Speaker 1: Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where now would
Speaker 1: be a great time for our Midwest Laces to stop
Speaker 1: by the Diana Tarasi bench in Door County, Wisconsin to
Speaker 1: pay homage to the newest member of the Mercury Ring
Speaker 1: of Honor. It's Friday, August fourteenth, and on today's show,
Speaker 1: we're joined by Golden State Valkyrie standout Veronica Burton. We
Speaker 1: talk about her breakout season last year, believing in herself
Speaker 1: during her lean years in the league, coach Natalie Nicasse's
Speaker 1: no A holes policy, and the magic of Balhalla, plus
Speaker 1: a well uh kind of statement, a sixteen year streak continues,
Speaker 1: and an annoying reminder that we still have to consider
Speaker 1: the men. It's all coming up right after this welcome
Speaker 1: back Slice's here's what you need to know today. Let's
Speaker 1: start with soccer and four games on the schedule in
Speaker 1: the NWSL tonight, including a matchup between top of the
Speaker 1: table got the FC and Ted Lasso's favorite squad, the
Speaker 1: seventh place Kansas City Current. The Current have put up
Speaker 1: a win, a loss, and two draws in their four
Speaker 1: games without superstar Temwa Shwenga, who's been busy leading her
Speaker 1: Malawi team at WAFCAN. More on that in a moment.
Speaker 1: In the meantime, another Casey star has shined. Last weekend,
Speaker 1: midfielder Dubinya scored her eighty third career goal across all
Speaker 1: NWSL competitions, good for first place on the NWSL's all
Speaker 1: time scoring leader board, breaking her tie with the Seattle
Speaker 1: Rains lynd Biandolo, who's currently on maternity leave. There are
Speaker 1: two more NWSL games on Saturday and also a pair
Speaker 1: on Sunday. More soccer. The aforementioned Temwa and her sister
Speaker 1: Tabitha Shweinga led the way from Malawi in the Wafcon
Speaker 1: semifinals on Wednesday, helping the Scorchers to a three one
Speaker 1: victory over Algeria. Tabitha scored twice and Temwa once, and Malawi,
Speaker 1: ranked one hundred and fifty third in the world entering
Speaker 1: the tournament, earned a spot in the WAFCAN Final, the
Speaker 1: first teams in South Africa's men in nineteen ninety six
Speaker 1: to reach the African Cup of Nations final in their
Speaker 1: debut tournament. Malawi will meet Cameroon in the final on Sunday.
Speaker 1: After the Indimitable Lioness's upset host Morocco three to one
Speaker 1: on penalties. To Lacrosse, where we've reached the inaugural Women's
Speaker 1: Lacrosse League Championship weekend, The Maryland charm and the California
Speaker 1: Palms will go head to head for the trophy on
Speaker 1: Saturday at five pm Eastern at Subaru Park in Philadelphia.
Speaker 1: You can catch that game on ESPN. To the WNBA,
Speaker 1: there are two games on the slate tonight, starting with
Speaker 1: the Indiana Fever hosting the Dallas Wings at Gainbridge Field
Speaker 1: House a seven thirty pm Eastern tip off. The Fever
Speaker 1: of won seven of their last nine games, while the
Speaker 1: Wings have struggled, going three and six in their last nine,
Speaker 1: though they did manage a ninety four eighty eight win
Speaker 1: over the Toronto Tempo Wednesday night to end their three
Speaker 1: game skid. Another must watch on Saturday, when the league
Speaker 1: best Minnesota Lynks take on the defending champion Las Vegas
Speaker 1: aces and eight pm Eastern start. And on Sunday, three
Speaker 1: time WNBA champion and WNBA all time leading scorer Diana
Speaker 1: Tarassi will be inducted into the Mercury Ring of Honor
Speaker 1: ahead of their contest with the Portland Fire a seven
Speaker 1: pm Eastern tip off. Tarassi's jersey will be officially retired,
Speaker 1: joining Cheryl Miller, Jennifer Gillum, Bridget Pettis, Michelle Tims, and
Speaker 1: Tarossi's wife, Penny Taylor more w On Wednesday, a WNBA
Speaker 1: task force of team presidents and gms met and in
Speaker 1: a statement to ESPN, the league said, quote, Today's meeting
Speaker 1: covered a wide range of topics, including ongoing discussions on
Speaker 1: transgender athletes and the continued hate and vitriol directed at
Speaker 1: players online. We will continue to engage all league stakeholders
Speaker 1: in the coming weeks and months. We will approach these
Speaker 1: important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of
Speaker 1: our league. There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA,
Speaker 1: and we strongly denounce the bad faith efforts to use
Speaker 1: these topics to demean or marginalize others. End quote to
Speaker 1: the PWHL slash MNBA, slash MLBS slash WNBA slash I
Speaker 1: guess the whole world of sports business. On Wednesday, news
Speaker 1: broke that multi pro sports team owner Mark Walter had
Speaker 1: agreed to sell the mnba's Los Angeles Lakers to New ownership.
Speaker 1: It's an eyebrow raising move, both because of the price,
Speaker 1: a twelve point five billion dollar valuation, the timing just
Speaker 1: over a year after Walter purchased the team for ten billion,
Speaker 1: and the identity of the buyers former Disney CEO and
Speaker 1: Angel City controlling owner Bob Eiger, along with venture capitalist
Speaker 1: Josh Kushner. Yes Kushner, as in the brother in law
Speaker 1: of Evanka Trump, who's married to Josh's brother Jared. The
Speaker 1: twelve and a half billion dollar sale will break the
Speaker 1: record for the most money ever paid for an American
Speaker 1: sports franchise, and the timing. Just last month, Bloomberg Law
Speaker 1: reported that Walter's investment firm, Guggenheim Partners, was under federal
Speaker 1: investigation due to suspicious accounting. And there's the fact that
Speaker 1: Josh Kushner runs Thrive Capital, the investment fund that FIFA
Speaker 1: wanted to sell a minority stake to for four point
Speaker 1: two billion dollars just last week, a proposal that immediately
Speaker 1: blew up in FIFA President Johnny and Fantino's face when
Speaker 1: key stakeholders threatened to boycott if the plan went through. Anyway,
Speaker 1: I know, oh what a lot of you are thinking.
