Sport: Softball
Favorite athlete: Chase Utley
Favorite team: Philadelphia Phillies
Favorite memory competing in sports: Going to the State semi-finals last year.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: All the times I have eaten dirt from diving for balls.
Music on your iPod: A mix of everything. Lots of country right now.
Future plans: Go to college, get a degree and start a family.
Words to live by: "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working."
One goal before turning 30: Go to California.
One thing people don’t know about me: I'm very shy.
Laura Altenburger knows how to make a first impression.
The first time she met current Neshaminy coach Dave Chichilitti, she was trying out for a Carpenter Cup team that he was helping to coach. Watching Altenburger in the field, three words came to Chichilitti’s mind.
“I want one.”
He wasn’t the only one impressed by the fearless effort that Altenburger displayed during the tryouts.
“We were watching her and we were amazed,” Chichilitti said. “This kid is just incredible. She’s diving all over during the tryout. I turned around to the other coaches and said, ‘I want one. Where can we get one of these?’”
Little did Chichilitti know that he’d soon be Altenburger’s high school coach. He did suspect, however, that Altenburger would show that same intensity when she suited up for Neshaminy as she did when trying out for the Carpenter Cup.
“It’s an everyday thing for her,” Chichilitti said. “She’s very intense. She practices and plays harder than anybody, and she expects everyone to do the same.”
It has made for some breathtaking plays in the field, for more reasons than one. A three-year starter at shortstop for the Redskins (she started at short for Archbishop Wood as a freshman before transferring to Neshaminy), Altenburger is nothing short of a vacuum when a ball is hit in her direction.
“Laura plays a fearless, incredible shortstop,” Chichilitti said. “She’s inspiring … some of the plays she puts her body on the line for, it’s ridiculous.
“There are certain balls that flare over the third baseman’s head, and even in practice, Laura absolutely lays out for the ball. She’s made that play hundreds of times. But she sacrifices her body to get that ball to the point where your first thought is, ‘Oh my goodness, I hope she gets up.’ You’re not even worried about ‘Did she catch the ball?’ You’re not worried if she made the catch, if she can make the play, it’s ‘Oh my God, I hope she gets up.’”
She has. Every time. And she’s never thought twice about doing everything in her power to track down a ball.
“When the ball is hit, I’m always expecting, ‘It’s going to come to me,’” Altenburger said. “And it’s just your instinct, ‘I have to do anything I can to stop that ball.’ So if you have to lay out, jump in the air, you just do whatever you have to do.
“That’s the great thing about playing shortstop. I love the range, going from side to side, getting balls in the hole, backhanding, and diving. I love diving – it’s my favorite thing.”
She’s pretty handy with the bat as well. Last season, Altenburger hit a stunning .545 – the best in the area – and was named the Offensive MVP of a team that finished 20-5 overall, including a third-place finish in the District One Tournament and a berth in the state semifinal game.
“Laura was one of the first people to believe in me,” said Chichilitti, who took over as coach at Neshaminy last season. “I was going to come in and try to take the team to the next level, because they had the talent. And she was one of the first who bought in and started to believe and played in big part in the run we made last year.”
That team had seven seniors. This year, there are only three … and more than a few newcomers who will be stepping in to key positions. Being a senior and a leader, more is being asked of Altenburger. She is ready and willing to take on the responsibilities.
“Laura’s the glue that holds us all together,” Chichilitti said. “She’s been asked to step up this year as a vocal leader, to provide senior leadership. Laura’s not typically a very vocal person – she usually leads by her amazing and fearless play – but so far she’s done a tremendous job of getting these younger players and helping them along, making them feel comfortable and getting them prepared for the high expectations that we have at Neshaminy.”
“Last year with all the seniors, they were all really loud and talkative,” Altenburger said. “I was the one was more quiet but who would lead by example. This year, this is my role as a senior. We have to take control, take over. I think we’re doing a good job at it so far. I’m ready for it. I’m glad I can be a leader and set myself up as an example for others. I like that role.”
She also relishes the thought of being the target for any pitcher looking to make a name for herself. She’s the “big out,” the batter everyone wants to strike out, but no one wants to face.
“I love the pressure. The more pressure the better,” said Altenburger, who will play at West Chester University next year and hopes to start as a freshman. “I’m confident. If people are after me, I like that. I’d rather people be scared than not. I’d rather they be focused on me than not worrying about me.”
Though the season is young, Altenburger seems to be dealing with that pressure just fine. In the Redskins’ season opener on Wednesday, Altenburger launched the first of what she hopes will be many home runs as the ‘Skins topped Souderton, 6-2.
And while Chichilitti said it would be difficult to imagine she could put up better numbers than she did last season, that’s exactly what Altenburger is aiming for.
“I always expect to do better,” she said. “Nobody’s perfect, so I know there are always things I can work on to get better at. I want to have a higher batting average this year. There are always things you can work on and hitting is one of them that I want to work on and do better.
“Going 4-for-5 in a game is great, but you always want to do the best you can, and 5-for-5 is even better. You can never settle for what you have, you always want to go out and do more.”
That’s exactly the attitude that Chichilitti is hoping will rub off onto some of the younger players.
“Laura’s the kind of player where if we’re on the practice field and there’s a ball that somebody needs to dive or lay out for, and they don’t do it, she’s yelling before I am about laying it all on the line,” he said. “I would like to see her make the rest of her teammates into better players by the season’s end and building it up so by the end of May, early June, everyone is on the same page and we’re playing our best softball by the time we get to the playoffs.”
That’s what Altenburger is hoping for as well. Her personal goals are lofty, but so are her goals for the team. She believes the Redskins are capable of capturing the league, district and state titles, and she’s going to do everything in her power to help bring those crowns to Neshaminy.
Chichilitti wouldn’t expect anything less from his senior shortstop.
“Last year, Laura was giving everything she could to send the seniors out right, to honor them,” he said. “She wanted those seniors to be state champions. She wanted to do everything she could to make sure those seniors’ last game was a win. And I think the kids saw that. And this year I think she expects everybody to do the same, for everybody to sacrifice themselves to send her and the rest of the seniors out the right way.”
“We will still be strong this year,” Altenburger said. “I feel like we still can go all the way. I really just to have this team become a big family like we did last year. I want us to have a good time and leave it all on the field, have no regrets, show all we can do and hopefully win states.”
