The Indiana Fever had a great year, and rookie coach Stephanie White did a wonderful job. It was really fun to watch the team follow her leadership while implementing new offensive and defensive strategies. We are already looking forward to next season.
The final game of the best-of-five championship series was between the Fever and Minnesota Lynx in Minneapolis. We watched the game on TV, and it was a long evening for the Fever, but they never gave up in the 69-52 loss.
Lyn and I enjoy the camaraderie that we have developed with the season tickets holders who sit near us. Our seats are close to the Fever’s bench, and I enjoy watching coach White interact with her team. Several of her family members have seats just across the aisle from us.
One of our favorite benefits is the ability to use unused tickets at a later date during the season. Although Lyn missed a few games while visiting her brother and his family in Colorado, we were able to invite some friends to later games.
It was announced that there was going to be a rally at Indianapolis International Airport for the team when it returned from Minneapolis. Lyn and I decided to be a part of that celebration. We arrived at the terminal and found that it had been decorated for the team’s return.
As we were waiting for the team plane to arrive, I noticed some people entering the terminal from one of the arrival areas. It didn’t take me long to recognize that quite a few of these folks were wearing New England Patriots shirts and hats. I was surprised at their early arrival as the game was several days away. I think some of them were startled to see a large group of folks gathering in the terminal. It would have been a lot of fun if several of us had small hand-operated air pumps to hold up and display as they came through the terminal.
Not long after the Patriots fans cleared the terminal, we were informed that the Fever’s plane had landed and that the team was on its way to the terminal. Many of the fans made a path for the team to walk through and be recognized. We saw several members of coach White’s family coming through the line and the team’s coaches and support personnel.
White and Tamika Catchings spoke briefly. You could tell that they were proud of the team and all they had accomplished during the season.
Once the team exited the small stage where they had been honored, many of the players hung around to sign autographs and have pictures taken with fans ... instead of heading to their cars in the parking lot.