Speaker 1: Right now, Sarah, why are we talking about the sale
Speaker 1: of a men's team. This is a women's sports podcast. Well,
Speaker 1: a reminder that Mark Walter is also the majority owner
Speaker 1: of the PWHL, still run under a single entity model.
Speaker 1: Oh and Walter is also the controlling owner of the
Speaker 1: WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, which weren't included in the sale
Speaker 1: of the Lakers. All that to say, whenever Walter's name
Speaker 1: comes up, whether because of his ownership of the LA
Speaker 1: Dodgers or till now the Lakers, or because of those
Speaker 1: accusations of fraud, we pay attention. We'll keep you posted
Speaker 1: as we learn more about the sale details to swimming,
Speaker 1: The biggest swim meet of the year, the Pan Pacific
Speaker 1: Championship Scott underwe on Wednesday in Irvine, California. The competition,
Speaker 1: which features athletes from North and South America, Asia and Oceana,
Speaker 1: is held every four years at the midway point between
Speaker 1: Olympic Games. In a surprise to no one, US star
Speaker 1: Katie Ledecki opened the meet with a win in the
Speaker 1: fifteen hundred meter race, continuing her sixteen year winds treak
Speaker 1: in the event. Sixteen years y'all, what was surprising seeing
Speaker 1: the second place finisher in the same frame as Ladeki.
Speaker 1: At the finish, Aussie Lanni Pallister touched the wall just
Speaker 1: two point five to three seconds after Ladeki, marking Ladeki's
Speaker 1: closest finish in the event at an international competition since
Speaker 1: twenty thirteen. Other highlights from the first couple of days
Speaker 1: of competition include Gretchen Walsh winning the five hundred meter
Speaker 1: butterfly and Tmusa winning the four by one hundred mixed
Speaker 1: gender medley relay in world record time. The competition continues
Speaker 1: through Saturday, but the most anticipated race is later today,
Speaker 1: the women's four hundred meter final, which is expected to
Speaker 1: feature Canada's Summer Macintosh, the current four hundred meter world
Speaker 1: record holder, taking on Ladeki, who is a four time
Speaker 1: world champion and former world record holder at the distance.
Speaker 1: To the Sliding Sports World and Friend of the Show,
Speaker 1: Alana Meyers Taylor, the most decorated black athlete in Winter
Speaker 1: Olympic history, and Milan Courtino Mono Bob gold medallist, revealed
Speaker 1: on Wednesday she's been dealing with post concussion symptoms for
Speaker 1: the past few months and will miss the upcoming World
Speaker 1: Cup season, which runs November to March. Meyers Taylor, who
Speaker 1: has dealt with this issue in the past, wrote in
Speaker 1: a social media post, quote, if all goes well, I
Speaker 1: hope to be back in a sled before the end
Speaker 1: of the winter season, but time will tell end quote.
Speaker 1: We're sending you our best, Elana as you navigate this. Finally,
Speaker 1: in baseball, don't forget there are four WPBL games this
Speaker 1: weekend down in Springfield, Illinois. Friend of the show Kelsey
Speaker 1: Whitmore's coming off with three home run performance on Wednesday
Speaker 1: night that helped her San Francisco fire Bells defeat the
Speaker 1: Los Angeles Queens eight to two. Those two teams will
Speaker 1: face off again tonight. We're going to take a break
Speaker 1: when we come back. Keeping the faith with Veronica Burton.
Speaker 1: We spoke to her on Tuesday, the day before the
Speaker 1: Valks faced the Chicago Sky joining us. Now, she's a
Speaker 1: guard for the Golden State Valkyries and lifted the twenty
Speaker 1: twenty six Unrivaled Trophy with the mist a Northwestern Hooper.
Speaker 1: She was the seventh overall pick in the twenty twenty
Speaker 1: two WNBA draft by the Della Swings, played two seasons
Speaker 1: there and a season with the Connecticut Sun before the
Speaker 1: Valkyrie snagged her in the expansion draft for their inaugural season.
Speaker 1: Last year, she averaged career highs and earned WNBA Most
Speaker 1: Improved Player and All Defensive honors. Last season, Ink to
Speaker 1: multi year deal with the Valks and has helped them
Speaker 1: to one of the best records in the league. So far.
Speaker 1: This year, she's been inducted to the Good Game Hall
Speaker 1: of Fame. It's Veronica Burton. Veronica, thanks for joining.
Speaker 2: Us, of course, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1: If you're not a regular listener, which I'm sure you
Speaker 1: are in your free time, I want to tell you
Speaker 1: about the Good Game Hall of Fame. It's where we
Speaker 1: induct mostly women's sports lore, the kind of things we
Speaker 1: know about from the men's side but don't get talked
Speaker 1: about or shared enough on the women's side, and it's
Speaker 1: usually goofy stuff. But we made an exception for you,
Speaker 1: and here's a little bit of what I said about
Speaker 1: you when we inducted you into the Good Game Hall
Speaker 1: of Fame. In her first three seasons, she never averaged
Speaker 1: more than three points per game, playing fifteen minutes or
Speaker 1: fewer per night. She made just one start for the Sun.
Speaker 1: In twenty twenty four, after spending the off season playing
Speaker 1: in the WNBL in Australia, she arrived at Golden State
Speaker 1: Valkyries camp and got her breakout year. In November, she
Speaker 1: won gold in the Three America and in early December
Speaker 1: she joined her first Team USA training camp. The Globe
Speaker 1: was crazy for Veronica, and I'm kind of like exhilarated
Speaker 1: and exhausted just reading it and thinking about the journey
Speaker 1: that you've taken to get to here, And I wonder
Speaker 1: what you make of the last year or two if
Speaker 1: you actually sit and think about it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, honestly, I mean, I think it definitely is something
Speaker 3: that I try and process in real time and I
Speaker 3: try and be super like present, which is easier said
Speaker 3: than done. I think it's it's been a whirlwind and
Speaker 3: for me just appreciating every single moment. I think being
Speaker 3: in and out of the league a little bit like
Speaker 3: there's a different level of gratitude that I have every
Speaker 3: time I am experiencing something in this league or for
Speaker 3: Team USA or unrivaled whatever it may be. I think
Speaker 3: I am just extra aware and extra present of the
Speaker 3: moments of even the little moments with teammates in a
Speaker 3: locker room, like being there on a season open air,
Speaker 3: whatever it may be. I think that's kind of my
Speaker 3: biggest thing is just like, man, I'm just so great
Speaker 3: even the hard days, like it's really don't get me long.
