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Meet a General: Brian Laubscher As director of sports information, Brian Laubscher puts in long hours to make sure W&L athletic teams get the recognition they deserve.

Brian-Laubscher-800x533 Meet a General: Brian LaubscherBrian Laubscher, W&L’s director of sports information, combines his two favorite pastimes: sports and spending time with family.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in a small town in Central Pennsylvania, which is oddly named Jersey Shore. It’s nowhere near New Jersey.

How long have you worked at W&L?
I have worked at W&L since 1998.

What does your job here entail?
In a nutshell, my job entails handling all communications efforts for the Athletic Department, and encompasses all the teams and athletes.

What do you like best about working at W&L?
I like that I get to engage with so many different people (faculty, staff, alumni, students and parents, etc.) on a daily basis and those people are what make W&L a great place to work.

Is there anything about your job or department that you wish more people in the W&L community knew?
Ha, yes, absolutely!  I think that the Sports Information profession is almost universally misunderstood because it is so wide-ranging and encompassing. But if I had to pick one thing, I guess it would be the commitment that it takes to staff and report on athletic events, which take place primarily on evenings and weekends.

Brian-800x533 Meet a General: Brian LaubscherBrian Laubscher works a weekend basketball game in Salem.

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not at work?
In general, throughout my life, I would say it is watching sports. However, I would say that spending time with my family, no matter what it entails, is my favorite thing of all.

If you could live anywhere, where would you build your dream home?
Wow, I’ve actually thought about this one a bit over the years and have never come up with a consensus. I’ll settle with the fact that my home here in Lexington has most everything on my wish list so perhaps I’ve already fulfilled this dream.

What is the best book or film you’ve consumed recently?
Dull as it sounds, I’ve consumed so few books or films recently. Given the hours associated with my job and having a 7- and 5-year-old at home, I haven’t had much time for books or films.

That’s understandable. Do you have a favorite film or book of all time?
My favorite book is probably “A Time to Kill” by John Grisham. My favorite film is “The Shawshank Redemption.” I wish I could read and watch them both again for the first time.

What’s your favorite kind of music/artist to listen to?
I don’t really have a favorite. If you went through my iTunes, you would find a little bit of everything.  I will admit to listening to the “Hamilton” soundtrack quite a bit recently.

What’s your desert island food?
If you’re stranded then I guess you have to choose something that you never grow tired of. For me, that’s pepperoni pizza. It’s not my favorite food, but I never grow tired of it.

Tell us some things most people don’t know about you.
Most people don’t know that I actually enjoy cooking.

What are your favorite dishes to cook (or your family’s favorite dishes to consume)?
I don’t know if I have a favorite.  I like to experiment a lot and cook to taste. Recipes are just kind of like CliffsNotes. That’s part of the fun of it for me. I will admit to having failed miserably a time or two, though.

As for my family, they love the homemade spaghetti sauce, salsa and pickles I canned last summer from my garden. I’d say my wife loves it most when I grill because there’s very little cleanup involved.

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