, a sport I used to do. My brother was already on the cross country team and my dad urged me to run as well. I ran the Cedar Creek Turkey Trot, a 5k road race, where coach Busbee first saw me. Because he felt I did so well, we too encouraged me to come out. My first cross country meet was in the eighth grade at White Knoll. It was raining, and I was so nervous. But I remember that both my brother and I got first place and that he was so proud of me.
scrunners: Does anyone else in your family run, or did they run?
laura laughlin: Amy and I run obviously. But before us was our brother Mike who now runs for Winthrop University. My little brother runs a little in Junior Olympics and road races, but he really likes soccer a lot better.
scrunners: Did any of your parents run at the high school or collegiate level?
laura laughlin: My dad ran cross country in college at the Naval Academy and runs all the time now. He wishes he ran in high school like we do. My mom also ran in college but not for a team.
scrunners: What year of school did you start to run for South Aiken?
laura laughlin: I started track in 2000 when I was in the seventh grade and cross country the following fall.
scrunners: From your 2003 cross country season, what do remember the most and what do you want to improve on for 2004?
laura laughlin: Honestly, what I remember most is the injuries my team had going into the last part of our season particularly Amy\'s broken hip and then Morgan Hudgin\'s diagnosis of cancer. I believe it was just God\'s plan for our team to not let us get the state last year, but hopefully to come out stronger this year so the success will be that much sweeter.
scrunners: What was your biggest challenge in 2003-2004?
laura laughlin: Obviously to try and push ourselves toward the state title. For me, I have been pushing myself to improve in hopes of being able to run in college.
scrunners: In track, what do you want to remember the most and what would you like to improve on come the spring?
laura laughlin: I hope to be able to set a school record, probably in the two mile that will last a long time. But I hope to be able to look back on my whole high school running career and know that I did my best and gave all I had.
scrunners: With college on your mind, have you thought about running in college?
laura laughlin: Yes, very much so. I really really hope to be able to run in college. Running has become such a big part of my life that I don\'t believe I could give it up. Any college that I\'m looking at, I see what their running program is like though my academics come first. I\'m a student athlete, student first then athlete.
scrunners: What schools are your interested in?
laura laughlin: I\'m kind of leaning towards the University of Georgia or Clemson although I know that USC is recruiting me, which is a very flattering offer.
scrunners: When talking to college coaches, what kind of questions have they asked you and what have you asked them?
laura laughlin: I have been talking to many of the coaches of places that I have looked. Most of the time I tell them what my PRs are and how I train. I also usually ask if my times are totally off the mark and would they let me run for them. Of me they ask similarly what kind of training do I do.
scrunners: What do you look for in a coach and what do you expect a coach to look for in you?
laura laughlin: Honestly, I haven\'t thought much about that aspect. I have been running with the same coach my whole career and I know it will be a big change to run for someone else. But I couldn\'t have asked for better coaches. They have come to mean more to me than guys who make me work.
scrunners: Have you ever been injured? Explain?
laura laughlin: Yes, my first ever season of track I got a bad case of tendonitis in my Achilles tendons that took me out of the second half of the season. I suspect it was from training and racing so much at such a young age. Other than that I get the occasionally shin splints or maybe really tight hamstrings at the beginning of a season. But nothing too terribly bad.
scrunners: How did you recover?
laura laughlin: Well I recover from the minor aches and pains with ice and epson salt baths. I take a little bit of Advil for inflammation but I kind of have a pet peeve about taking lots of pills.
scrunners: Where do you like to train in Aiken?
laura laughlin: In regards to training, I love running in the woods. So a recovery day of hill repeats in the woods is one of my favorites. I also enjoy the long runs we do on Saturday mornings.
scrunners: Who has been South Aiken\'s team rival and do you have an individual rival?
laura laughlin: Aiken is always the cross town rival and when the Milner sisters ran they were often pitted against Amy and I. Now we look at some of the bigger schools like Northwestern, Mauldin, or Summerville as teams to look for, but maybe not really as rivals. Then of course there is always Amy.
scrunners: How did these rival\'s develop and when do they become most intense?
laura laughlin: The Aiken, South Aiken rivalry is the strongest I suppose because they\'re our cross town competition in everything. The rivalry between the Milner\'s and I was hyped up when I first beat them I suppose. I guess they had never been challenged. But they were great competitors and I have great respect for them. Amy and I, we push each other in practice and in races. I just have to be careful because she has a better kick than I do.
scrunners: What kind of race strategy works best for you? Explain.
laura laughlin: I don\'t have a great sprint so I have to break free of my competitors in the middle of a race rather than waiting until the end.
scrunners: If a race scenario changes from the expected how do you alter your plans.
laura laughlin: I try not to let it get to me too much. Even though circumstances around me may change, I still have to run my own race. But I do have to adapt and pace myself for each particular race and course.
scrunners: Does South Aiken have a team tradition prior to a meet?
laura laughlin: We always warm up as a team, meaning the varsity stay together the JV each for our own races. But we always say a team prayer and a cheer before we run. At the end of a practice or a meet we bring it in and say and Irish proverb followed by another cheer. Before the region and state meets, we usually get together and have a spaghetti or lasagna dinner and watch some sort of inspirational movie. The tradition is to watch Steve Prefontaine.
scrunners: What would you say is the most prestigious meet you have competed in?
laura laughlin: Well the state championship is pretty prestigious in my mind as well as the Coaches Classic because in that you are up against the best from all the divisions and from other states than South Carolina.
scrunners: How did do you fare?
laura laughlin: I\'ve done pretty well at the state meets that I\'ve competed in save the one where I passed out. I don\'t normally place as high in the Coaches Classic but over the years both my times and places have improved.
scrunners: Have you ever meet a professional athlete? If so what did you discuss with them?
laura laughlin: I have. At the Great American Race in Winthrop a few years ago I met Alan Webb who was there racing the night before with the University of Michigan. I didn\'t have a whole lot of time to talk to him but I asked him how long he had been running and what, to him, was a hard work out.
scrunners: Do you have a favorite running book or movie, if so which one and why?
laura laughlin: Though a lot of my team really lots up to Steve Prefontaine, I think he was a great runner but not so great as a person. Instead, I kind of look up to Eric Liddell, a runner from Scotland in the 1920\'s. He was favored by far to win the Olympics for sprints but refused to compete because the race was held on a Sunday. Instead he went on and got a gold medal in a different race that he was not favored to win. From there he became a missionary in China and died there in a concentration-type camp. As a Christian myself, that kind of devotion and sacrifice is admirable and amazing, a goal to strive for.
scrunners: When not running what do you do for fun?
laura laughlin: I greatly enjoy my team. We hang out in none athletic setting a lot whether playing ultimate frisbee, which we all love, or going to the movies. I enjoy hanging out with my other friends in whatever we do. I enjoy sports of all kinds, particularly ice skating, which I used to do all the time. I also like to play music.
scrunners: With beginning runners becoming increasing more, what do you think they should to during their first year of running for training and racing?
laura laughlin: I think they should stick with it. A lot of new runners get scared off by the intensity and amount of work that we do at first. But if they stick with it and give their best everyday, they will get better and it will pay off in the end.
scrunners: What keeps you motivated to get out the door on a daily basis for school, running and life?
laura laughlin: Well sometimes it is hard and discouraging, but it is God that gives me my strength and my talent. It is his plan and will that I have the desire and ability to run. When I get tired and feel like I can\'t go on, He gives me the strength to go on. I feel like me gave me this talent and to not use it would be a waste of a gift.
scrunners: If there is one thing in the world you could do what would it be and why?
laura laughlin: There are a lot of different things I would wish I could do and it depends on what frame this is coming from. I wish I could win states in running. I wish that I could grow up and be an astronaut someday or be a mom and a wife. I guess it depends on what in the world I wish I could do in regards to running or school, etc.