Speaker 2: The seasons get long.
Speaker 3: And there's days where you just don't want to be there,
Speaker 3: but I do feel like there's just been a different
Speaker 3: level of appreciation. And then you know, winning always makes
Speaker 3: things better, and so to be able to be in
Speaker 3: different moments and win, that's just been amazing.
Speaker 1: I love to hear that because it's such a great
Speaker 1: perspective and it's so true. You know, when you're in
Speaker 1: the middle of great times and someone says the lowest
Speaker 1: times were actually the best for me because it made
Speaker 1: me and you're like, oh, okay, well, that's a nice
Speaker 1: way to reframe failure. But it is true that some
Speaker 1: of the hardest things we go through ultimately allow us
Speaker 1: to see the successes through different eyes, and they mean
Speaker 1: more when it doesn't feel easy and it wasn't easy
Speaker 1: for you, And I wonder, in those moments of the
Speaker 1: early years, did you think you could be so much
Speaker 1: better or was there a part of you is like
Speaker 1: I guess this is my ceiling. The w's hard.
Speaker 3: Yeah, a little bit of both. Honestly, I think it
Speaker 3: depended on the day that you asked me. I was
Speaker 3: either super motivated, super super driven, and like everything's going
Speaker 3: to work out, and then on any other day it
Speaker 3: was like, well, if this is for me, it's for me.
Speaker 2: If it's not, I'll be good either way.
Speaker 3: I definitely had moments where I knew I wasn't playing
Speaker 3: how I could play like. I think that was the
Speaker 3: almost refreshing thing, but also the more frustrating part was
Speaker 3: just like I know I'm a lot better than what
Speaker 3: I'm playing.
Speaker 2: So how I get there?
Speaker 3: I'm not exactly sure, but at least I know that
Speaker 3: this isn't the best that I could be playing, But
Speaker 3: I didn't know if the WNBA was necessarily going to
Speaker 3: be for me. I think that was like the back
Speaker 3: and forth was just am I ever going to get
Speaker 3: the opportunity?
Speaker 2: And am I ever going to grow and play how
Speaker 2: I can play?
Speaker 3: So I would go back and forth with that, and honestly,
Speaker 3: from a mental standpoint, I think it was just moments
Speaker 3: where I was content with not playing or content with
Speaker 3: my role of this is what it's going to look
Speaker 3: like for me. And then there's other times where it's like, no,
Speaker 3: I'm gonna I'm gonna find a way to make make
Speaker 3: it bigger and have a bigger impact. And so I
Speaker 3: think eventually that went out, that mindset went out, and
Speaker 3: I'm grateful it did.
Speaker 2: But again, opportunity, I think really is the biggest thing
Speaker 2: in this league.
Speaker 1: Yeah, because there's a couple of ways to look at it.
Speaker 1: I haven't been given the right opportunity or these people
Speaker 1: don't see in me what I see, or this isn't
Speaker 1: the right coach for me, or this isn't the right
Speaker 1: fit for me, or what do I need to personally
Speaker 1: do to get better? And usually it's a combination of
Speaker 1: all those things. So what do you think went right
Speaker 1: for you personally when you got to the Belks.
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely fit in culture.
Speaker 3: I'm a very big relationships person, and I think I
Speaker 3: play my best basketball when I feel valued and trusted
Speaker 3: in a sense, when I feel like one, I'm able
Speaker 3: to make mistakes. That was one thing that coach Natalie
Speaker 3: they want a training camp right first year was I want, like,
Speaker 3: I literally want.
Speaker 2: You guys to make mistakes.
Speaker 3: And I know everyone says that but I really don't care,
Speaker 3: and I can just feel the genuineness with which she
Speaker 3: said that, And for me, that was refreshing because I
Speaker 3: didn't always feel that in the places I was before.
Speaker 3: And sometimes it's just the reality of your situation too
Speaker 3: and your role. You know, your leash isn't as long
Speaker 3: in certain places, and I mean, that's pros, that's basketball
Speaker 3: at sports. But I think going in with that mindset
Speaker 3: where it was just like, I'm not afraid to mess
Speaker 3: up really shifted things for me because that's just a
Speaker 3: freedom that I hadn't had.
Speaker 2: And eventually, you.
Speaker 3: Know, my relationship with coach grew and my relationship with
Speaker 3: my teammates grew, and I just felt like, Okay, I
Speaker 3: can really be me and I feel what I bring
Speaker 3: is valued and so and then coming off the WNBL
Speaker 3: Championship and coming off playing a really solid season on Australia, like,
Speaker 3: I think I just had that momentum and I just
Speaker 3: didn't want to let go of that. So again, I
Speaker 3: do think it's a combination of the two. But I
Speaker 3: think I noticed really early that it was going to
Speaker 3: be different in Golden State for me than it had
Speaker 3: in the other places.
Speaker 1: I love what I've read about how coach Natalie Nicasse
Speaker 1: coaches between that I want you to make mistakes and
Speaker 1: play free to what there's a great profile by I
Speaker 1: think Brian Hamilton and The Athletic recently talking about how
Speaker 1: she has a real conversation with players and says like,
Speaker 1: what do you want for me? Do you want me
Speaker 1: to ride you? Do you want me to compliment you?
Speaker 1: Do you want me to be specific about, you know,
Speaker 1: skill sets that you need to work on? Or do
Speaker 1: you want me to think bigger picture? And like having
Speaker 1: that back and forth with players so she can give
Speaker 1: them what they really need instead of her guessing you're
Speaker 1: so smart seems really obvious. It's not the approach a
Speaker 1: lot of coaches take. So tell me about coach, Like
Speaker 1: what does she do well and what seems to be
Speaker 1: working with this team?
Speaker 2: She does a lot well.
Speaker 3: Again, I think just her ability one to relate to
Speaker 3: us and to know like the things that we struggle
Speaker 3: with and to know that people can overthink a misshot
Speaker 3: and like so she gives the reassurance where you need it. Honestly,
Speaker 3: it's like I don't care if you miss Like what
Speaker 3: I do care about is if you're not talking. What
Speaker 3: I do care about is if you're not defending your
Speaker 3: boxing out, So it's like it's a give and take.
