Kara Lawson article on Sunday's SacBee

[StevenHW]

From yesterday (Sunday, Dec. 19, 2005) Sacramento Bee sports section, there's a great article on a day in the life of Kara Lawson.

I tried to reprint the article here in its entirety, but I received an error message saying that the text was too long, something like 10,850 characters in length. I guess messages are restricted to only 10,000 characters.

So for that reason, I am simply going to just attach the link here. Enjoy!

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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/monarchs/story/13993886p-14827263c.html

 

[GeorgeofSacramento]

Here's part one:

Life fast-forward
Once Kara gets going, things are nonstop for her
By Melody Gutierrez -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, December 18, 2005
Story appeared in Sports section, Page C1
There is a saying that Kara Lawson has repeated for years: "Life gets in the way."
From the taxing demands as a Monarchs guard to the busy schedule she keeps in the offseason as a Kings broadcaster and ESPN studio analyst, Lawson has no time for a vacation - yet.

These days she's everywhere. She's the one studying the NBA and its players for her gig as a cable television host for Comcast SportsNet, and using her experience as a former star at the University of Tennessee for studio appearances on ESPN.


And when she's not behind a camera, she's pumping iron at a local gym or working up a sweat by shooting countless jump shots at the team's practice facility.
Lawson is always on the go, with a contagious smile and enviable energy.

"Life gets in the way for me," Lawson, 24, said. "I say that to my mom 50 times a day."

So how busy is she? On Dec. 6, The Bee tagged along.

5:15 a.m. - A cell phone alarm clock goes off in Lawson's three-story Natomas condo. She walks downstairs to the second floor and cooks turkey bacon and eggs, then drinks a small glass of orange juice before walking out into the frigid morning in a gray Monarchs T-shirt with purple team shorts and white adidas shoes.

5:58 a.m. - Lawson arrives at Gold's Gym, a short drive east on Del Paso Road. She wastes no time. She signs in and heads upstairs to a dark room filled with Schwinn cycling bikes for her morning spin class. Two minutes later, music blares through the room and into the corridor as the instructor begins the intense, hour-long class. Nearing the end of the class, the beginning beats of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" fill the room.

"The last song is always an Eminem song," Lawson explains. "It's funny because whenever I hear him outside the class, it reminds me of how tired I am by the end of spin class. It makes me want to throw up."

7:03 a.m. - Drenched in sweat, Lawson heads downstairs, where her trainer is waiting. She grabs a lemon-lime Gatorade, a bottle of water and a three-page workout schedule that details her weekday tasks, as assigned by Al Biancani, a former strength and conditioning coach with the Kings and Monarchs. Biancani now works out of Gold's Gym.

"The biggest thing with Al is don't complain," Lawson says. "He gives you more work."

As assigned, Lawson performs some light lifting. Using 20-pound weights, she does three sets of 25 reclined bench-presses to start. She then alternates lifting drills between a pectoral machine, set at 60 pounds, and shoulder "shrug" exercises, using 35-pound weights. She takes the last gulp of Gatorade.

"I'm out of Gatorade already. It's depressing," she says.

 

[GeorgeofSacramento]

Part two:

7:53 a.m. - Next to the spin class, the second-most grueling part of the morning is a 13-minute ab workout using an 8-pound orange medicine ball. Holding the ball, she does crunches and side-to-side motions. She follows it with jump rope and shuttle. She ends with a stretch.

8:39 a.m. - Lawson leaves the gym in her 1997 Honda Accord and drives two miles to the Monarchs and Kings practice facility next to Arco Arena, where a cold whirlpool awaits her. She showers and changes into a white Monarchs T-shirt topped by a gray sweatshirt, black mesh shorts and black Reebok sandals with white socks.

9:37 a.m. - She arrives at 24th and J streets, where her "magic man" is located. Lino Cedros, owner of Kinections, has been Lawson's healer since she arrived in Sacramento in 2003.

"When I first came to him, I was all jacked up," Lawson said. "I couldn't even sit Indian-style. What he's done for my body to change and help it, it's like night and day."

Once Cedros pops his head around the corner, Lawson heads to a table and awaits his healing hands. He asks her how she is feeling and begins kneading his fingers into her thighs. He later uses his body to stretch her knee toward her chest.

"This is how I keep her mobile," he says.

Cedros explains how airplanes are not conducive to an athletes's body. He speaks while moving along Lawson's body in a rolling stool. He calls this a "maintenance treatment."

"I make sure she stays limber in the places she uses the most during the season," he said. "We did a good job of keeping her on the floor at the end of the season through the championship."

Which Lawson was grateful for during a season of various injuries that included a sprained ankle and late-season shoulder injury and ongoing back problems. She still recalls the moment when purple and silver confetti fell from Arco Arena's rafters after the Monarchs beat the Connecticut Sun to win the championship.

In her excitement, Lawson jumped on top of the scorer's table holding the game ball. A memorable photograph was snapped.

"I haven't gone anywhere without someone saying something about (the title)," Lawson said. "That's been cool. It has kept my excitement up."

