You could sense in some ways how it was a surreal moment for Kayla Pederson as she stood there on the floor at US Airways Center.  The former Red Mountain star was getting ready to go thru warm up drills with her team, the Tulsa Shock before their game against the Phoenix Mercury.  For Pederson it was a quick moment of reflection and also gratification.   Pederson looked into the stands where she and she and her family would sit and watch Mercury games as season ticket holders for several years.

Those same family members would be in attendance again today only this time they won’t be there to watch just the Mercury play.  The former Mountain Lion is the starting forward for the Tulsa Shock so there will be no cheering for the Mercury today, only cheers for Pederson and the Shock.  While it may seem like a dream to Pederson it is definitely real.  Pederson’s drive, dedication and hard work took her from Red Mountain to Stanford and now to the Pros and as she shared with me prior to the game she hopes that other young girls see her as a role model the same way she once viewed WNBA players 10 or 12 years ago.

As someone who has covered and been a part of the league for 14 years I always felt it could succeed if it could make at least 10 years.  Pederson is a perfect example of my theory.  No longer did young girls who played basketball just have to look at college ball as their last stop, they now had pros they could emulate and aspire to be.  There was an even bigger reason to go shoot 700 jumpers after dinner or before school.  Just as young boys have done for decades these young girls had the same kind of stars in their eyes thinking about one day putting on a WNBA uniform. 

For Kayla Pederson those goals and dreams entered her mind when she was 13 and today she’s wearing that pro uniform and does so proudly.  Not only is she a pro but she comes in as a highly touted rookie who was a top 10 selection and one of the truly bright young stars that the Shock can build around.   

Pederson recalled fondly her time at Red Mountain and is not shy about proclaiming her still very strong allegiance to her Mountain Lions.  That’s what high school sports is all about.  Yes Pederson and her teammates won a state championship and she did so in record setting fashion for her 4 year career, setting a 5A scoring mark.  But for Pederson the memories go way beyond just wins and losses and you can tell in speaking to her those memories will always be a part of who she is and where she came from.

It’s that camaraderie that true sense of school pride that makes high school sports so much fun to watch and cover.  It’s one of reasons the AIA is trying to cover as many events and school moments as possible because it becomes another piece of that competitors fabric that they and their family will always be able to have.  Kayla Pederson is a great example not only for young girls who now aspire to be like her on the basketball court, but they can also see how much pride she still takes in her school and what those 4 years on campus and in competition meant to her.   A Mountain Lion always and proud of it.  

*If you’d like to hear more from Kayla be sure and check out my interview with her on the home page.