Speaker 3: You know, we have to meet her too, and her
Speaker 3: expectations of us are very high, and she doesn't slip
Speaker 3: in her standard of that, but it's just understanding what
Speaker 3: that standard is. And we know, like we're doing our
Speaker 3: part when we're going hard, when we're communicating, when we're
Speaker 3: playing defense and stuff like that, and that's in our control.
Speaker 2: And so I think that.
Speaker 3: Is something, especially with the people that they brought into
Speaker 3: Golden State, like that's something that we could all buy
Speaker 3: into and resonate with. And so I think that's just
Speaker 3: been a really healthy balance and healthy culture.
Speaker 2: And then yeah, her.
Speaker 3: Ability to challenge us, I mean, honestly, especially as a
Speaker 3: point guard, she expects a lot out of me, out
Speaker 3: of our point guards, out of our team, and she'll
Speaker 3: be straight up with that and she won't shy away
Speaker 3: from that. But she's also there to help us in
Speaker 3: any moment that we need her, and we have just
Speaker 3: such like the healthy balance of being able to go
Speaker 3: to her and she's very open in the sense of
Speaker 3: just look, I'm this is my first time being a
Speaker 3: head coach too in the w so it's like we're
Speaker 3: both we're all growing together and it's been really cool
Speaker 3: to see that humility from her.
Speaker 1: She has to know a holes policy, which is one
Speaker 1: of my favorite kind of policies. It starts with day one,
Speaker 1: when before day one, it starts with who you hire
Speaker 1: and who you recruit and who you draft and all
Speaker 1: of that. But it's an ongoing policy. Right at some
Speaker 1: point somebody could be an a hole when they're usually not.
Speaker 1: Have you ever seen her enforced said policy in a
Speaker 1: meaningful way or have you ever had a moment where
Speaker 1: it became clear someone had crossed the able threshold and
Speaker 1: she had to step in and say, that's not how
Speaker 1: we do it here.
Speaker 3: I honestly don't even think they'll bring in people and
Speaker 3: like it sounds, I don't know, like a superiority type
Speaker 3: of complex, but it's not like I think the culture
Speaker 3: is so protected in a sense that you just know
Speaker 3: how it is and it's, yeah, it is a little
Speaker 3: bit like get on board or get left behind, And
Speaker 3: I think that's just been set from day one. And
Speaker 3: we were really fortunate with our inaugural season roster, like
Speaker 3: it just wasn't even close, like we.
Speaker 2: All just loved on each other. We build each other up.
Speaker 3: And with that, I think the tone was just set
Speaker 3: and they continue to seek out people that match that
Speaker 3: and that fit that. So she's well aware of it.
Speaker 3: I think she really is observant of people before they
Speaker 3: even step foot in the door.
Speaker 2: And so yeah, it's fun. It makes it fun.
Speaker 1: I would love to see the draft board or like
Speaker 1: the waiver wire board and just like next to a name,
Speaker 1: no description, you can't grab her ass whole. She wouldn't
Speaker 1: say it, but I know she wouldn't. But what's something
Speaker 1: about coach that might surprise us? Tell us something we
Speaker 1: don't know about Coach Nakasse? Secret hidden fact.
Speaker 2: Secret hidden fact?
Speaker 1: I don't know.
Speaker 2: I feel like she might watch this and I might
Speaker 2: get caught up. She can dance. I don't know if
Speaker 2: that's secret. She can dance a little.
Speaker 3: She doesn't dance often, she probably won't dance for anyone else,
Speaker 3: but she can dance.
Speaker 2: A little bit.
Speaker 1: Okay, we got to find the footage now, Yeah, that's
Speaker 1: my goal. Well, you talked about creating culture, and obviously
Speaker 1: President Jess Smith GM mohamma nin and have this incredible
Speaker 1: idea of what they wanted to put together. But there
Speaker 1: were a lot of doubts last year when the Valk
Speaker 1: squad started, myself included. I was surprised also that there
Speaker 1: weren't more big name free agents that wanted to take
Speaker 1: a chance on the place, the venues, the facilities, everything else,
Speaker 1: the fan base. But the first expansion team to make
Speaker 1: the postseason in their first year? What went right last year?
Speaker 1: And how long did it take for you to say, Oh,
Speaker 1: they know what they're doing, Like this is not by chance.
Speaker 3: I would say early on, I felt confident. I felt
Speaker 3: confident going in honestly when we were first drafted. When
Speaker 3: I was first drafted, I think even in my own mind,
Speaker 3: I kind of had shifted my mindset of like I'm
Speaker 3: going to attack this opportunity. And I think I came
Speaker 3: in with a confidence that I was excited. I love
Speaker 3: a good underdog story label, whatever it may be. I
Speaker 3: think when you come in with that chip on your shoulder,
Speaker 3: like I think it would be foolish for.
Speaker 2: Us to have expected anything less.
Speaker 3: And when we went into training camp, it was just
Speaker 3: like we had a plan and set, and we had
Speaker 3: goals in mind, and we had a culture that we
Speaker 3: believed in and at the end of.
Speaker 2: The day, we're all WNBA players. I tell that people
Speaker 2: all the time.
Speaker 3: I think there's this idea that players on the end
Speaker 3: of a WNBA team or at the end of the
Speaker 3: bench like can't compete, And I think that's like one
Speaker 3: of the oldest lies in the book, because you give
Speaker 3: people opportunity and the skill set is there.
Speaker 2: It is so hard to make this league. It is
Speaker 2: so hard to play in the WNBA.
Speaker 3: Like, people that don't play are still very good basketball players,
Speaker 3: and so when you give them a chance, and a
Speaker 3: lot of those players have honestly been out working a
Speaker 3: lot of starters, you know they want it, and so
Speaker 3: I just felt really confident that. And then you have
Speaker 3: the buy in from the organization. You have the fans
Speaker 3: that are showing up every night, and just I think
Speaker 3: the investment from top down like was through the roof
Speaker 3: and it's continued to bleed into this season and it's
Speaker 3: just been really fun. So I know, we didn't necessarily
Speaker 3: have the big names, and people can argue that we
Speaker 3: still don't necessarily have the big names, but I just.
Speaker 2: I don't know. I guess I don't understand that part.
