What athletes really eat
July 20th, 2011
originally posted on espnW.come 
Lori Chalupny is a professional soccer player, 2008 Olympic gold medalist and captain of the Atlanta Beat. She is from St. Louis.
live in a house with five of my teammates, so keeping track of my special foods can be a daily task. The one thing of mine in the refrigerator that no one can touch is my fruits and veggies. I keep them in a separate drawer. If they’re running low then I know something’s up!
I’m in season now, so I started my day at 8 a.m. with peanut butter on toast, yogurt and two hard-boiled eggs. A daily caffeine fix is necessary, so I stopped at Starbucks on my way to practice. My drink of choice: a grande nonfat white-chocolate mocha.
After practice, I had a turkey, cheese and avocado sandwich on Ezekiel bread with veggie chips and strawberries on the side. My midday snack was pita chips and hummus. I also drank lots of water. I have a gallon a day to stay hydrated. With the heat in Atlanta and our long practices, there’s no room for improper hydration.
We like to grill in this house, so for dinner I’ll have a grilled chicken breast along with some asparagus and pasta salad. For dessert, I have Hershey’s Nuggets candies; the freezer is stocked with them. Although I usually eat healthy, I’m not a total food nerd. My one weakness is soda. Whenever I eat out, I feel like I have to have a Dr. Pepper. Also, once in a while I’ll stop by Chick-fil-A for a crispy chicken sandwich with waffle fries. The key to treating yourself is to not worry about it — just enjoy your food.
Jordan Key to NBA Lockout
July 18th, 2011
Female Sports Professional: Adena Andrews
July 16th, 2011
Featured on Lady Ballers.net on 7/12/11
Have you heard about espnW.com? Yes, it is a bit different from the LadyBallers mission but just as strong towards respect for female sports fans. ESPNW’s “first business dedicated to serving female athletes and fans. We’ll shine a brighter spotlight on women’s sports, and put you in touch with top female athletes from across the globe.” Today we have the pleasure with learning more about one of their columnists, Adena Andrews who has been in the sports industry for 7 years.
Please give us a little background on how you got to your current role: After graduating from the University of Southern California in 2007 with a B.A. in Print Journalism I interned with ESPN The Magazine for six months. After that I began working at NBA.com as an editor. Two years later, espnW was born and I was ready to embark on my new adventure. Lots of networking and the power of social media helped me get where I am and sharpen my skills.
How did you decide you wanted to get into the sports industry? Real haphazardly actually. I played sports since I was a child, so my freshmen year I decided, this will be easy to write about for the school newspaper. I started off with the sports I played, swimming and basketball, and just stuck to that. I considered doing hard news if I found a job in that field but, the world of sports wrapped me up and never let go. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
What was the first step you took to get into the sports industry? While the school newspaper was the first place I wrote sports material it would have probably deterred me from the sports world if I stayed there. My first real step into the sports industry was my sophomore year when I walked into the offices of the Los Angeles Wave, a weekly newspaper in downtown LA, and decided to start covering high school sports. I had no experience, wasn’t from Los Angeles and didn’t even know the names of the high schools. I just walked into the newspaper and said “I need clips and I go to USC. Can I help you, help me?” They let me cover some excellent games like the championship at the Pyramid in Long Beach. Of course, I did this all for no pay. I’m glad I had parents to support me while I chased my dreams. It all worked out in the end when I walked across that stage with a job lined up after graduation.
Was there a time or situation that made you second-guess your path? My first article that got chopped up by the school newspaper sports editor was pretty tough. At the time, I was real sensitive about my writing and he gave me some speech that basically translated to “You suck. Why are you even here?” in my mind. I crashed and cried on the floor of my plush USC apartment (we rolled pretty nice). I started to think, “Why I’m I here? What am I even learning in school ? If I can’t write in the school newspaper, how can I ever get a real job?”
That was just one of those growing pain periods and I got over it by just hitting the pavement and writing more.
Whenever I run into roadblocks in life, I actually draw inspiration from Kanye West. No, I don’t go around drinking in public and crushing teenage girl’s dreams like he did to Taylor Swift. I remember how tons of people turned him and his beats down when he was a budding artist. Some of those same beats won him Grammy’s years later.
You just have to keep on pushing.
