LA season ticket holders get great "insider" emails with lots of goodies, and today is no exception. For one, there's a video featuring interviews with Coach Michael Cooper and guard Shannon Bobbitt.
Then there's this great interview with some of co-owner Kathy Goodman's students....have I mentioned lately that I love the Sparks owners?
Sparks Co-owner
Kathy Goodman
Passes the Test
When school gets out for the summer at High Tech High in Los Angeles, English teacher Kathy Goodman quickly switches roles to Co-owner of the Los Angeles Sparks.
Having taught high school for many years, Kathy Goodman knows how to run a classroom. But in 2007, Goodman, along with Carla Christofferson, added another title to her resume: Owner of the Los Angeles Sparks.
While High Tech High students Alicia, Maya, and Jessica learn from Ms. Goodman in the classroom on a daily basis, they, along with many other students have also become fans of Ms. Goodman's Sparks team.
Q: What is the best part of having Ms. Goodman as your teacher?
A: ALICIA: My favorite thing has to be her sense of humor. She is very funny in an intelligent way.
MAYA: My favorite thing about Ms. Goodman is that she treats us as adults and challenges us. She lets us figure things out for ourselves and challenges us everyday.
JESSICA: One of the greatest qualities that Ms. Goodman has as a teacher is that you can tell that she really loves what she does, which makes it a lot easier to learn.
Q: What's your favorite memory of Ms. Goodman as your teacher?
A: ALICIA: One of the funniest days was the day after the Sparks were eliminated from the playoffs last year. She came to school the next day, and in our first period class you could tell she was not in a good mood. So someone stood up in the middle of class and pretended to shoot a basketball and miss. Everyone was so nervous to see how Ms. Goodman would react and she just burst into laughter. It was a really great moment to show how we could make her forget about everything business related and just laugh with us.
MAYA: Some of my favorite memories about Ms. Goodman are her telling funny little stories. One of my favorites was her telling us the story of her dad convincing her that he had a hotdog tree in the backyard. She loves to tell little stories like that or jokes to keep class enjoyable.
Q: How does Ms. Goodman being the owner of the Sparks affect her being your teacher?
A: ALICIA: One of the best things about it is that every time the Sparks win a game, we get to have a "Casual Dress Day" the next day. We all get to celebrate together by not having to wear our uniforms.
JESSICA: I think it's a cool perspective to have someone with real-world business experience being your teacher. To know that she has a business outside of school is really neat.
Q: What is it like seeing Ms. Goodman at the games, not as your teacher, but as the owner?
A: ALICIA: It is hysterical to watch Ms. Goodman at a Sparks game because she seems so focused and serious. But then when the Sparks make a basket, she jumps up and starts cheering.
MAYA: The really cool thing about High Tech High is that you really get to know teachers as teachers, but also as friends. So it's always fun to see Ms. Goodman sit in her courtside seat and get so excited when the Sparks score. She also always comes to visit us at halftime, which is really nice.
JESSICA: It's always a little strange to see teachers out of the classroom, but it is also interesting to see Ms. Goodman in more of a business setting. She comes up to us to say "hi" but then gets right back to business.
As all three girls can attest, Ms. Goodman succeeds both in the classroom and at Sparks games and never fails to bring her humor and enthusiasm with her.
Finally, Sparks PR Director Alayne Ingram has a nice blog that is full of goodies. My favorite entry so far is April 29, when she explains how Candace Parker had discussions with her unborn daughter to keep the labor short.
Bringin' the A-game
Her entry right after that reminds me what a conundrum of accents there are on the Sparks team. There is Shannon Bobbitt with her thick Bronx accent; Kristi Harrower, who's an Australian, mate; Vanessa Hayden, with her Southern accent; and Betty Lennox, who has a distinctive flat, Midwestern way of speaking. I love it.
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