Speaker 1: It's a team. It's a team, and the pieces were
Speaker 1: picked with intention and sometimes that's more important than having
Speaker 1: big names. It's what works well together, and then coaching
Speaker 1: and everything else. A little bit of a new look
Speaker 1: roster this year. You added some good first time All
Speaker 1: Star Gabby Williams, veteran Kia Stokes. How does this season
Speaker 1: feel different from a team perspective, particularly with maybe more
Speaker 1: expectations after that playoff run last year?
Speaker 3: Just coming in, I think being able to turn the
Speaker 3: page was a big thing for us, and there was
Speaker 3: so much hype and there was so much joy and
Speaker 3: like there was a lot of accomplishment last year, but
Speaker 3: at the end of the day, we were the eighth
Speaker 3: seed and like we got knocked off in the first round.
Speaker 2: So it was great that we made the playoffs and
Speaker 2: it was historical and we don't take.
Speaker 1: That that's so much a playoff run so much as appearance.
Speaker 3: Yeah, literally, which was again an accomplishment in and of itself,
Speaker 3: but like that's not the goal for any of us
Speaker 3: at the end of the day, that's not the end
Speaker 3: goal at least, and so it was we have way
Speaker 3: more now like to build on and no one cares
Speaker 3: what we did last year, if anything, that's a bigger
Speaker 3: target on our back, and so how and what are
Speaker 3: we going to do this season to like build on that,
Speaker 3: And then obviously bringing in Gabby Williams and Kia Stokes,
Speaker 3: like two incredible players, two incredible veterans with experience that
Speaker 3: again only add to our culture and really just continue
Speaker 3: to build people up. And then just some dogs on
Speaker 3: the court. I think Gabby is an incredible player that
Speaker 3: has been overlooked so much in her career, is still overlooked,
Speaker 3: but she's one of the most selfless players I've ever
Speaker 3: played with, and she's the fearless leader, and so I
Speaker 3: think she's just really taken this role. And she says
Speaker 3: it herself that it's a newer role for her, but
Speaker 3: she's completely bought into it and it's been really fun
Speaker 3: to see her thrive. And then Kia, Like I can't
Speaker 3: say enough about Kia because to come in and do
Speaker 3: what she's done for us, Like she's the backbone of
Speaker 3: our defense. She covers for us, covers for me all
Speaker 3: the time, and I think she just sets more screens
Speaker 3: than anyone has is what second in the league in
Speaker 3: block shots, and like I think coming in even with
Speaker 3: her obviously with her role, I don't think she necessarily
Speaker 3: knew that it was going to look the way it
Speaker 3: was with Iliana missing this season. So it's just been
Speaker 3: really cool to see like again. And that's where opportunity
Speaker 3: is the biggest thing. I think Ka has exceeded, maybe
Speaker 3: not expectations within our locker room because we knew what
Speaker 3: she was capable of, but the outside for sure, and
Speaker 3: I think it's been really cool to see.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you talked about both of them stepping into roles.
Speaker 1: Maybe they didn't anticipate or haven't played before. That's the
Speaker 1: same for you. You have bigger expectations, bigger leadership role
Speaker 1: than you've had in your career before. How does it
Speaker 1: feel different for you personally at the start of this season,
Speaker 1: maybe one of the first times except for back in college,
Speaker 1: where you came in and thought, oh, I'm I'm really
Speaker 1: important to this team's success and everyone's going to be
Speaker 1: looking to me.
Speaker 3: It was definitely different for me knowing I'm going to
Speaker 3: be you know, I think my first three years the
Speaker 3: scouting report, I was maybe hardly on it, and so
Speaker 3: it's an adjustment in terms of page two. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 3: if that and so I think it's definitely an adjustment
Speaker 3: of just understanding defenses, like I'm not going to surprise
Speaker 3: anyone in that and continuing.
Speaker 2: To get better.
Speaker 3: I think that was a big goal of mine, you know,
Speaker 3: I didn't want to become complacent in any way, shape
Speaker 3: or form, and finding new ways to score and my
Speaker 3: efficiency like continues to.
Speaker 2: Need to get better and so.
Speaker 3: But from a leadership point, I think I've always considered
Speaker 3: myself a solid leader. I think that's something you know,
Speaker 3: at the point guard position, you have to be pretty
Speaker 3: familiar with or comfortable with being vocal.
Speaker 2: But I guess I.
Speaker 3: Didn't realize how much room for growth there was because
Speaker 3: even over the course of this season, just the ways
Speaker 3: that I've been challenged and just the ways I've been
Speaker 3: out of my comfort zone. Like it's not necessarily in
Speaker 3: my comfort zone to be the loudest in the gym
Speaker 3: or the one getting on people holding everyone accountable, Like
Speaker 3: I think I'm a very I can be loud, but
Speaker 3: I'm not the most extroverted.
Speaker 2: I'm very I.
Speaker 3: Like to think kind like it's not just in my
Speaker 3: comfort zone to just get on people. And that's where
Speaker 3: Coach has really challenged me, and that She's always just
Speaker 3: saying leaders don't get a day off, and I don't
Speaker 3: get a day off to be a leader, And so
Speaker 3: I think just getting more and more comfortable and confident
Speaker 3: in that role, and especially coming in day one, being that,
Speaker 3: I think last year, over the course of the season,
Speaker 3: you know, I found myself okay, like maybe I'm a
Speaker 3: leader on this team or maybe this Whereas day one,
Speaker 3: like first day training camp, people are looking to what
Speaker 3: I have to say, and that.
Speaker 1: Was different for me. For the folks who haven't made
Speaker 1: it out to Balhalla yet, tell them what they're missing.
Speaker 2: They're missing so much. Balhalla is insane.
Speaker 3: I really like I try and tell everyone to come
Speaker 3: to a game in Balhalla because the energy is incredible.
Speaker 3: It feels like a whole party. But they're really into
Speaker 3: the game, like they even the little plays, the little
Speaker 3: moments we get a deflection, the whole place erupts.
Speaker 2: So it just makes it really fun and I think it.
Speaker 3: Allows us to just play with a level of pride,
Speaker 3: to protect home court even more. And they just are
Speaker 3: so loyal even in the ups and downs the last season,
Speaker 3: the ups and downs of this season, you know, I
Speaker 3: think they're just continuing to show up for us.
