Post by thesportscritic on Dec 29, 2005 9:49:23 GMT -5
WNBA changes Feenstra's lifestyle
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
Thursday, December 29, 2005
The comfort zone had long since evaporated for Katie Feenstra, but she got a little taste of what her life used to be like Dec. 16 at Vines Center.
She hung out in the stands during Liberty's women's basketball win against Southern Methodist, soaking up the time she could spend with Kristal Tharp, her best friend and roommate when the two were LU players. Both were inducted in LU's athletics Hall of Fame that night.
Then, it was quickly off to Europe to find work to fine tune her game before the April opening of WNBA training camp. Feenstra's 6-foot-8 presence was one of the big reasons Liberty advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2005, and she continued that success at the professional level.
A first-round draft pick of the Connecticut Sun who was traded to the San Antonio Silver Stars, Feenstra averaged 8.8 points and scored in double figures 14 times as a rookie in 2005.
So professional adjustment wasn't a problem. Instead, it was the different lifestyle, the idea that being a basketball player was a livelihood and not just a fun diversion any more.
Feenstra and her fellow WNBA players don't live the extravagant lives their male counterparts do.
The cap on a WNBA player's salary is $90,000. Some NBA players have been fined more than that and barely blinked.
"It makes us sick," she groaned.
That's exactly why many professional women's players travel to Europe in the winter to play. Even stars like Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie are playing overseas now.
The WNBA season is short, and it's difficult to make a living on four months of work. Plus, there's only so much individual work one can do to stay fresh, Feenstra said.
Then there's the lack of chemistry, and that bugged Feenstra more than anything. After going to a small Christian high school and building tight-knit relationships with her teammates at LU, adjusting to the cold, professional life in the WNBA wasn't easy.
"The team chemistry is not there because you have so many different backgrounds and so many different age levels," Feenstra said. "There were girls on my team that were 35 years old. In college, you're all going to college, you all have the same issues. Here, we're totally different."
There were other things to get adjusted to, she said, including the fact that there are open lesbians in the WNBA. Sheryl Swoopes, one the league's top players, made headlines earlier this year when she admitted she was gay.
It was more of a culture shock than anything, Feenstra said.
"I had to get used to that," she said. "We didn't have (lesbians) here. ? I'm totally comfortable with it now."
Feenstra hopes to hook up with a club in Italy before returning to San Antonio for the 2006 WNBA season. The Silver Stars were awful last season, finishing 7-27. Only the Charlotte Sting (6-28) was worse.
Still, Feenstra likes her teammates and the city. She got to spend some time with David Robinson, the former Spurs center who runs a boys academy in San Antonio and is very vocal in his Christian beliefs. Feenstra and Robinson found a common bond in their faith.
"He and I go to the same church, so I've seen him a couple of times there," Feenstra said. "He is an amazing guy. People should have him as a role model. He's a strong Christian guy who truly loves what he does."
No longer a fresh-faced rookie, Feenstra grew from her experience last year and expects to be better as a second-year pro. By the end of last season, the chemistry between Feenstra and her teammates began to cement, and she said she's ready to get back to work in San Antonio.
"I was scared with having to step away from my comfort zone at Liberty, but now, I can't wait for my next season," Feenstra said.
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
Thursday, December 29, 2005
The comfort zone had long since evaporated for Katie Feenstra, but she got a little taste of what her life used to be like Dec. 16 at Vines Center.
She hung out in the stands during Liberty's women's basketball win against Southern Methodist, soaking up the time she could spend with Kristal Tharp, her best friend and roommate when the two were LU players. Both were inducted in LU's athletics Hall of Fame that night.
Then, it was quickly off to Europe to find work to fine tune her game before the April opening of WNBA training camp. Feenstra's 6-foot-8 presence was one of the big reasons Liberty advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2005, and she continued that success at the professional level.
A first-round draft pick of the Connecticut Sun who was traded to the San Antonio Silver Stars, Feenstra averaged 8.8 points and scored in double figures 14 times as a rookie in 2005.
So professional adjustment wasn't a problem. Instead, it was the different lifestyle, the idea that being a basketball player was a livelihood and not just a fun diversion any more.
Feenstra and her fellow WNBA players don't live the extravagant lives their male counterparts do.
The cap on a WNBA player's salary is $90,000. Some NBA players have been fined more than that and barely blinked.
"It makes us sick," she groaned.
That's exactly why many professional women's players travel to Europe in the winter to play. Even stars like Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie are playing overseas now.
The WNBA season is short, and it's difficult to make a living on four months of work. Plus, there's only so much individual work one can do to stay fresh, Feenstra said.
Then there's the lack of chemistry, and that bugged Feenstra more than anything. After going to a small Christian high school and building tight-knit relationships with her teammates at LU, adjusting to the cold, professional life in the WNBA wasn't easy.
"The team chemistry is not there because you have so many different backgrounds and so many different age levels," Feenstra said. "There were girls on my team that were 35 years old. In college, you're all going to college, you all have the same issues. Here, we're totally different."
There were other things to get adjusted to, she said, including the fact that there are open lesbians in the WNBA. Sheryl Swoopes, one the league's top players, made headlines earlier this year when she admitted she was gay.
It was more of a culture shock than anything, Feenstra said.
"I had to get used to that," she said. "We didn't have (lesbians) here. ? I'm totally comfortable with it now."
Feenstra hopes to hook up with a club in Italy before returning to San Antonio for the 2006 WNBA season. The Silver Stars were awful last season, finishing 7-27. Only the Charlotte Sting (6-28) was worse.
Still, Feenstra likes her teammates and the city. She got to spend some time with David Robinson, the former Spurs center who runs a boys academy in San Antonio and is very vocal in his Christian beliefs. Feenstra and Robinson found a common bond in their faith.
"He and I go to the same church, so I've seen him a couple of times there," Feenstra said. "He is an amazing guy. People should have him as a role model. He's a strong Christian guy who truly loves what he does."
No longer a fresh-faced rookie, Feenstra grew from her experience last year and expects to be better as a second-year pro. By the end of last season, the chemistry between Feenstra and her teammates began to cement, and she said she's ready to get back to work in San Antonio.
"I was scared with having to step away from my comfort zone at Liberty, but now, I can't wait for my next season," Feenstra said.
www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA%2FMGArticle%2FLNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128768984952&path=!sports