Please let us know whom your mentor(s) were/are on your journey. Shout out to the Sports Task Force of the National Association of Black Journalists. That group has been very influential in helping me throughout my career. Black or white, if you want to be in sports journalism, join this group.
– Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports who helped me through times when things got so bad I was actually thinking of leaving journalism and the country.
− A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast Sports Net who is always there to help me navigate this labyrinth they call the sports industry.
− Michael Doyle and Tony Lamb at NBA Digital, they always listened to me rant and believed in my zany story ideas. As a twenty-something bursting with energy, sometimes all you want to be is heard.
− Ndidi Massay and Crystal Howard, they kept me in check as an intern at ESPN The Magazine, while also schooling me in some ways of the world.
− J.A.Adande, my sports journalism professor at USC. During my senior year, he dropped some pearls of wisdom that I still use today.
− Keith Clinckscales, the man with the plan. Point. Blank. Period.
− I really don’t want to continue naming folks because I feel like I’ll forget someone….
Lastly, my mother / momager / toughest editor / biggest fan.
What tips or advice would you give to a female wanting to enter the sports industry? Use social media and your blog as your training ground. It’s where you can develop your voice and hang out with some of the brightest sports minds around while adding your two cents. Also, smile, look people in the eye and give a strong handshake. It’s universal for “I’m hungry. I’m trying to eat. And I’m not about to wait. Let’s get it.”
Also, don’t just contact people when you want something from them. Make it a habit to just email/text/call people to see how they are doing and update them on your life. People are always interested in what their former intern is up to. They feel as if they had a hand in your career and want to see the fruits of their labor. Even if it’s just to tell them your birthday is coming up and you’re going on vacation, reach out to them. So when you do need something from them, you won’t seem like a total leech.
Do you think there is a negative ring that automatically lies around females within the sports industry since it’s a male dominated industry? No.
What would you say to the men who don’t see women as being on the same level when it comes to the sports industry? I don’t know any men like this so I can’t really talk to them.
What is your biggest accomplishment to-date in terms of your experience in the sports world? I’ve had some really great moments in my short career but I wouldn’t say any were my biggest accomplishment. I am just doing my job. My biggest accomplishment is being a healthy, intelligent and self-sufficient 25 year old who is open to the wonders of the world. It took me a while to get here and I have so much further to go.
If there were one thing you could change about the sports industry, what would it be? More press conferences that end in ice cream and cake for the media like Shaq’s retirement press conference. If this happened, the world would be a better place. Also free iPads or the newest gadget for “product testing”. Can you tell how bad I want one?
What is your favorite sports moment? Muhammad Ali refusing to enter the armed forces. I love to see someone make the unpopular decision and stick with it. Going against the crowd is one of the toughest things to do.
What is your favorite sport quote?
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ”Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” — Muhammad Ali
What are your favorite sport websites? ESPNW.com! Then ESPN Page 2 and I’m really loving the new Grantland. Outside of ESPN, I like NBA.com for stats, Deadspin and Sports By Brooks for laughs,The New York Times and Ball Don’t Lie.
Any advice for female fans or female sports professionals?
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill
C-Rod makes her parents and Puerto Rico proud
July 9th, 2011
Published on espnW.com
California-based sprinter Carol Rodriguez, who runs for Puerto Rico, is focused on the finish line -- and on supporting her family through a financial crisis.
American athletes won’t be the only ones rocking the red, white and blue at the world track and field championships in late August. Carol Rodriguez, 25, a sprinter representing Puerto Rico, will also be competing in Daegu, South Korea, host of the 2011 edition of the biannual event.
Rodriguez, the Los Angeles-born daughter of an African-American mother and a father of Puerto Rican descent, holds five national records for the Caribbean island — in the indoor 60 meters and in the outdoor 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters and 4×100-meter relay. A 2008 Olympian, Rodriguez won two medals at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean games, and she was named the 2006 Women’s Athlete of the Year for Puerto Rico. She is also an ambassador for first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign against childhood obesity.
Each time Rodriguez takes to the track, she’s competing for the national pride of Puerto Rico. But as sole provider for her family, the 2008 University of Southern California graduate has more on her mind than just lane assignments and baton exchanges.
