Hispanic Heritage Month: Lauren Lapomarda
By: Payton Wilson, Texas Athletics
9/19/2022
For Lauren Lapomarda, her heritage has shaped the woman she is today in more ways than one. The traditional values her parents instilled in her from a young age are the ones you can probably guess: respect, humbleness, and accountability. But the ones that stood out to me during my conversation with Lapomarda were tradition, sacrifice, and pride. In many cultures, families tend to raise their children to have a sense of pride in where they come from because oftentimes, where we come from is a huge part of what makes who we are. And for Lapomarda’s family, that sentiment was no different.
When asked about the way her culture has impacted her both as a person and an athlete, Lapomarda talked a bit about that sense of pride her parents were so keen on instilling in her, “It’s pride in who I am and who I want to become later on in the future. As a person, it shows that anybody around is willing to help, and you want to be that helping, caring person. My family, friends, all Latinas, Latinos, Latinx, all of the community is willing to sacrifice anything just for you and other people.” She continued to say, “They put others before themselves. I think that's awesome. I try to take that with myself, and as an athlete…it is a small community, but we're willing to fight. We're here to stand and show that we have heart, and we show our pride.”
I think what separated soccer from basketball was the community, the diversity, how well people come together, even from all around the world.Lauren Lapomarda
From our short interview, it was quite easy to tell that family is vital to Lapomarda and that she lives to make her family proud. Pride aside, as mentioned earlier, tradition is another value Lapomarda holds dearly to her heart. When asked about her favorite traditions she and her family participated in growing up, she said, “We played Lata, which is like American bingo over here. We played with beans, and whoever wins ends up getting a big old prize…if you're an adult, obviously, you get adult things. But when you're a kid, you get candy, you can get t-shirt, you can get clothes, like anything you want. It's probably one of the greatest things.”
Further along in our conversation about tradition, we talked about Christmas and her family’s yearly traditions. Lapomarda’s sentiments on Christmas and what it truly means to her give great insight into the person she is and the values she holds, “On Christmas, we do a theme. Sometimes we do a Cinco de Mayo theme or a Las Vegas theme. But we all wait until the end at 12:00 AM to open gifts. Because all that time before leading up is about cherishing family. Just hanging out with family, being together, and being with one another. It's just enjoying their company because you never know like when anything's gonna happen. So you’ve got to cherish every time you get with them.”
One thing I say is play a bigger game, show them that you are the bigger person and you're willing to fight. I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me for the rest of the 90 minutes.Lauren Lapomarda
Our conversation wasn’t just about family and tradition, though. Lapomarda’s love for soccer is almost as deep as her love for her family. You can see this during games where she’s constantly playing with a positive attitude and encouraging her teammates whenever she has the chance. Soccer has been in her life since she was old enough to kick a ball, and while she played other sports as a kid, soccer was always her favorite, not just because it was fun but because of the other qualities that soccer held. “I started playing when I was three years old…when you’re little you're thrown into a bunch of sports. It was basketball and soccer. But I think what separated soccer from basketball was the community, the diversity, how well people come together, even from all around the world.” She continued, “You wouldn't think holy cow, like people from Canada, came all the way to the US to watch a Texas game...it's so amazing how each player is recognized on the field for their running and also for their representation.”
In addition to talking about what she loves about soccer, she spoke about her pre-game playlist and what those songs mean to her as well, “I have to start off with ‘Biebs In The Trap’ by Travis Scott. I’ve got to get a little hype, but I also like ‘Freedom’ by Beyonce with Kendrick Lamar. Because it just shows you're willing to fight for this game. You're willing to give it up, give it your all for others, and work hard for others. And it's showing that we’ve got this, and you’ve got this. So it's kind of like an affirmation. Like we can do this.”
Speaking of giving your all to others, Lapomarda also offered some advice for the thousands of girls who look up to her and want to be in her position one day, “I would say never let anybody stand in your way. You fight for your goal. For me, one of the hardest things as a soccer player is my height. A lot of people look down upon me. So one thing I say is play a bigger game, show them that you are the bigger person and you're willing to fight. I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me for the rest of the 90 minutes...Be encouraging, be the positive person, and show that you're willing to work hard. That's, that's more than enough that you can ask in a person. And I think that's the greatest, greatest thing ever.”
Lapomarda is a junior on Texas’ soccer team, but she’s incredibly wise beyond her years. Her mindset is one that’s rare to find in a talented athlete because even during her biggest moments, her humbleness always finds a way to shine through. She’s aware that she’s a role model for thousands of young girls, and it’s clear that she doesn’t take that role lightly. Success will always find its way to Lapomarda because her positivity, humility, and respect for others have taken her far and will only continue to take her further. In the end, it’s Lapomarda’s goal to make her family proud, and from our short but moving conversation, they absolutely should be.