Speaker 2: And it's just really enjoyable. Like I love playing there.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's really fun. I got to get back. I
Speaker 1: came to the first game ever and I was didn't
Speaker 1: realize it was going to be like that every night,
Speaker 1: and it has, which is too wild. There are so
Speaker 1: many master strokes from this front office team, the marketing
Speaker 1: and content team, everybody at the Valkyrie franchise has really
Speaker 1: set a new bar. The first billion dollar valuation for
Speaker 1: women's professional sports team. So well run, great marketing, merch promotions,
Speaker 1: game day experience, it's all stuff that the media notices,
Speaker 1: that fans notice. I wonder how it impacts the players
Speaker 1: being part of that ecosystem.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean it just completely makes our lives easier.
Speaker 3: I think when you again have that level of investment
Speaker 3: and you know, every kind of position is just elite,
Speaker 3: it just makes our job just to show up and
Speaker 3: play basketball even easier. And just you see it, like
Speaker 3: we were successful in so many different ways because of it,
Speaker 3: and so many people are willing to sacrifice the time,
Speaker 3: the energy, the effort to one make us look good
Speaker 3: off the court, which is.
Speaker 2: Not always the easiest thing to do.
Speaker 3: And you know, when you have WNBA players or any
Speaker 3: athlete really like they may not always want to, you know,
Speaker 3: do the social media or do the appearance or maybe
Speaker 3: like aren't always comfortable on that.
Speaker 2: But when you have people.
Speaker 3: Behind the scenes just always putting us in positions to
Speaker 3: look good, I think that really goes a long way.
Speaker 3: And from merchandise to all of that, Like we get
Speaker 3: hooked up, we get our people hooked up, and then
Speaker 3: it just continues to trickle down and so we're really grateful. Honestly,
Speaker 3: I've been Now this is my third organization, and I
Speaker 3: hate to compare, but I really just like it's been incredible, honestly,
Speaker 3: and it is. It shows it sets the tone of
Speaker 3: what hopefully future expansion teams continue to come in and
Speaker 3: look like.
Speaker 2: And you just feel like a true professional here. So
Speaker 2: it's a big shout out.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean, if you feel valued, you want to
Speaker 1: give back and do for that team because they make
Speaker 1: you feel good. And it's simple, but it's maybe harder
Speaker 1: for some, especially in the old days with financial restraints,
Speaker 1: but even some of the older teams that still carry
Speaker 1: over these old fashioned ideas of what it looks like. KEYA.
Speaker 1: Stokes mentioned in that Athletic article that I talked about
Speaker 1: that she you know, offhand said she wasn't a good sleeper.
Speaker 1: So they started talking about different comforters, different mattresses, magnesium packets.
Speaker 1: Gabby Williams had an old nine year old cat that
Speaker 1: needed taking care of until the team helped so she
Speaker 1: could focus on basketball. Do you have a story like
Speaker 1: that of something that they just took off your plate
Speaker 1: and it wouldn't feel connected to basketball, but ultimately what
Speaker 1: it does is let you just be a basketball player.
Speaker 3: Oh, that's a good question. Off the top of my head,
Speaker 3: I would just say travel. Like I think even even
Speaker 3: in the off season, I feel like I wouldn't expect
Speaker 3: travel to be so well taken care of and like
Speaker 3: accommodating even coming into market coming off of market, but
Speaker 3: just they're like super intentional about making sure your travel
Speaker 3: into market out of market is well taken care of,
Speaker 3: getting my car shipped here, like little things like that
Speaker 3: where it's just like it's an exhil for me, because
Speaker 3: it's not always that simple.
Speaker 1: Yeah. After the new CBA was ratified, it really increased
Speaker 1: salaries for players and helped make your lives easier, and
Speaker 1: some wondered if the league would feel different. Does it
Speaker 1: feel different to you now that players are making double
Speaker 1: triple what they were making before, Yes.
Speaker 3: And no, I mean I do believe that you feel.
Speaker 3: I mean it's a breath of fresh air and the
Speaker 3: sense of like so much that has gone into it,
Speaker 3: and like we put so much time and sacrifice into
Speaker 3: our bodies and everything with that that I think like
Speaker 3: now it's just a big wow, like we have taken
Speaker 3: such a big step. And then at the same time,
Speaker 3: I think it what's so cool about the WNBA and
Speaker 3: WNBA players is like we're going to compete whether we
Speaker 3: weren't making much or whether we're making a lot, and
Speaker 3: so the level of competition has only continued to grow,
Speaker 3: and I think that's been pretty cool. Is like the
Speaker 3: professionalism in terms of competing on the court, Like that's
Speaker 3: not going to change in terms of money because they
Speaker 3: got a bag. No, yeah, exactly so, and as we shouldn't.
Speaker 3: And I think that's the pretty cool thing about it,
Speaker 3: Like there's only so many games right now, and so
Speaker 3: just continuing to compete at the highest level.
Speaker 1: And there's still a lot to prove and there's still
Speaker 1: a lot of people that haven't bought in even though
Speaker 1: the landscape is changing. Let's talk about I mean the
Speaker 1: media coverage, the explosion of interest in the league. It
Speaker 1: brings so much good, it also brings a lot of bad.
Speaker 1: And there's also still a lot of mainstream coverage that's missing,
Speaker 1: which means the internet remains a place for women's basketball
Speaker 1: fans to go and feel like that's where the conversation's happening,
Speaker 1: which can be great and can also mean a lot
Speaker 1: of gossip, the sort of wild wild West of online discourse.
Speaker 1: Are you a reader of comments? Are you a reader
Speaker 1: of Reddit threads? Are you someone who gets into what
Speaker 1: people are saying about the league? Or no?
Speaker 3: No, I mean I'm definitely there's an awareness for sure,
Speaker 3: some moments more than others. I think I've definitely, especially
Speaker 3: this year, kind of tried to lay off of that,
Speaker 3: like getting off Twitter, getting off of some place that
Speaker 3: just like they're not serving me. And it's interesting for
Speaker 3: me because like I have a family full of media,
Speaker 3: and my dad is a sports broadcaster, my sister covers
Speaker 3: the Celtics, So like, I really do have an appreciation
Speaker 3: for the media, and I've always had that, and so.
Speaker 2: You, of course, yeah, like I really believe that we
Speaker 2: need to do it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and so I really do, and I see like
Speaker 3: the sacrifice that goes into it, and especially before the
Speaker 3: w is what it has been like, that's what has.
