This event, the Inside the Storm Fan Workout, is sponsored by American Express and is open to those fans who purchased their season tickets with an American Express Card. About 50 or so fans attend. There is a pretty good mix of people, ages and apparent fitness level. We actually get more of a workout before the event even starts doing an impromptu shoot-around. When no one can really shoot, you have to chase down a lot of rebounds.

Coach Dunn and Simone Edwards arrive and lead the “official” workout. Before things get going, Coach Dunn introduces a representative from American Express. She thanks everyone for coming and says the AMEX is happy to sponsor exclusive activities for card members.

Once the bills are paid, Coach begins some light exercises to get the participants warmed up. She tells everyone that this is a Fellowship Clinic, which means that we are all here to learn more about basketball and not here to win or lose. Everyone’s a winner. She assures everyone that the workout will be low impact and that during the warm-up exercises, “If on your way to 10 something hurts, stop.”

The group is broken up into Rookies, those under 16, and Veterans. The first activity is the Stutter Step and Jump Stop. The Rookies go first from an endline and have to jog up to the free throw line, do a quick foot-to-foot Stutter Step followed by a Jump Stop which puts them into a defensive stance. Coach explains that these are basic skills that are used in several different ways during defense and offense. The Rookies continue on to the half line, opposite free throw line and then opposite end line. The Veterans give it a try, just a bit slower than the Rookies and not quite as graceful.

The next basic skill is foot work. All the participants pair off and are instructed to hold hands, facing each other. The goal is to step on your partner’s toes while keeping them from stepping on yours. A few people end up on the floor, but everyone is laughing.

The main group is broken up into four smaller groups and they begin additional skill drills – shooting, ball handling, rebounding and passing. Each drill lasts 4 minutes. The groups then rotate from one drill to the next until everyone has worked on each skill. While Coach Dunn roams from group to group giving feedback, Simone and 3 of the Storm staff lead the skill drills. Simone, of course, teaches about rebounding. Apparently, dancing is an integral part of rebounding. Another key part of rebounding we find out is using your butt to maneuver your opponent. As Simone says, “Put that butt on me and push me out of the way.”

After all the groups make their way through the skill stations, the Coach runs them through some light stretching as a warm-down. A few Storm items are raffled off (a couple of t-shirts, a ball, etc), and the event comes to a close. Coach ends by saying two things, “American Express, don’t leave home without it,” and that she and the Storm appreciate our support.