Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/62711
A GAME MORE THAN On Sunday nights, Jamie, Syesha, Lindsey and the rest of the team gather in the 8th Floor Gym for weekly practice. The roster represents a potent mix of worldly experience, advanced education and national-caliber athleticism. Syesha believes that last part could lead the team, which played its first tournament in February 2008, to its first national title later this month. "I think this is the year for us to put a banner in the gym," she says. "From a coaching perspective, I couldn't be more excited about where we're headed." Off the court National tournament aside, the WAC women have some impressive stories to tell. Start with Jamie, who works on global projects and community engagement for SeeYourImpact, a small Seattle-based nonprofit that partners with organizations in Africa, India, Latin America and the U.S. The group aims to connect small donors with important work and to return personal stories about the lives they've changed. In Rwanda, Jamie visited SeeYourImpact partners Gardens for Health International and Rwanda Girls Initiative. She also found time to shoot hoops with the team at Gashora Girls Academy, funded by Rwanda Girls Initiative, and showed them some new practice drills. really helped me see the positive impact our work here in Seattle is having on people around the world." Jamie played college ball at Yale, where she earned a psychology "It was amazing," Jamie says of the trip. "Being in Rwanda degree with honors. She set school records for career 3-pointers and games played. "It was really incredible to be able to represent such a prestigious The WAC women's team practices on Sundays in the 8th Floor Gym. university," she says. "Basketball opened that opportunity for me." She grew up in Northern California and comes from an athletic family. Her uncle Keith played in the NFL and won Super Bowl XX with the Chicago Bears, and her dad, Pete, won the 1976 College World Series with the University of Arizona. After Yale, Jamie spent two years in Madrid, where she coached a high school boys basketball team and earned a master's degree in international relations. Still fairly new to Seattle, she's LINDSAY LAFRAN HOLD'S THE ALL-TIME SCORING RECORD AT MOUNT RAINIER HIGH SCHOOL iN deS moiNeS • Played AT REGIS UNIVERSITY IN deNver • JoiNed the Wac team iN 2008 • PlayS iN THE WAC MEN'S C LEAGUE • comPeteS iN triathloNS. WEDNESDAYS ARE FOR WORKOUTS Each Wednesday night during the basketball season, the WAC women's team gathers for an off-court workout. WAC Trainer Mary Little leads the group through a series of high-intensity basketball-specific exercises. "They have awesome team dynamics," Mary says. "You can tell they've been playing sports for a long time because they never give up. I get to challenge them with all my heart." APRIL 2012 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | 23 JONATHAN SCHMIDT LUKE RUTAN