Speaker 2: Put us on the map for so long.
Speaker 3: So it's it stinks that like there's almost this like
Speaker 3: headbutting and I've been just like thinking about that a
Speaker 3: little bit, and I understand there's a responsibility on both
Speaker 3: sides when it comes to media, and I see the
Speaker 3: power that media holds and I see the good that
Speaker 3: media can do, and so I think that's where it's like,
Speaker 3: let's get back to that. Like I see the beautiful
Speaker 3: stories that get told and the building people up that
Speaker 3: comes from media, and of course social media you can't
Speaker 3: control it, but I think that's where there can be
Speaker 3: just a better relationship between players and media members and
Speaker 3: hopefully the trust can get built. And because I really do,
Speaker 3: I don't know, I just have a different perspective of that,
Speaker 3: and I really do have an appreciation for that, but
Speaker 3: I also understand, you know, maybe there's moments where the
Speaker 3: trust isn't there because of the specific headlines and storylines
Speaker 3: that are getting told, and it's tough. I think it's
Speaker 3: even caused like what looks like a division within our league,
Speaker 3: and I think there's such a sisterhood and there's such
Speaker 3: a love and great relationships within this league and friendships
Speaker 3: that we literally would not have, and that those are
Speaker 3: getting overlooked now for a lot of negativity. So it stincts,
Speaker 3: but I hope we can kind of get to a
Speaker 3: point where we're showing those stories because again, there's such
Speaker 3: great people in this league and relationships and friendships and
Speaker 3: people that never would have met that are coming together,
Speaker 3: and that remains even despite all of what's happening.
Speaker 1: So yeah, I mean, it's the cost of the way
Speaker 1: that the Internet drives engagement. Now it's not just the W,
Speaker 1: although it feels particularly fraught the W because there's a
Speaker 1: lack of the other kind of coverage, so that's what
Speaker 1: leads the way. But yeah, I mean, I hope and
Speaker 1: I know the W in the past has tried this,
Speaker 1: but I hope they continue to try to set up
Speaker 1: relationships with the real media that's covering in a fair
Speaker 1: way so that players can at least know which outlets
Speaker 1: and people to trust and use them to help build
Speaker 1: their brands and their platform as opposed to kind of
Speaker 1: mushing it all up together, where like that thing on
Speaker 1: the internet is not the media, that's a rando that
Speaker 1: put w in me inside her account, and they're just
Speaker 1: expreading bullshit that ain't us. But I get why it's
Speaker 1: hard a couple ask questions for it. You mentioned your dad,
Speaker 1: and I was reading about you and your whole damn
Speaker 1: family are insane athletes. Your mom was an All American
Speaker 1: and Big Ten champ in swimming at Northwestern. Your dad
Speaker 1: was a quarterback there. Your sisters both played college basketball,
Speaker 1: your brother played college football. Your grandpa played football for
Speaker 1: Northwestern and in the AFL and as a College Football
Speaker 1: Hall of Famer. So I'm trying to picture young Veronica,
Speaker 1: and I am seeing like a two year old with
Speaker 1: a ball, a bat, and a swim cap already? Is
Speaker 1: that what was happening?
Speaker 2: That was pretty much it. Honestly day one, I was
Speaker 2: thrown into the whole mix.
Speaker 1: So it was which one stuck? I mean obviously basketball,
Speaker 1: But did anything else stick early that you thought you
Speaker 1: might pursue.
Speaker 2: Yeah, swimming went out quickly. I will say that, Oh okay,
Speaker 2: swimming wasn't. Yeah it wasn't. I mean, I can swim,
Speaker 2: and I love it, I know, but I think it
Speaker 2: was for the best.
Speaker 1: You know, we have a lot of hair.
Speaker 3: It wasn't necessarily easiest with the chlorine. So I would
Speaker 3: say lacrosse. Actually, ironically, no one else in my family
Speaker 3: really played lacrosse, but being on the East Coast growing up,
Speaker 3: like I loved lacrosse, So it was really lacrosse in basketball,
Speaker 3: a little bit of track.
Speaker 2: I ran the mile and track and I.
Speaker 3: Was solid at it, but I just didn't like it,
Speaker 3: like it was not enjoyable to me.
Speaker 2: But come eighth grade.
Speaker 3: I played lacrosse up until eighth grade, and my dad
Speaker 3: was like, look, it's a spring sport.
Speaker 2: You got to make a decision because it's interfering with au.
Speaker 3: And really I didn't have much of a say in
Speaker 3: the decision because they didn't like watching an outdoor sport
Speaker 3: for too long. So it became basketball and I loved it,
Speaker 3: and then I was able to play one more year
Speaker 3: of lacrosse my senior year of high school, and I
Speaker 3: had so much Yeah, and I always say I would
Speaker 3: try and walk on at Northwestern. If I didn't pursue
Speaker 3: a professional last well career, I don't think I would
Speaker 3: have been able to do.
Speaker 2: They were really good, but that would have been a goal.
Speaker 1: Did your parents ever regret that when you were doing
Speaker 1: like eight AAU games a day in an unair conditioned gym.
Speaker 2: Exactly. That's a good question for them.
Speaker 3: He also said that getting a full scholarship was a
Speaker 3: lot easier in basketball, so that.
Speaker 2: Was the fair fair but whatever.
Speaker 1: All right, Well we're talking about kids, so I have
Speaker 1: to ask you my friend's son. So my friend Mike
Speaker 1: and Joanna Maggie actually works for the Valks in the
Speaker 1: video and content team. They've got a son named Liam.
Speaker 1: He's five. He wears your jersey for every Valks game
Speaker 1: and he does running commentary. He knows all the players,
Speaker 1: all the rules. I've just seen this, yes on the internet.
Speaker 1: He just started posting him on Instagram. So it got
Speaker 1: me thinking because I was thinking how cool that is
Speaker 1: that there are little boys now that are watching every
Speaker 1: game and he's like, chee gee, oh that's not a foul.
