LA Sparks coming to UND

[GeauxSioux]

Sparks To Play Three Pre-Season Games

The Los Angeles Sparks, energized by the return of Lisa Leslie and securing the No. 1 WNBA draft pick, will prepare for their 2008 WNBA season with three pre-season games: at Atlanta, at Chicago, and against Minnesota at the University of North Dakota.

"I am thrilled that the Los Angeles Sparks are partnering with the University of North Dakota to bring the WNBA to Grand Forks," said Christofferson. "UND and North Dakota both have such a long history of supporting men and women in sports, and we think this is another opportunity to showcase the WNBA to the great state I grew up in, and to showcase North Dakota and UND to the WNBA."

[hermit]

Sparks To Play Three Pre-Season Games

Will it be at the Betty?

[gopherz]

Good timing for this one....

Want to hear a joke?

Women's basketball.

[BringDeanBack]

Good timing for this one....

Want to hear a joke?

Women's basketball.

This has huge potential (snicker, snicker). Heck, WNBA draws like 2,000 or 3,000 a game in major markets, they should do really good in a small market town that only cares about hockey.

[BringDeanBack]

For at least one night, UND's 10% society will have to change their name to the 15% society.

[GDM]

Watch the 'humor' folks. Thank you.

GDM

Forums Moderator

SiouxSports.com

[The Sicatoka]

Did you know:

The co-owner of the LA Sparks is 1989 Miss North Dakota and UND alumna Carla Christofferson.

Do the Sparks and Lynx playing in Grand Forks make more sense now?

[82SiouxGuy]

Did you know:

The co-owner of the LA Sparks is 1989 Miss North Dakota and UND alumna Carla Christofferson.

Do the Sparks and Lynx playing in Grand Forks make more sense now?

She was also one of the winners of the Young Alumni Award for 2007. It was presented this past fall.

[ScottM]

Regardless of our, and my, opinions on the WNBA, I think it's a pretty nice way for an alum to showcase her team, and for parents of little girls who aren't smart enough to play hockey to show their kids there are "other" sports out there.

[Siouxmama]

Regardless of our, and my, opinions on the WNBA, I think it's a pretty nice way for an alum to showcase her team, and for parents of little girls who aren't smart enough to play hockey to show their kids there are "other" sports out there.

Or, it's a nice opportunity for girls who chose not to play hockey, and play basketball instead, to go see this.

I love hockey, but I will be taking my daughter to the basketball games.

[star2city]

SI.com: Sparks Are Flying - not your Daddy's WNBA anymore

Meet the new breed of WNBA owner -- down-to-earth, fan-fixated, female. Goodman, who made her fortune as a lawyer and film executive before becoming a high school English and social studies teacher, and Christofferson, an attorney and former Miss North Dakota, represent the start of what might be a minitrend for the sport: independent female owners.

An all-state basketball player who entered beauty pageants to pay for college, Christofferson graduated from the University of North Dakota and Yale Law School and is now a partner at the prestigious firm of O'Melveny & Myers. She counts former secretary of state Warren Christopher among her mentors, rocker Eddie Van Halen among her former beaus and deer hunting among her hobbies. She is surely the only team owner who has been featured in both Vogue and Bowhunter magazine.

Devil's Lake Journal

I had never watched much WNBA action on TV, but what intrigued me most was the fact that Tolna, N.D. native Carla Christofferson was co-owner of the Sparks. A nearby North Dakota native, in the big-time. A nice story.

Sparks made quite an impression on young girls basketball players from this area during their stay in Grand Forks. And many other fans in general.

They held a camp on Saturday at Engelstad Arena and names like Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker had the younger girls in awe. Word is the camp attracted about 150 kids and was so popular there was talk it could become an annual affair.