In August 2010, seven months’ worth of mortgage payments for the Rodriguez home in Anaheim were entrusted to the cousin of Carol’s stepfather, but never reached the bank, according to Rodriguez. No charges were ever filed. The financial bind caused the family to lose the house, and Rodriguez’s mother, diabetic stepfather, younger brother and younger sister moved into an overpriced suite at the Hilton in Anaheim.
At the time, Rodriguez was oblivious to her family’s financial struggles. Life seemed grand for this Nike-sponsored pro as she competed in track meets all over the globe.
“I had just finished racing in Canada for a few weeks, when my mom finally told me what was going on [in the fall of 2010],” Rodriguez said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
She decided to take swift action, moving the family out of the hotel and into her three-bedroom home in Hollywood Hills. Her stepfather would later leave the house for full-time dialysis treatment at a local hospital. The escalation of his illness stemmed in part from the stress of losing the home. He is still hospitalized, receiving treatment.
“Most 25-year-olds worry about hanging out with their friends, but I have to take care of my family,” Rodriguez said. “Don’t get me wrong, I go out and enjoy myself, but I know where my responsibility is. My mom took care of me for 18 years, and now it’s my turn to return the favor.”
For Rodriguez, family comes first. And though she was born in California and lives there now, her connection to Puerto Rico allows her to compete professionally for the island. Her last name catapulted her onto the international track and field circuit.
“A coach from the Puerto Rican team scouted me [during] my senior year of high school,” Rodriguez said. “He heard my last name and asked my coach, ‘Is she Puerto Rican? Because her last name is.’ Things just skyrocketed from there.”
Rodriguez’s biological father grew up in the hillside town of Yauco, Puerto Rico. Her African-American mom was raised in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward housing projects.
Rodriguez’s parents fell in love at the Southern California bottling factory where both worked, and they decided to start a family in Anaheim. They couldn’t know that their American dream would one day turn into a nightmare for their biracial daughter.
“Growing up in Orange County as an ethnic person was tough,” Rodriguez said. “My high school track team [at Western High School in Anaheim, Calif.] was mostly comprised of black girls, and when things would go missing from the school locker room, the other teams would automatically look at us.”
Rodriguez’s high school track coach was fired, she said, because of racial conflicts at the school. The next year, Rodriguez transferred to Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach, Calif., a nationally known high school track mecca. She found a place in the melting pot of students. The once-shy, curly-haired girl was replaced with her spitfire sprinter alter ego, “C-Rod,” who embraces her Caribbean roots.
“C-Rod is my outspoken side,” Rodriguez said. “She doesn’t care about what is going on outside of the track. She just gets the job done, no matter what the circumstances. She is confident in all that she does.”
Rodriguez stays connected to her Puerto Rican roots via several visits a year with her biological father, grandmother and cousins. She loves eating sugar cane and mangoes fresh from the fields on the Island of Enchantment.
“In Puerto Rico, you can always find me at this one spot called Bebo’s,” she said. “I love their rice and beans and seven-layer cake. I go there because it’s so hard to find good Puerto Rican food in L.A.”
When Rodriguez isn’t nibbling on traditional Puerto Rican fare or spending time with her family, she’s putting in work on the track. Her goals for this season are to adjust to the hectic lifestyle of a professional athlete while gearing up for the 2012 Olympics. She did not advance out of the first round of either the 200 meters or 400 meters at the 2008 Games in Beijing.
Rodriguez is also focused on being an average 20-something, even as she faces a little more headwind in her off-track life than most athletes do.
“Meeting goals on the track is important to me, but my family will always be there, ” Rodriguez said. “Maintaining my faith in God is the only way I know how to win for me and them.”
Sport Still Has a Color
July 7th, 2011
Mariah Stackhouse is the only black woman in the field of 156 competing in the US Open LPGA tour. At 17, she is also the fifth youngest player. When things like this happen, it tells me we still have a long way to go. A black president was the ultimate goal. Now it’s time to work our way down and sprinkle some color into be predominately white worlds.
