Fresno State Athletics
Off the Court with Laura Paukert
1/12/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 12, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - A Midwesterner at heart, Laura Paukert came to Fresno State from Rochester, Minnesota to play basketball. Over her six years as a Bulldog she has realized the differences between California and Minnesota. "They are two totally different worlds," Paukert says. " Minnesota is a little slower and laid back compared to the fast paced life of California." While she enjoys living in Fresno she misses being close to her family. Being part of a close knit unit, her parents come to Fresno a couple times a year to watch her play. And for her father it is an opportunity to bond with his daughter in a sport he sincerely enjoys. Back in Rochester, her father Mike, is a shooting instructor for up and coming basketball stars in the area on top of his job at Pepsi. When Paukert encounters shooting difficulties the first person she calls is her father who can correct her problem over the phone. Unfortunately for Paukert trips home to Minnesota come only three times a year. The individual shooting instructions she receives from her father means a great deal to her. When she does get the opportunity to spend time with her father, Paukert cherishes the time on and away from the basketball court. Although, her career is a great endorsement for her father's basketball shooting instruction company she plans on returning to Minnesota to work for a public relations and marketing firm after she completes the requirements for her masters degree from Fresno State.
