encounters

**Abbies (Mine) Encounter**
December 4- Me and my friend Melissa were counting down the HOURS to my game! Seriously, at 9 hours we would be like "Ok, we have 9 hours til the game starts" or "5 hours and 45 minutes". This day went by SO slow!! Finally its 2:15 and school ends. Me and melissa go to my house and get ready to go! My hair is in loose buns and i have my laker visor on. I took a purple marker and on my face i wrote the #2 and FISH. Hes my baby (hah melissa) I had on my laker shirt and my big puffy jacket (i didnt want to wear the laker one cuz it was uuuuuuuuuggggglllyy). Melissa has "Go jazz" on her face and her jazz shirt on. We get to the delta center around 4:00 and realize the doors arent open to get inside yet. There's doors open when you go down these stairs so we did. Fanzz was down there so we checked out all the laker and jazz gear. We went and double checked that the front doors werent open at they werent. We went back down the stairs and there was security checking melissa's bag. We asked the lady how long until the doors would open and she said an hour before the game. That was 2 hours from then!! We go back into fanzz and talk to the people in there about whos gonna win and they were wondering why we were still talking since i was a laker fan and melissa was a jazz fan. We stayed there for about 15 minutes til my mom called ( me and Melissa were dropped off) and she said that there should be a mall behind the delta center. Sure enough there was and you dont even know how glad I was that i didnt have to sit and do nothing for 2 hours! So we go to the mall and shop til about 5:30 when we decide we were gonna go back and go to the bathroom. They were letting people in already! So we go inside and go to the bathroom before we find our seats. We go in and realize we cant find our seats so we ask someone and asked him. He told us it was about 180 degrees around the stadium. We find our seats and row and we were so FREAKEN clllllosee!! Row 23 from the front!!!! It was an hour and 20 minutes before the game started and some of the lakers and jazz were out there practicing already, even derek fisher. I kept telling melissa "ahh, theres my baby!" He's my pride and joy lol. So we have 4 rolls of film and of course we needed to take some piks. So we go walkin down to the court--we werent allowed on it--and this security guy is all: " You guys can come down here and take some piks" It was like the first or second row from the bottom! Of course i take some piks of fisher and the rest of the lakers since theyr'e right there!! Kobe and shaq wernet out yet. So then the next thing i know, fishers going and walking away from me. So i decided awhie later to go to the other side and take some piks. They wouldnt let us take over the courtside seat area which pissed me off cuz we "cant be in the courtside seats unless we had tickets and you cant be in the aisle". So i was about 5 or so rows back takin piks of fishers butt--ok so not on purpose but its not my fault that he wasnt lookin at me! It was fisher fox and horry i think all talkin and i took some piks of them. Then KCAL (the california radio station) interviewed derek fisher. I was gonna scream "i love you fish" but i didnt say that until after the interview was all over. He didnt even look at me!! Everyone else did though. I dont think he understood me. But him and a couple lakers had big crowds for signing autographs. I didnt even bother to stand in line! it was WAY too long. But fish was right below this railing thing, i busted my way through the crowd and took two BEUUUUUtiful piks of him! Then the game started. I kept going down to about row 13 to take piks. I got real close up! I kept tellin everyone lakers were gonna win and i think i pissed off the people next to me--like all of em! I think most of em were jazz fans and i was loud and annoying! After the game though, my voice was gone! We had pizza hutt pizza for dinner. I came home and washed my face and the marker wont come off!! HAha. Oh well, actually most of it did but you can still see marks! Oh yea somethin else, there were ALOT** of laker fans there! There was even this big group of 30-40 people who came in with like an hour til the game started! Ooo it was awesome! So thats my encounter and I cant wait to see the lakers vs. jazz on february 19 of next year!! If you have your encounters send em in! HOLLA!!! *Abbie*

My 2nd encounter took place on February 19,2003--
Me, Nate and Latonya left around 4:15 or so to head up to the Delta Center. The game started at 7:00. We went up to Sandy, Utah and rode the tracks up to Salt Lake. We got there around 5:30...we headed inside and went straight directly down to the court. We had bad, upper bowl seating but they let you go down to the court for autographs and stuff before the game. So we go down there and wait and we are like standing in row 3 or 4 just watchin the Lakers warm up. Then Tracy Murray signs autographs. He's SO nice!!! He was just like talkin to people and laughin' and stuff. We didnt' get his autograph though. Then Mark Madsen comes. We got his autograph and Latonya asked him if he could get derek fisher for us. I was sportin fisher's jersey and he was busy warming up that he didn't hear Latonya screaming his name! Madsen laughed and shoook his head "no". But he was still nice!! Then Everyone motioned for Kareem Rush to come over. He told everyone to "hold on" and then later on, he signed some autographs. Mostly the little kids standing in front of us. By now, we had moved up to like the very first row and even went on the court!...but the security guys kicked us off the court. We stood a little bit by Kareem Rush but we handed this little kid a paper and he told Rush to sign it. So he did!! Then we waited and waited and FINALLY derek fisher came along to sign autographs. He was like RIGHT THERE!! i took some piks and was *so* close to gettin his autograph! he made me and L mad cuz he was right there, we were like yellin his name and i was sportin his jersey, yet he went the other way!! GrRRR....i was gonna have him sign my jersey!! Then no one else came over to sign autographs, so we went to the bathroom and headed up to our seats. Even though we were in upper bowl, it really wasn't *that* bad...We ended up winnin *yay* Everyone behind us liked the jazz and were dissin' on Kobe and my Lakers!! Grrr...but they made it fun. Some dude said that Kobe wasnt gonna make it past 30 points...and he did...and then he said Kobe wouldnt make it past 40 points..and he did. Kinda funny!! Then it was a time-out and this guy behind us is all: Awww Kobe's probably gettin a bandade! Latonya turns around and the blackness that she is yells: Yea and youre gonna be needin a bandade soon if u dont shut~up! haha...me and L were yellin' at Kobe cuz he wouldnt pass the ball and the people behind us kept dissin on fisher! Then..they changed their mind, since i was wearin his jersey and started dissin' on Kobe insteaD! lol...I wore my laker jersey, my laker visor and wrote "Lakers" on my arm. L wore a lakers shirt and wrote Kobe and Lakers down her arms. We were representin' my lakers!! :) It was so much fun! CAn't wait til next season!

My encounter: January 24th, 2004:

My moms realtor hooked me and a friend up, but I didnt know which friend I wanted to bring until the last second. Kendall came with me and we got there around 6 somethin'. Game started at 7. See, I had to go up to salt lake, then go get the tickets from where my Mom was eating at. Well i got sooo lost and yea, it was horrible, but the game was sooo much fun!! we got row 23 and i was screaming the whole time! we didnt get autographs cuz we got there so late but i definetly enjoyed the game and took a few piks! Me and Kendall had a blast!!! There were laker fans goin through the delta center bragging that the jazz has had 0 championships ever and our team has had 14. it was great!!!! I represented by wearin my jersey, my lakers shorts AND pants! Then my friend wore my lakers sweatshirt! it was fun, cant wait til the march 8th game!!!