0
The Stars at night, are big and bright...
Posted by Alex W.C.
on
6:19 PM
...deep in the heart of Texas!
Here I am, on stop #3 on my journey, lovely and historical San Antonio Texas! Everything here in Texas is big, even the waffles! *laugh*
I had an extended stay here in Texas, 3 days to be exact. It was nice to take a breather for a while, as Atlanta and Detroit were rather rushed. The day before the game I was able to get a couple of minutes with a few of the Silver Stars after a practice. But before we get to that, let’s talk about practice. Watching practice was an interesting thing to do before going to a game. It’s like watching the painter create a great work of art, then seeing it on display the next day in an art gallery.(except this art moves a lot more, and a lot faster!) It certainly put things in a unique perspective before I went and saw the game. Coach Hughes is quite stern during practice, but you can tell that is because he has very high expectations for his team. He was structured yet encouraging, and the players showed a lot of hustle because of it. I could tell they were taking serious advantage of the opportunity to practice before the game against Chicago.
Post practice I had a chance to chit-chat with 4 players. The first person was the star of San Antonio (or at least one of them) #25 Becky Hammon. Can you guess what her favorite karaoke song is? Watch and find out.
Next up was #44 Katie Mattera (formerly Feenstra) and # 00 Ruth Riley. I asked Katie about balancing married life and the career of a professional athlete (which I also asked Erin Perperaglu – formerly Buscher) and what life is like, being the unique height that she is (6’8”). I talked with Ruth about her humanitarian efforts that support a program called “Nothing but Nets” – an effort to get mosquito nets to children in Africa to reduce the spreading of Malaria. Good stuff. Also, check out the end of the video, where I not-so-eloquently stumbled over a question for Ruth. I am thankful she was patient and understanding. *smile*
For more information about “Nothing but Nets” check out their home page on the web – (Click here!)
Finally, #7 Erin Perperoglou, (formerly Buescher) was another newlywed (Sheesh, is there something in the water? *laugh*) who I also talked to about the challenges of being married to a pro athlete. (or in her case, two pro athletes being married to each other – her husband is a professional basketball player in Greece) After she helped me pronounce her last new last name (several times) we talked about how exactly she managed to wrangle herself a Greek basketball player for a husband.
As for the game, the Silver Stars started in the 1st q shooting some ridiculous percentage, like up in the 90’s, and Chicago was taking a beating. However, Chicago preserved in the 2nd q, and rallied in the 3rd, coming close to matching the Silver Stars. But, the Silver Stars persevered, and pulled out a win. I gotta say, the fans were incredible. Each section at the AT&T center has a section leader, that pass out pins, put up banners in their section, etc etc. The coolest thing about this is that they are all self-funded. (which means, no financial support from the team) Talk about your die hard fans! Also, the opening intro video was simple and very effective. It’s reminiscent of an late 80’s action flick. The crowd loved it! Check it out below:
A huge thanks to Leigh Anne Gullett and her intern Greg Ruder for providing transportation and helping me find my way around the AT&T center!
***NEW*** Click here to read an article in the San Antonio express.
Now, on to L.A.!
Here I am, on stop #3 on my journey, lovely and historical San Antonio Texas! Everything here in Texas is big, even the waffles! *laugh*
I had an extended stay here in Texas, 3 days to be exact. It was nice to take a breather for a while, as Atlanta and Detroit were rather rushed. The day before the game I was able to get a couple of minutes with a few of the Silver Stars after a practice. But before we get to that, let’s talk about practice. Watching practice was an interesting thing to do before going to a game. It’s like watching the painter create a great work of art, then seeing it on display the next day in an art gallery.(except this art moves a lot more, and a lot faster!) It certainly put things in a unique perspective before I went and saw the game. Coach Hughes is quite stern during practice, but you can tell that is because he has very high expectations for his team. He was structured yet encouraging, and the players showed a lot of hustle because of it. I could tell they were taking serious advantage of the opportunity to practice before the game against Chicago.
Post practice I had a chance to chit-chat with 4 players. The first person was the star of San Antonio (or at least one of them) #25 Becky Hammon. Can you guess what her favorite karaoke song is? Watch and find out.
Next up was #44 Katie Mattera (formerly Feenstra) and # 00 Ruth Riley. I asked Katie about balancing married life and the career of a professional athlete (which I also asked Erin Perperaglu – formerly Buscher) and what life is like, being the unique height that she is (6’8”). I talked with Ruth about her humanitarian efforts that support a program called “Nothing but Nets” – an effort to get mosquito nets to children in Africa to reduce the spreading of Malaria. Good stuff. Also, check out the end of the video, where I not-so-eloquently stumbled over a question for Ruth. I am thankful she was patient and understanding. *smile*
For more information about “Nothing but Nets” check out their home page on the web – (Click here!)
Finally, #7 Erin Perperoglou, (formerly Buescher) was another newlywed (Sheesh, is there something in the water? *laugh*) who I also talked to about the challenges of being married to a pro athlete. (or in her case, two pro athletes being married to each other – her husband is a professional basketball player in Greece) After she helped me pronounce her last new last name (several times) we talked about how exactly she managed to wrangle herself a Greek basketball player for a husband.
As for the game, the Silver Stars started in the 1st q shooting some ridiculous percentage, like up in the 90’s, and Chicago was taking a beating. However, Chicago preserved in the 2nd q, and rallied in the 3rd, coming close to matching the Silver Stars. But, the Silver Stars persevered, and pulled out a win. I gotta say, the fans were incredible. Each section at the AT&T center has a section leader, that pass out pins, put up banners in their section, etc etc. The coolest thing about this is that they are all self-funded. (which means, no financial support from the team) Talk about your die hard fans! Also, the opening intro video was simple and very effective. It’s reminiscent of an late 80’s action flick. The crowd loved it! Check it out below:
A huge thanks to Leigh Anne Gullett and her intern Greg Ruder for providing transportation and helping me find my way around the AT&T center!
***NEW*** Click here to read an article in the San Antonio express.
Now, on to L.A.!
