THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 8, 1996 TAG: 9607080130
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 116 lines
Louella Cabales always wanted to go to college, but when she entered Lake Taylor High School four years ago, it appeared she might be too meek to make it there. For if self-confidence was currency, the pre-high school Cabales wouldn't have been able to afford a box of used matches.
If she wasn't feeling self-conscious about her appearance - ``I had big buck teeth, glasses and scrawny hair'' - Cabales was bemoaning grades that were ``the worst in my family.'' As for sports, well, they looked like fun, but. . .
``My freshman year, I wanted to join the tennis team so bad, but I just couldn't,'' she said. ``I didn't have enough confidence.''
But when a friend finally convinced Cabales to join the school's soccer team later that year, so began the transformation of Cabales from a girl afraid to try anything into a woman driven to get involved - and excel - in just about everything.
``I guess I had no life, so I had to make a life,'' she said.
Moderate success in soccer - she was named the team's most improved player as a freshman - emboldened her to try tennis, where as a senior she was named the team's MVP. She became active in a variety of community youth and church programs, most notably the Immacualte Conception Chapel Youth Group. Her selection as a homecoming court attendant did wonders for her sense of vanity. And her grade-point average began to climb so high even Cabales couldn't figure it out.
``I actually slacked off my senior year but it still kept going higher,'' said Cabales, whose final GPA was 4.051.
Tuesday, Cabales, ranked second among 256 graduating seniors at Lake Taylor, will be one of 23 recipients of $2,000 Norfolk Sports Club scholarships during the organization's annual awards banquet at the Holiday Inn Executive Center. Terry Holland, the University of Virginia athletic director, will be the featured speaker.
The event will mark the 43rd year of the Norfolk Sports Club grants. The organization has awarded more than $600,000 in scholarship money.
A member of the National Honor Society, the Future Business Leaders of America and the Future Educators of America, Cabales said it's particularly gratifying to be recognized by a sports organization because, while she was never the star performer, it was through athletics that Cabales gained the self-esteem to pursue other interests.
``Sports made me feel like a leader,'' she said. ``Before, I felt restricted, isolated. But when you play a sport, people get to know who you are. You'll be in the hall and someone will go, `Hey, that was a nice play you made the other day.' It felt really good to actually feel important sometimes.''
Cabales also credited participation in sports with helping her to achieve high grades.
``It's funny, but I actually studied more during seasons when I was playing a sport,'' she said. ``I guess when you don't have much time, you work that much harder to manage it.'' MEMO: NORFOLK SPORTS CLUB SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Other Norfolk Sports Club scholarship recipients:
William W. Averett Jr. of Norfolk Collegiate, winner of the William
Litton scholarship, played baseball and soccer and will attend William
and Mary.
James K. Bamba had a 3.5 GPA and ran track and cross country at Cox.
Winner of the David Paul Weir scholarship, he will attend Virginia Tech.
Karen E. Baranski, a cheerleader and a 3.0 GPA student at Green Run,
will attend Old Dominion.
Barvie Berger, a 1995 Norfolk Sports Club scholarship recipient from
Tallwood, now attends Virginia Tech and is a repeat winner.
Nicholas L. Bolton, a football and track athlete and 3.0 student at
Tallwood, will attend Randolph-Macon.
Melanie Sandford played basketball and volleyball at Norfolk
Collegiate and will attend the University of Virginia.
John P. Subasavage played baseball and golf and had a 3.5 grade-point
average at Booker T. Washington. Winner of the James G. Parke
scholarship, He will attend the University of Virginia.
Kian Tan, a 4.0 student who graduated from Catholic in 1995, now
attends the University of Virginia and is a repeat scholarship
recipient.
Sherry L. Tureman, a 3.7 student at Deep Creek, was a Hornet
cheerleader. She will attend William and Mary.
Kristin M. Wicker, a field hockey and swimmer at Lake Taylor,
graduated with a 3.8 grade-point average. She will attend the University
of Virginia.
Nathanial S. Lindsey, a 3.1 student at Ocean Lakes, was a swimmer and
soccer player for the Dolphins. He will attend Old Dominion.
Sarah McCall was a swimmer and a 3.4 student at Granby. She will
attend Mary Washington.
Cori R. Orem, who graduated from Princess Anne last year with a 3.7
GPA, now attends Randolph-Macon and is a repeat winner.
Brandon S. Ramsey, a baseball player at Cox, won the James Hudgins
scholarship and will attend Randolph-Macon.
Shaun P. Rivera had a 3.8 GPA and ranked second in his class at
Bayside. A tennis player and cross-country runner for the Marlins,
Rivera will attend the University of Virginia.
Kelly Rogers, who graduated from Granby with a 3.8 GPA in 1995 and
played basketball and softball for the Comets, now attends Virginia Tech
and is a repeat winner.
Abigail J. Casey, a track athlete and a 3.2 student at Maury, won the
John A. and John J. Baecker scholarship and will attend Old Dominion.
Laura E. Clayton was a 3.9 student at Princess Anne (ranked ninth out
of 393 students) and played field hockey and soccer for the Cavaliers.
She will attend Virginia Tech.
Elizabeth C. Daman, a volleyball and soccer athlete at Norfolk
Collegiate, will attend the University of Virginia.
John P. Deere had a 3.0 grade-point average, ran track and played
baseball at Ocean Lakes. He will attend Virginia Tech.
Stephanie M. Krick, a William and Mary student and a repeat winner a
year ago, earned the honor again. She has a 3.8 GPA.
Sari M. Lindroos, a field hockey athlete at Cape Henry, will attend
the University of Virginia. ILLUSTRATION: MIKE HEFFNER
The Virginian-Pilot
Deciding freshman year that she ``had to make a life,'' Louella
Cabales has since conquered high school. Tuesday, she'll be awarded
a $2,000 scholarship from the Norfolk Sports Club. by CNB