9:50 a.m. - It's homework time for Lawson. She heads to Arco's third-floor offices and uses a computer to surf the Internet for newspaper stories on the NBA to prepare for the "House Party Live" telecast later this evening before the Kings host the Cleveland Cavaliers.

11:50 a.m. - Lawson heads to the arena cafeteria for half of an egg salad sandwich and salad with kidney beans and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. She talks gingerly and articulately about numerous topics:

* Biggest issue concerning the WNBA?

"Getting people to watch games. That's how you grow in attendance is by expanding your notoriety. I still run into people who don't know I'm a basketball player. They think I'm just a Kings broadcaster. I meet fans who ask, how do you know so much about basketball?"

 

[GeorgeofSacramento]

Part three:

* The future of the WNBA?

"The grade of athletes is getting better. The play is better. It's a higher level of play. Even from my rookie year (in 2003) to now, it's harder to get and keep a spot on a team."

* Will Sheryl Swoopes' decision to come out as a lesbian affect the league?

"I don't know, I can't say. It doesn't affect me. That's all I can worry about. That's life. I don't care about the sexuality of a player on another team. I was surprised that no one has said anything to me about it, though. It was that day's headline, and then people forgot about it."

* What about teammate DeMya Walker's announcement that she is pregnant and due in April?

"Looks like we're going to have a baby around. I like babies. I think it's good."

* Any plans for time off?

"I've never been on a vacation in my life. In April, I'm going on my first one for a week. I'm taking polls on where I should go."

12:35 p.m. - Lawson returns to the practice facility for an afternoon workout with Steve Shuman, a Monarchs scout and video coordinator. She begins dribbling two balls. Monarchs assistant coach Tom Abatemarco sits near the basket.

"She's in great shape," Abatemarco says. "When you see her in clothes and not in workout gear, you can't tell. She looks like she's in midseason shape right now."

Lawson shoots for 38 minutes. She begins to look fatigued after a series of pick-and-rolls and shooting games.

1:25 p.m. - Feeling tightness in her legs, Lawson spends some time doing light biking and getting stretched by Monarchs head athletic trainer Jill Jackson. They watch Country Music Television in the background.

"I love my country music," says Lawson, who explains how upset she is that she will miss a Keith Urban concert at Arco.

2:30 p.m. - Now in a red T-shirt and black pants, Lawson heads home. She showers and takes work-related calls before checking her mail. She does laundry and turns both TVs to ESPN. She picks out an olive-lime blouse and plaid pants with the same green color lightly pinstriped into the design. It's her fourth wardrobe change.

5 p.m. - Normally makeup-free, Lawson reluctantly applies a MAC Cosmetics powder, eye shadow, blush and lip gloss.

5:33 p.m. - She checks into the TV trailer on the west end of Arco. She is surrounded by dozens of mini-TV monitors, all on different sporting events. The space is cramped. Lawson goes over the night's programing with co-host Jim Kozimor and pregame producer Mike Rosenthal.

Eminem's "Lose Yourself" briefly plays in the background and Lawson, remembering her spin class, looks up with a laugh.

"She's unbelievable," Rosenthal says of Lawson. "For someone who is so young to be so good on camera ... I've worked with people who have five or six years in the business who don't have her presence."

That's something Craig Amazeen, director of broadcasting for tonight's game, pointed out while calling her a "natural."

"Fans love her," Amazeen said. "I haven't gotten a negative response about her in the year and two months she's been on air."

6:11 p.m. - Arco's concourse is beginning to buzz. Lawson heads there to get a microphone headset attached while reading a script. After a practice run with Kozimor, the two are ready.

6:30 p.m. - With a group of fans gathered in the background, Lawson and Kozimor prep their viewing audience about the game on "House Party Live."

6:53 p.m. - After signing autographs, Lawson eats dinner in the media lounge and chats with Kozimor and Rosenthal. She heads to a courtside seat just after tipoff.

8:02 p.m. - Lawson gets a microphone put on for the half-time show. She admits to feeling fatigued.

"It always hits me right about now," she said.

8:13 p.m. - It's halftime and the Cavaliers lead 51-44. From a corner of the court, Lawson and Kozimor sum up the first two quarters.

8:36 p.m. - The long day has Lawson saying, "it's so a double Pepsi night."

9:34 p.m. - The Cavaliers down the Kings 102-97. Lawson looks over the final box score and four minutes later is back on the air offering insight.

9:57 p.m. - "House Party Live" ends. Letting out a sigh, Lawson heads courtside where two men have brought her Monarchs jersey - No. 20 - to be autographed. They also bring a Monarchs team picture.

10:12 p.m. - She leaves Arco and heads into the night air. She gets a couple hundred yards away before a boy comes running up and hands her his shoe to sign.

A few pen strokes later, Lawson heads home for much needed sleep, knowing she'll have another full day tomorrow.


About the writer:
The Bee's Melody Gutierrez can be reached at (916) 326-5521 or mgutierrez@sacbee.com.