June 16, 2009

Stuart Kantor
Special to Rivals High

Named after William Fargo of the Wells-Fargo Express Company, this North Dakota city at the head of the Red River was founded in 1871 as a hub for the Northern Pacific Railroad. Now, a modern bullet train named Laura Roesler (pronounced Race-ler) has assembled a r?m?o rival the finest in high school track and field.

Only a junior, Roesler has accumulated 17 individual track and field state titles. She captured the 400-meter dash state title in seventh grade and has since swept the 100, 200, 400 and 800 state titles. At this year's state meet in Bismarck, Roesler won the 100 in 12.45 seconds, the 200 in 24.66 (a state record), the 400 in 55.10 (a state record), and the 800 in 2:13.92 (she already owns the state record ? 2:10.78, 2008).

"I can't think about it [the 17 state titles]," she said. "Maybe later in life. Right now I think about how far I've come since I started in seventh grade, how much improvement I've made, but how much further I still have to go."

The vivacious and pigtailed teen with a penchant for cheesy jokes and heavily buttered and salted popcorn entered America's living rooms in the shadows of high schoolers Jordan Hasay and Jeff Demps during the 2008 Olympic Trials. Prior to Hasay's 1,500 and Demps' 100, Roesler shocked the field in the 800. Chanelle Price, a senior prep star from Easton, Pa., crumbled under the weight of expectations. Roesler, a little-known runner, weaved her way through collegians and professionals to finish fourth at 2:04.03 and earn a trip to the semifinals. She finished eighth and out of the running for the Olympics, but admits "it was such an incredible all-around experience. I learned I could run smart with that caliber of athlete. I also had my picture taken with Sanya Richards."

In eighth grade, under the tutelage of coach Lisa Svaleson, Roesler began to blossom.

"She saw the potential in me," Roesler said. "She urged me to stay with an older runner on the team, and I dropped my 800 time from 2:21 to 2:11. But it wasn't until state that year that I knew track was for me."

This was the first of her 100, 200, 400 and 800 sweeps.

"I still didn't think I was that good," Roesler said. "The next year I didn't go into the season totally positive, but I said, 'Let's see how far I can go with this,' and I ran a 2:07 in ninth grade." Prior to the Olympic Trials, she blazed a No. 8 all-time 2:03.08.

Often running by herself after the first 100 meters, Roesler relies on strategically placed coaches and family to yell out splits so that she maintains her high-caliber times. It's for this reason that summer meets have gained added importance; they provide sorely needed competition.

"I'll run some regional meets and then the Junior Nationals in Eugene and hopefully make it to the Pan Am Games in Trinidad-Tobago."

On the back of the 2008-09 Fargo South High School Track & Field T-shirts reads the mantra: "Don't Chase Your Dreams/Run Them Down." To Roesler, this phrase carries a double meaning. In addition to infusing a sense of team pride, the quip references Kim Gallagher's (Upper Dublin, Fort Washington, Pa.) national 800 mark of 2:00.07. Admittedly not quite an obsession, Roesler does acquiesce to its grip.

"It's going to haunt me," Roesler said. "I'd love to reach the 2-minute mark and have the record."

Reaching such a lofty goal is not without its obstacles. First, she's already battled and defeated burnout. At the beginning of the 2008-09 cross country season, she claimed, "I was in the best cross country shape ever. Workouts were ahead of pace, but I was mentally burnt. After cross country, I took two months off and started back with strength camp and sprinting. I felt recharged and refreshed. I like track and field more than cross country; I fell back in love with running."

And it showed as she won the 800 at the Nike Indoor Nationals, her first run on a banked track.

Her biggest obstacle, however, may be outside her control ? the weather.

"In the winter, there's five feet of snow on the ground forever," Roesler said. "You have to have a lot of motivation to run on dangerous roads."

Although the record flooding on the Plains did not affect Fargo, "the indoor season was canceled," she said. "I didn't have a lot of chances to run the 800," her preferred race. "It's challenging. I like training for it. I like the 400; it's fun, because it's a longer sprint, but I love the 800."

Since the Olympic Trials experience, life has changed in the public eye for Roesler, a 4.0 student who has played piano since the second grade. Her notoriety's "a blessing and a curse," said her mother, Karen Roesler.

"The blessing is that her [twin] brother and her older sister have been very supportive of her through all the experiences, but at the same time it's a curse because all the attention can be distracting and stressful," she said.

Roesler's twin brother Kyle is also an athlete and 4.0 student, while older sister Emily is a heptathlete at North Dakota State University.

"Living in North Dakota is low key; it's helped keep me grounded," Laura Roesler said. "The people know me here, and they're supportive. Living in North Dakota is definitely an advantage."

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