We're kicking off 2024 with multi-sport athlete Alison Archibald. Currently competing for the Hawks on the varsity girls' basketball team, Alison served as a captain and made All-Conference for volleyball this fall, and she'll take the field with her varsity girls' lacrosse teammates this spring in hopes of defending their state title. Read on to find out how she balances it all, what keeps her motivated, and what she loves most about each sport. 
 
1. What can you tell us about your family?
It's just me, my mom (Susan), and my dad (Stan). It's very easygoing. We have fun together but we all have our own things going on and live our own lives. We always have dinner together. My parents met on a blind date and because my mom was working then as an ob-gyn, they had their first meal together at a hospital cafeteria. My dad has his own business as a (food) broker specializing in produce and flowers. I'm an only child and sometimes I wish I had siblings. We live near family though, so I have cousins down the street. And my cousin Henry goes to Latin.
 
2. Do you have any pets?   
Yes, two cats: Cinnamon and Blueberry. I'm a cat person, but I'm not a crazy cat person and I'm not opposed to dogs.
 
3. You've been a Charlotte Latin student since TK. Which teachers have been your most memorable?  
My second grade teacher Mrs. Owen, who's retired now. She still comes to my sporting events sometimes. My family became close with her and she was always really supportive. In Middle School, I'd say Mr. Wolfe. He's just awesome. He's funny and he makes class entertaining. Everybody has a story to share about Mr. Wolfe. In Upper School, I'd say Mrs. Webb-G. I really liked having her last year and she's one of my favorites.
 
4. Do you have a preference for any particular subject?  
I'm definitely more of a math or science person. I've also taken art every year. I really liked watercolors my freshman and sophomore years, but this year I've started doing oil pastels. I like to do landscapes of places I've been. This past summer, I went to France on a Moondance trip and hiked for three weeks in the mountains. It was such an impactful trip, so I did a landscape from there. Now I'm working on one of my friend from that trip and going from landscapes to portraits is a little scary because I didn't really know how to do it. But I'm learning.
 
5. Does your involvement in sports stem from your parents? Were they athletes growing up?  
My mom swam and played softball at Princeton. She also did club water polo, and I think she skied in high school too. Dad played lacrosse in high school and he coached with the CYLA lacrosse league in Charlotte for a long time. I learned to swim at a really young age because we have a pool in our backyard, so my parents wanted me to learn. But I never did swimming as a sport. I never did soccer. I started church league basketball when the ball was probably bigger than my face. I did dance for a really long time, from about third grade through eighth grade, and was Clara in the Nutcracker in seventh grade. I didn't start competing in volleyball or lacrosse until Middle School.
 
6. Dance seems like it was important to you. Do you ever miss it?
I miss the people sometimes, but I still dance some on the weekends. I do a jazz duet with my friend and we do two competitions together, but it's really chill.  
 
7. How have you progressed as a volleyball player since you started in seventh grade?
I had never played it before, but volleyball seemed cool and my friends were doing it, so I decided to try it. It turned out I liked it. I wasn't the best player, but I was always cheering during games and I was super pumped and thought we were the best team on the planet. I still have that energy that I had in seventh grade. I still get super excited during matches, but I'm more intentional about my leadership now. I try to help everyone out and develop their roles on the team. It's been amazing to see the changes in the volleyball program. My freshman year, we didn't have a lot of success, but we wanted to make the team better and we have people that are excited to put in the work. We've improved so much and we got farther in the playoffs than we had before. I think the energy we had and the belief we had in each other will continue to make the program better.
 
8. What do you enjoy the most about basketball?
I would say my favorite things about the sport of basketball are the playmaking and the team. I think, like volleyball, our team dynamic has really changed for the better. We're always laughing, but laughing when we're supposed to. I love how the offense can change in a split second, and I think that goes with having a good team and having a strong bond. Our relationship with Coach Smith is really good and we can always talk with him. Coach Mack is also really helpful and they have a good balance.
 
9. Did your dad's lacrosse experience influence your decision to play?  
Maybe, in the sense that it was familiar. I played in his rec league when they had a girls' team for the first time, but really it was the only spring sport I was interested in at school and some of my friends were doing it. In seventh grade, I couldn't catch and throw with my left hand at all. I did not know what I was doing. I got better, but I did not think I'd make varsity freshman year – that was so out of the blue. I've improved a lot in the past two years. I'm super close to Evie (McMahan) and she really helped me improve my form and motivated me to get better at practice. I love being on the team with her.
 
10. Let's talk about goals. What were your goals for volleyball this year? What are they for basketball and lacrosse?  
The volleyball team's goal was to try to make it to the final four or at least go further in the playoffs, which we accomplished so it'll be easier to do it next year now that we have built up that confidence. Individually, I really wanted to fulfill my leadership role as a captain, and it was really exciting for me to make 1^st Team All-Conference. In basketball, I just want to be more consistent. I've been working on my free throws a lot and trying to get that percentage up. I've also been working on confidence and my mental game, so I don't get stuck in my own head after making a mistake. I just want to provide good offense and good defense for my team. Lacrosse has never been my main sport, so I just want to have fun, enjoy the season, and keep getting better. We've obviously been very successful as a team and I'll probably get more playing time this year, so I need to focus and do my best to help.
 
11. Do you have a favorite among your three sports?
Basketball was my favorite until probably freshman year and then volleyball became my favorite. Games get so intense during each point. I'm the one playing defense and it's my job to make plays that set up the hitters. My team depends on me to make those opportunities. But really, my favorite thing about any sport is the team. The team makes it. Our volleyball team is like a family because we all know each other so well. The basketball team is so fun because we are so small and that makes it easier be close to everyone. And in lacrosse, the team is big so I get to know a lot of different people that I would not have otherwise.  
 
12. Being a three-sport, three-season athlete is a lot of work. Do you ever want to just take a season off?
Sometimes I do get tired with everything I have going on, but I never want to take a break. I like to stay busy and always be active. Having teammates who are going through similar things and being there for each other helps me stay motivated.
 
13. How do you balance academics with athletics?
Balancing athletics and academics is definitely a skill I have learned to master. I prioritize getting a lot of my homework done during the school day because I know I won't have much time after school. If I have a late practice or game, then I get my work done right after school. It just takes discipline to focus and get my work done instead of being distracted and procrastinating.
 
14. As a junior, I'm sure you're starting to think about college. Do you have any idea what you'd like to study, and do you have any aspirations to play sports collegiately?  
I always say I might do pre-med because my mom is a doctor and it does sound interesting to me. I like that it would be different every day and there'd be a new problem to solve every day. I want to try to play volleyball in college, but it might just be at the club level. Or maybe go to the college I want to go to and then try to walk on to the team there.
 
15. Alright, let's finish up with some easy questions. What has been your favorite Latin sports memory so far?
Definitely this year in the volleyball playoffs when we traveled to Rabun Gap and won in five sets. They had so many students there and their fans were really loud, so it was the most intense volleyball game I've ever played in. We were so happy when we won that we were all crying and jumping on each other in a big dog pile.
 
16. If time and money were no issue, where would you travel?
I would travel to Greece. I went once when I was younger and remember it being so beautiful, but I feel like now I would appreciate it more.
 
17. Do you have a splurge food or favorite dessert?
Jell-O. I love Jell-O so much. It's my favorite thing ever. Cherry is my favorite flavor.
 
18.  What's your favorite sports movie? 
Talladega Nights
 
19. As a kindergartner, what did you want to be when you grew up? 
I wanted to be a professional basketball player.
 
20. What is something you know now that you would go back and tell your younger self?
I would say, don't care about your height so much. It's not that big of a deal.