Players like Mariah inspire me too because I see a bit of myself in her. African-Americans in predominately white sports are often cut off at the knees when they first start their sport. Growing up as a swimmer I was repeatedly told by classmates and friends, “Black people don’t swim. Especially black girls.” My personal favorite was“How can you get your hair wet?” I could have listened to those comments and stopped swimming because it wasn’t the popular thing. However, my parents (just like Mariah’s parents) encouraged me to succeed in the pool. I won county titles, was recruited by universities and turned my skills into the ultimate summer job as a beach lifeguard and was the only black competitor at the triathlon I did for espnW in March. I didn’t achieve the type of success Mariah has but I’m encouraged that she didn’t let society dictate what she would be and blazed her own trail.
Candace Parker: What have you done, lately?
June 29th, 2011
Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker will miss up to six weeks of the regular season due to a knee injury.
Los Angeles Sparks forward, Candace Parker is injured…again.
A torn meniscus in the right knee will sideline Parker for up to six weeks which equals 14 games or approximately 40 percent of the regular season. Due to injury and pregnancy, Parker has competed in just one full WNBA season (2008) in her four year career. After four years in the league and plenty of hype, it’s time for Parker to show and prove on the court why she is one of the highest paid players in the WNBA.
My dad used to tell me, “if you’re still celebrating what you did yesterday, that means you haven’t done anything praiseworthy today”. That’s exactly how we’re treating Parker. We’re still celebrating her dunk, Olympic gold, rookie of the year award and MVP in 2008. Outside of her rookie season, her most complete season was 2009 . That season Parker played 25 games and led the league in rebounds per game (9.8), blocks per game (2.12) and double-doubles (15).
While Parker’s accolades are amazing, I have to borrow from my soul sista Janet Jackson and say “What have you done for me lately, Candace?”
I want to spout off stats to speak of her on-court prowess but any stats mentioned now are hollow because it’s the start of the season. The Los Angeles Sparks have played just eight games.
While Parker’s presence did garner more interest in the WNBA, it wasn’t because of her on-court performance. Media campaigns, not her jump shot, made her the face of the league.
While the hype built her up, it also broke her down. Pressure to be the WNBA’s savior and the second-coming of Lisa Leslie gave Parker very little time to rest. She went from winning the NCAA championship for the University of Tennessee, straight to competing in the WNBA about two months later. Throw in motherhood in addition to playing overseas, and it’s apparent Parker, like many other WNBA players, has an unwavering load on her shoulders.
Although it may not seem like it, I want Candace Parker to be great. I want her to be successful for herself, her family and the league. I will never hold another woman back from being her best. But I will call a spade a spade when I see it. Right now, Parker’s situation is the Big Joker.
Wake me in six weeks, when we find out her injury is really season ending and she has a new endorsement deal.
Is the WNBA selling out?
June 20th, 2011
posted on espnW.com on April 7
Imagine being at a Washington Mystics game this summer and hearing this in the pregame intros:
“And now, the starting lineup for your Washington Inova Health Systems …”
Huh?
No, there’s not an imposter in the announcing booth. Thursday the Mystics announced the team has entered a partnership with the health care company, whose name and logo now will appear in large type on the front of player jerseys. On the same day, the Los Angeles Sparks revealed a redesigned jersey which, for the second year, replaces the team logo with the word “Farmers,” as in Farmers Insurance Group, across the front. Both teams will retain their franchise names and will have small team logos present on the upper left of jerseys.
Sponsorship logos on jerseys are not new in the WNBA or professional leagues. In fact, overseas, team and shirt sponsorship is the norm. Last season, four WNBA teams had company logos appear on their jerseys. The Phoenix Mercury were the first in 2009, pairing up with LifeLock for a deal worth at least $1 million annually. MLS often uses corporate sponsorships to name its teams, and logos have become a staple in NASCAR for years. But because it’s not the norm in the big four American major leagues — NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB — replacing team logos with sponsorship logos can appear to fans as cheapening the league and screaming sell out.
What little girl wants to wear a Foxwoods Casino (shirt sponsors of the New York Liberty) jersey to school? She might opt for a corporate-logo-less Amare Stoudemire jersey instead. Coaches always preach the mantra that the name on the back of a shirt doesn’t matter, but the one on the front does. How team-oriented can you feel coming out of the huddle with Inova Health Systems on your jersey?
And according to Jayda Evans of the Seattle Times, logos on jerseys could creep into the NBA, as well. “The NBA is discussing following the WNBA’s lead [with logos on jerseys], already doing so for its D-League teams.” Some NFL teams already lace their practice jerseys with corporate logos. Could game-day jerseys be next?