Speaker 1: And he's five and he knows every player. I want
Speaker 1: to hear a story that you have from being in
Speaker 1: the Bay, being a part of that community in a
Speaker 1: meaningful way, because I know you went to the San
Speaker 1: Francisco Juvenile Justice Center in June. I know you probably
Speaker 1: have families and kiddos coming up to and telling you
Speaker 1: what you mean. It just feels like the val in
Speaker 1: particular are an incredible place in that community with a
Speaker 1: great opportunity. And I wonder if there's anything that stands
Speaker 1: out to you from the last year or two.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I would definitely say my experience being able to
Speaker 3: visit the Justice and Juvenile Center. I think that for me,
Speaker 3: I'm really strong in my faith and something within the
Speaker 3: Bible that talks about is just seeing the communities that
Speaker 3: maybe get overlooked a lot. And that was really big
Speaker 3: for me because I think that's a community that can
Speaker 3: maybe get you know, exiled or whatever, a lot of
Speaker 3: judgment being passed. And so I had talked with some
Speaker 3: of our communications people about you know, getting involved and
Speaker 3: that especially the youth like involved in that, and so
Speaker 3: that was just a big eye opener for me, and
Speaker 3: I was really grateful that I could able to connect
Speaker 3: and I think it was so cool to hear the
Speaker 3: different stories and to meet the different personalities and these
Speaker 3: are just kids like and just reinforcing the idea of
Speaker 3: a second chance and that this is not like where
Speaker 3: you're going to be, you know, right now if we're
Speaker 3: all stuck in some of our low moments or are
Speaker 3: low times, like, it's just not life. It's not the
Speaker 3: reality of life. And so I think that was really
Speaker 3: cool to just kind of again do something bigger than basketball.
Speaker 2: I love what I do, I.
Speaker 3: Love my job, but I think the biggest thing is
Speaker 3: that it provides a platform for me to be able
Speaker 3: to reach a bigger community and hopefully help out in
Speaker 3: whatever way I can. So to be able to get
Speaker 3: involved in that, and that's something that I hope to
Speaker 3: continue to stay involved in.
Speaker 2: But to just share a little bit about myself with.
Speaker 3: Them, and them, you know, tell me they can beat
Speaker 3: me one on one and me fight back a little
Speaker 3: bit and see them do some drills on the court,
Speaker 3: like it was really neat and so grateful for that.
Speaker 1: And your story's not the same, But who better delivered
Speaker 1: that message than someone who said, hey, look I got
Speaker 1: waived and here are now a superb player helping lead
Speaker 1: this team. It was so great to talk to you.
Speaker 1: No assholes policy is working here. So thanks for giving
Speaker 1: us some time.
Speaker 3: Of course, thank you for having me, Sarah.
Speaker 1: Thanks again to Veronica for taking the time and don't forget.
Speaker 1: You can now watch full length good game interviews on
Speaker 1: the Iheartwomen's Sports YouTube channel, so head on over and subscribe.
Speaker 1: We have to take another break when we return, put
Speaker 1: your v's up for v Welcome back, Slices. Time to
Speaker 1: send you into the weekend on a high note with
Speaker 1: a brand new segment called Friday Flowers, a chance to
Speaker 1: give an athlete, team, league exec, or fan a little
Speaker 1: bit of well deserved love. Today, we want to send
Speaker 1: some birthday flowers to Violet, the Golden State Valkyrie mascot
Speaker 1: and friend of the show and President of the Valkyries,
Speaker 1: Jess Smith. The duo celebrated their birthdays August eleventh and twelfth, respectively,
Speaker 1: with a joint disco the party at Wednesday night's game
Speaker 1: against the Chicago Sky Fans were encouraged to wear shiny,
Speaker 1: sparkly attire and were gifted violet colored BoA's and violet bobbleheads. So,
Speaker 1: Violet and Jess, we're sending you some birthday flowers. By
Speaker 1: the way, The idea for this great news segment came
Speaker 1: from a super Slice who preferred to remain nameless and
Speaker 1: not get any flowers of his own. Per se, but
Speaker 1: totally unrelatedly, we're going to link to your favorite women's
Speaker 1: sports calendar in the show notes just in case you
Speaker 1: haven't bookmarked it. Wink wink. We love that you're listening,
Speaker 1: but we wanted to get in the game every day too,
Speaker 1: So here's our good game play of the day. Keep
Speaker 1: sending those questions for the show ahead of our birthday
Speaker 1: party next week celebrating birthdays for me and Bianca and
Speaker 1: Alex's half birthday. You can email, leave a voicemail or
Speaker 1: a voice memo, Ama aba AUA, ask us anything more,
Speaker 1: slice work. Check out the great Brian Hamilton story on
Speaker 1: the Valkyries that I mentioned in my interview with Veronica.
Speaker 1: We'll link to it in the show notes. And finally,
Speaker 1: it's almost time for the return of the Good Game
Speaker 1: Movie Club. The next installment of Big Citrus and Chill
Speaker 1: will be an all timer in honor of the WPBL
Speaker 1: launching this summer. We're rewatching a league of their own,
Speaker 1: so do your own rewatch sometime in the next two
Speaker 1: weeks so you're ready to break it down with us.
Speaker 1: We always love to hear from you, so hit us
Speaker 1: up on email. Good Game at wondermedianetwork dot com or
Speaker 1: leave us a voicemail at eight seven two two O
Speaker 1: four fifty seventy and don't forget to subscribe. Rate and review, y'all.
Speaker 1: It's easy. Watch the Seattle Storms Kicks for Equality, rating
Speaker 1: five stars for making doing good look good review. You're
Speaker 1: gonna want to check out the one of a kind
Speaker 1: kicks the Storm players and Coach designed for their annual
Speaker 1: Kicks for Equality event, raising awareness for player causes. This
Speaker 1: year featured causes including black maternal health, mental health awareness,
Speaker 1: LGBTQ plus rights, and pet adoption. You can check out
Speaker 1: some of the sick designs on the Storm Instagram. We'll
Speaker 1: link to it in the show notes. Now it's your
Speaker 1: turn rate and review. Thanks for listening, See you next week.
Speaker 1: Good Game, Veronica, Good Game, Shawenga Sisters you to the
Speaker 1: A holes out there who created a need for a
Speaker 1: no A hole policy. Good Game with Sarah Spain is
Speaker 1: an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue
Speaker 1: Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app,
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Production by
Speaker 1: Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Azzi and Bianca Hillier.
Speaker 1: Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan
Speaker 1: and Emily Rudder. Our editors are Emily Rudder, Lucy Jones,
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Speaker 1: and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain