JEFF FIELDER Editor
SCOTTSBLUFF – Brady Laucomer, who will be a sophomore at Scottsbluff High School this fall, is this week’s Nspire Today! Female Athlete of the Week, sponsored by Kristy Culek Agency, LLC-American Family Insurance. Laucomer is one of the top athletes in western Nebraska, and she excelled her freshman year in softball, basketball and track and field. She was one of the top softball players in the region in softball as a shortstop, and she quickly developed into a starter on the Bearcat varsity girls basketball team as a forward. In track, she qualified for state in the triple jump. One of the biggest highlights of her freshman year came at the end of the school year, when she was named Scottsbluff High School’s Female Athlete of the Year. This summer, Laucomer helped her Broadway Bombers traveling softball team enjoy a successful season. Her parents are Cary and Chris Laucomer. Brady has a younger sister, Marly, who will be an eighth-grader at BMS, and a younger brother, Jordy, who will be a seventh-grader at BMS.
Q: Describe how you feel like your freshman year went athletically at Scottsbluff High School.
LAUCOMER: “I felt like I had a successful season in each sport. It was a lot of fun. I went out for track for the first time, and I had some success. Also, I met a lot of my goals in softball, and I found a new passion for basketball that I never really had before.”
Q: Did you exceed your expectations in the sports you competed in?
LAUCOMER: “Yes, I think I did. I wasn’t expecting to start on varsity or even play varsity in basketball, and I was surprised to letter in track. Also, I didn’t expect to have such a successful season in softball even though that’s a sport that I’ve been doing my whole life.”
Q: What did that do for your confidence, performing so well in all three sports as a freshman?
LAUCOMER: “It gave me a lot of confidence, definitely. But I also know there’s a lot of things that I can get better at, and that’s what keeps me going. I want to keep getting better.”
Q: What were your top highlights in each sport this past school year?
LAUCOMER: “In softball, we met a lot of our team goals, and I met a lot of my personal goals, too. One of the things that I really remember from the season was winning our home tournament. We beat Gering in the championship. That was a really cool thing because we didn’t beat Gering previously. In basketball, one of the things I remember most was beating Sidney in the subdistrict final. That was awesome because we had lost to them previously, too. They were our number one rival throughout the whole season. Then in track, I did not expect to make it to state at all. So, that was really, really exciting. It was a really cool experience. State track is awesome.”
Q: How thrilling was it for you to be named your high school’s Female Athlete of the Year, especially being just a freshman?
LAUCOMER: “I was not expecting that at all because it was my first year of high school. I compete with so many good athletes every day during practice in all of my sports, so it was really cool that they picked me out of everyone.”
Q: How excited are you about your sophomore year in sports?
LAUCOMER: “I’m really excited about it. Some people think that [being so successful as a freshman] puts a lot of pressure on me or that it might stress me out, but that just pushes me to want to do better than I did my first year. If I meet my goals and if I have a successful season, I’m going to be proud of myself no matter what, even if I don’t receive the same awards that I did before. It’s not about the awards. It’s about how much fun you have and bonding as a team. That’s what’s important to me.”
Q: Have you already set some personal goals for your sophomore year?
LAUCOMER: “I want my batting average to be above .500, and I want to try to make it to state track again. I also want to start on varsity again in basketball.”
Q: Have you had a pretty busy summer with sports?
LAUCOMER: “Yes. My summer has been super busy. I have weights every morning, and then I have softball practice after that. Then we have basketball tournaments or softball tournaments on the weekends.”
Q: It doesn’t seem like there’s as many kids these days who are multi-sport athletes in high school, especially in three sports like yourself. For you, what’s been the key to excelling in three sports?
LAUCOMER: “It’s all about time management. Especially during the school year, you have to balance your school work with your sports and your practices. School and family obviously come first, but you can always find time to practice. I feel like if I keep doing what I did last year, then I’ll be successful.”
Q: How did the Broadway Bombers’ season go this summer?
LAUCOMER: “It was a really successful season. I feel like if we keep the same girls and if we go into our school season like we ended our summer, we’re going to be a really dangerous team. I’m really excited about our team. We’ve started practicing with the girls who will probably be on the high school team, and it’s super exciting to see the talent that we have.”
Q: Will the rest of your summer stay pretty busy with sports, or will you catch a break to do some other fun things?
LAUCOMER: “I’ll probably stay busy until the beginning of the school year because high school practice starts at the end of July, and then it goes right into the school year.”
Q: Do you feel more relaxed going into your sophomore year?
LAUCOMER: “I actually feel a lot more relaxed now. When you’re a freshman, you’re an underdog, and you’re kind of scared of the upperclassmen. You really don’t know what to expect in your first year. But now I know what I’m getting from my coaches and from my teammates, and that’s exciting. I feel like I can step up in the leader role easier now.”
Q: Which sport is your favorite?
LAUCOMER: “Softball is my favorite, for sure. But it’s really close with basketball. I really like softball because that’s the sport I’ve been playing since I was little – that was the first sport I fell in love with. But now I’m starting to fall in love with basketball, too.”
Q: Where do you get your drive to continue to get better?
LAUCOMER: “Really, what keeps me going is that I want to play a sport in college. So, competing in all three sports will give me lots of options. I want to get a scholarship so that I can get my college paid for. That’s really what keeps me going.”
Q: Outside of sports, what other activities do you enjoy?
LAUCOMER: “I love to go to the lake, and I love hanging out with my friends and family when I have free time. I like reading, too.”
Q: What is the best book you’ve ever read?
LAUCOMER: “The best book I’ve ever read is, ‘When You Reach Me.’”
Q: Why did you enjoy that book the most?
LAUCOMER: “It’s a mystery, and that’s what I’m really into. All of the TV shows that I watch are like criminal shows. That’s just what interests me.”
Q: How did your freshman year go academically? Was it a big change for you coming from Bluffs Middle School?
LAUCOMER: “Yes, it was definitely a big change going from middle school to high school. The season is so much longer, and you have way less time for things. So, you really have to find time to balance your school work after practices. That was a really dramatic change for me.”
Q: What was your favorite class your freshman year?
LAUCOMER: “My favorite class was English [with Mariah Webb]. I love English.”
Q: Have you started thinking about what kind of career you would like to have after college?
LAUCOMER: “Yes. I’ve really thought about it, and I’m thinking about being a physical therapist or an athletic trainer. I can’t play sports forever, so that would kind of keep me involved with athletics and working with athletes.”
Q: What do you like best about living in this area?
LAUCOMER: “I like that everyone knows everyone and most people get along. I don’t think I could ever live in a huge city where there’s so many people that it’s super crowded.”
If you would like to nominate someone for Nspire Today!’s Athletes of the Week, sponsored by Kristy Culek Agency, you may do so by sending an email to jeff.fielder@nspiretoday.com or by mailing a letter to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. Nominations may also be submitted by sending a text to 308-220-8865.
In addition to being recognized online, athletes of the week will also be recognized in Nspire Today! magazine. To sign up for a one-year subscription (12 issues) to the magazine, please send $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. To pay with a credit card, please call 308-220-8865. If you would like to increase your subscription to $20, Nspire Today! will donate the extra $5 in July to the local DOVES program.
For all your insurance needs, visit The Kristy Culek Agency, LLC-American Family Insurance, located at 1012 Ave. I in Scottsbluff, or call 308-632-8598.