As teams search for new ways to raise capital during these rough economic times, the trend shows no signs of slowing. In five years, NBA or WNBA fans could be cheering for the Atlanta Coca-Colas or Chicago Harpos.
McGees keep it in the family
June 20th, 2011
AP Photo/Rich PedroncelliPamela McGee, left, was the second overall pick in the
1997 WNBA draft. Her playing career spanned three continents and earned her a 1984 Olympic gold medal and two NCAA titles.
posted on espnW on June 3
n 1987, Pamela McGee sat in Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood, Calif., with a heavy heart and an unwanted pregnancy in her womb. A
n abortion was scheduled in two days. She came seeking comfort. Instead, her religious convictions turned her world upside down.
She listened to the pastor’s sermon about life being a precious gift. The message was received; she canceled the abortion.
McGee was a standout basketball player at USC, winning NCAA titles in 1983 and ’84, before graduating with degrees in economics and communications. She earned a gold medal at the ’84 Olympics.
But at that moment, McGee was 24, alone and struggling with the prospect of juggling a newborn while continuing her professional basketball career. JaVale’s father was no longer a part of her life.
By leaning on her faith, she found her way.
McGee established a professional career that included stints in the Spanish, Italian and Brazilian leagues, plus two seasons in the WNBA for the Sacramento Monarchs (1997) and Los Angeles Sparks (1998).
By 2008, more than two decades after the fateful day in church, McGee basked in the glory of her decision to become a parent as her son, JaVale McGee, was drafted by the Wizards in the first round of the 2008 NBA draft. That selection created the first WNBA-NBA mother-son duo in history. Since then, Pamela has remained behind the scenes, guiding JaVale’s career as his financial manager.
He is my greatest accomplishment and my greatest blessing,” Pamela said.
That says a lot coming from a woman whose résumé includes an impressive playing career and a WNBA championship as an assistant coach with the Detroit Shock in 2003.
Life wasn’t always rosy, though. In 1996, McGee and her husband of two years, Reverend Kevin Stafford, divorced. A highly publicized custody battle ensued over the couple’s young daughter, Imani, JaVale’s half sister. Stafford argued that Pamela traveled too much as a professional basketball player and could not properly care for their daughter. The courts agreed. Stafford left Pam and JaVale with nothing and forced them to start over.
Then, in 2000, the elder McGee defeated her toughest opponent to date: breast cancer. She’s in complete remission and chooses not to dwell on how long she has been cancer-free.
“Why count the years?” she said. “I’m healthy now and that’s all that matters. I have no time to look back.”
And why would she? Her focus now is on JaVale’s future and life after basketball.
“As JaVale’s financial manager, I talk to him about establishing a financial foundation,” Pamela said. “Whether he is successful in basketball or gets hurt tomorrow, he needs to make sure he has his financial base.”
Like any business relationship, heads often collide. Pamela is working on recognizing when to be a mom and when to be a financial manager.
The latest squabble arose when JaVale, who already owned a Mercedes, wanted to purchase an SUV. JaVale had to ask his financial manager for permission to release the funds to his discretionary account, a process he is required to follow for all his major purchases.
Pamela assessed his assets and denied the SUV transaction.
“I have to keep telling him, ‘You can’t buy the same stuff that LeBron James buys. LeBron is on his third deal,’” Pamela said.
She also likes to remind JaVale that his grandmother scrubbed toilets for $1.25 an hour when she was growing up.
“Don’t think you just got here. There were sacrifices made for you,” she tells him.
JaVale knows his mother’s slogan is, “If it don’t make cents, then it don’t make sense.” So, after the initial rejection, he shopped around. He found a zero-percent financing deal on a Chevy Tahoe, which satisfied his mother.
The arrangement is not the norm for multimillionaires like JaVale, but it’s the law in the McGee household.
Pamela is the captain of JaVale McGee’s team, which includes financial advisors, accountants and agents who work hard to protect her son. Her secret to maintaining his wealth lies in her USC education and negotiating his financial deals as if she were still a struggling single parent living in Flint, Mich.
“Five hundred dollars may not be a lot of money to JaVale, but $500 is a lot for me,” Pamela said.
Since JaVale signed his rookie deal with the Wizards in 2008, Pamela has prepared her son for a potential NBA lockout by having him set up an emergency bank account. Her next big project is forming the right team to negotiate the details of his new contract in 2013, when JaVale becomes a restricted free agent.
Indeed, they have come a long way. From being a single mom home-schooling her son in Europe, to being JaVale’s best friend overseas and now managing his finances, the McGees’ bond is strong. Some call it strange, especially as Pamela yells instructions to JaVale from her second-row seat at the Verizon Center. Others say she has a “crazy stage mom” persona.
“I was there before people knew who JaVale McGee was,” Pamela said. “I was the one who got up at six o’clock in the morning every day before school to practice with him, telling him, ‘Son, if this is what you want to do, then this is the work that you have to put in.’
“If people want to call that crazy, then go ahead. I’m a single parent with a 7-foot son in the NBA who can dunk off two rims with three balls. Now that’s what I call crazy,” she said referring to JaVale’s performance in the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, which also earned him a Guinness World Record.
Since that day in the church rafters, her dedication to her son is without question. She has made tough decisions for her family, and it has led her and JaVale to the place they are now, where she’s grateful to work for her son and help him build his legacy on and off the court.
It is the family business, after all.
“The Kennedys do politics,” she said, “And the McGees do basketball.”
Sheryl Swoopes’ finishing move
June 20th, 2011
By: Adena Andrews
Sheryl Swoopes said she can “still compete with the best of them” at age 40.
posted on espnW on June 20
In 2009, founding WNBA player Sheryl Swoopes was waived by the Seattle Storm. This season, Swoopes is making a return to the league with a new team, the Tulsa Shock. She’s acquired almost every accolade the league offers: seven All-Star appearances, four titles, three MVPs and three defensive player of the year awards. She’s a three-time Olympic gold medalist and the first female basketball player to have a sneaker named after her: Air Swoopes. Now Swoopes is back to write her own ending to an illustrious career.
espnW: How did you feel when you were released from the Storm?
Sheryl Swoopes: I was surprised, but at that point there was nothing I could do about it, so at that point I moved on to other things in my life.
espnW: During your two-year hiatus from the WNBA you played in Europe and Russia. Is there a huge difference from the WNBA style of play and the style overseas?
SS: Coming back to the WNBA style of play, I had to get used to intense practices, one-on-one play and full-court defense. We didn’t do any of that overseas. I told myself I can’t quit. There are so many women out there relying on me to represent them.
espnW: What thoughts went through your mind when contemplating a comeback?
SS: I never really officially retired from the WNBA, I just left the doors open. When [Tulsa Shock] coach [Teresa] Edwards approached me about returning, I kept thinking, “Do I really want to do this?” I talked it over with my family and prayed about it. When God said, “This is the path I want you to take, and this is the plan I have for you,” that was all the confirmation I needed to return to the WNBA. This is what God wants me to do, so I left it in his hands.
espnW: How will life change for your family now that you are returning to the WNBA?
SS: My son, who will be 14 years old in July, understands the demands basketball puts on me. He knows that Mommy is not just a mommy anymore, she is a professional athlete. I’m also blessed to have my mother there for me. She is very supportive and helps take care of him. That eases my mind and takes a lot of pressure off of me.
espnW: By returning to pro sports at 40, you’ve become an inspiration to many women. Do you have any advice for women who still desire to be an athlete but think their athletic prime has passed?
SS: I’ve always been a firm believer in mind over matter. If you don’t believe you can achieve, your body will start to believe this and you’ll be stuck. You have to be positive, and I’m not just talking about athletics, this also applies to life. I’m 40, playing against girls half my age. But they keep me young. My age may be 40 but my body doesn’t feel like it.
espnW: Now that you’re 40, does your body work as well as it used to? Have any parts of your game suffered?
SS: When I got on the court, I found out that I’m not as quick as I used to be and can’t jump as high. But my shot is still there; I can never really lose that. It’s like riding a bike.
espnW: Preparation is key in life and sports, so what did you do to get in shape for this season?
SS: I really didn’t have lots of time to get ready. I had a good two months to get conditioned before training camp so I did lots of running and ballhandling drills in the gym and at home. My routine was work out in the morning, then weightlifting and running at night.
espnW: Now that the season has begun, how are you adjusting to coach Nolan Richardson’s “40 minutes of hell” system, which includes full-court pressure defense and quick offensive plays?
SS: I love his system. It’s a great system for anybody who is an athlete. It’s not a system where the ball has to go through certain players. With the system he runs, it’s kind of a free-for-all. If I were about 10 years younger, I would have loved to play in a system like this. Now, I’m just glad I survived the week of two-a-days in training camp.
espnW: Does playing with younger girls make you feel like a mother figure on the team?
SS: I don’t feel like a mom. I feel like a veteran leader they can talk to. I also try to inform them about the importance of being prepared for life after basketball. Some of us have played this game all our life and it can be taken away in the blink of an eye. What will you do then? We need to be prepared for that.
espnW: How many years do you think you will continue to play basketball?
SS: Honestly, I haven’t even thought about it. I’m just focusing on this year and seeing how my body feels at the end of the season and we will go from there.
espnW: When we look back in 10 years, who will have had the better comeback: Michael Jordan, Brett Favre or Sheryl Swoopes?
SS: [Laughs] I haven’t even looked at it like that. Others consider it a comeback, but I don’t. I think I can still compete with the best of them and I can still play. This is my chance to go out the right way.
Female Sneaker Fiend Q&A
June 13th, 2011
Here is a Q&A that the wonderful women at femalsneakerfiends.com did with me. They cater to women who appreciate the smell of new kicks and love high-end athletic shoes. My love for the site was natural. Glad, I found them. Check it out
Helping put the W in espnW…
by Lori Lobenstine What’s it like working for espnW right from its inception? (Adena covers the NBA, WNBA, college hoops and more. Her work can be found here.) It is a wild ride! Everything is game at a startup. Ideas are flowing all over the place and everyone is electric. When you have the power of the four letters behind your ideas [espn], the sky is the limit. I’m happy to be a founding member.
Adena and her “lime greens” What do professional basketball players say about your kicks when you interview them? I walk into locker rooms and the guys be like, “I see you with the lime green kicks!” Or they will say, “What you know about them Dunks girl?” Sneakers get me respect in the NBA world. My favorite sneaker head moment was when I was rocking some black and white Converse designed by John Varvatos that I had got for free from the Converse gifting suite during All-Star Weekend. I waited in a lobby for two hours for these and they were free, so you know they felt good on my feet. Free always feels better. Anyway, I walked past Dr. J (yes, that Dr. J!) at an Orlando Magic game in Orlando. I had interviewed him earlier that day, so he recognized me. When I walked by he said, “Nice sneakers.” I almost could have died! Dr. J. Mr. Converse. The first ever dunk contest winner. The man whose picture was on my wall as a little girl, complimented MY SNEAKERS! At that point, I could have died a happy woman. I will tell my children that story.
“Nice sneakers,” said Dr. J! Speaking of basketball, I heard you were quite a player back in the day. How does your hoops background influence your footwear selection?
Going even further back, what was the first sneaker you fell in love with? I fell in love with Chucks first actually. There was this AIDS Walk commercial that used to come on television in New York and there were little cartoon characters wearing Chuck Taylor type sneakers. I might have been 12. I kept telling my mom “I want those sneakers. You know from the commercial.” I didn’t know the name of them though. But one day I found them and fell in love. What’s do your friends or family say about you being a female sneaker fiend? At first your friends and family don’t understand your love for sneakers. My friends would always call me a tomboy and say, “Your feet are going to get big if you keep wearing sneakers.” (I have a size 10 foot, so maybe they were right.) Now my friends love it. They are like “I see you with the new news! Get ‘em.” My one guy friend, who I kind of have a crush on, he may not want to share his emotions with me but he always shares hot sneakers with me. When I was really upset and not speaking to him, he sent me a picture of his Spizike Jordans and said, “I know you’re not talking to me but, I knew only you would appreciate these”. I almost melted. We are cool now.
Adena posing with NBA legend Dominique Wilkins. Yes, espnW has its perks! What else would you like to tell other female sneaker fiends? Embrace your love for sneakers. They will open up doors for you. They make you unique. Not every chick can carry herself in a womanly fashion in a pair of Dunks. It takes a special girl to do that and you are that girl. |
