Maybe Carole Perry stood out on the court because of the neon green synthetic sweat pants she wore. Or perhaps it was the large heart tattoo on her left shoulder -- "It's intimidating to some of these people out here," she confided with a wicked smile, leaning close as if to keep her secret.
It might have been her propensity for behind-the-back dribbles, or her burnt orange hair, which Perry dyed specifically for yesterday's open tryout for the Washington Mystics at Georgetown University's McDonough Arena.
"I've got to be different," said Perry, 28, a FedEx courier and lifelong D.C. resident who played basketball at Radford (Va.) University. "This is a dream. You only get one shot. This is it. Everybody's out here trying to show their stuff."
With Perry and 297 other women fighting to win six to eight available places on the Mystics' roster for training camp, which begins May 12, participants went to great lengths to win the regard of Coach Jim Lewis, General Manager Wes Unseld and the rest of the staff.
The desire to take part in the Mystics' inaugural Women's National Basketball Association season, which opens June 11 in Charlotte, compelled each candidate to pay a $100 registration fee for nearly 10 hours of work and waiting -- and slim hopes of being invited back for a second audition today. Nothing was guaranteed besides a box lunch and a reversible Mystics practice jersey.
"Just play your game, whatever it is," Lewis said at 9:15 a.m. "We're looking for intelligent, unselfish, aggressive, hustling, high-skilled basketball players."
In the morning, Perry seemed unable to contain her energy, bouncing on her toes, swinging her arms and swaying as she talked, occasionally pounding the bleachers to emphasize a point. She vowed both to play for her late father, James, who died in 1995 of a stroke and whose nickname -- "Pap" -- is emblazoned over her heart tattoo. She vowed something else:
"I guarantee I'm going to be on that list at the end of the day."
By 6:35 p.m., Lewis posted a list of 64 players who get a second chance today. When Perry wandered away from the list, her furrowed forehead made it clear her name was missing. She hadn't attracted quite enough attention.
"It's very disappointing," she said.
The posting of the list proved the day's most poignant event, with some players sharing quiet congratulations and others leaving with their heads down. Yet the tryout itself produced an array of indelible moments that will be remembered longer than the specifics of that list.
Among the competitors were a pair of 5-foot-3, spitting-image identical twins -- Teresa and Teresita Grant, 27 -- who work for the same company (Xerox), live together in Fredericksburg and played on the same team at Division III Eastern Mennonite (Va.) University. Asked how they felt about their chances, Teresita, who is five minutes younger than Teresa, said:
"I'm just giving it a run to see what happens. Who knows?"
Said Teresa: "Ditto."
They even shared the same result: Neither was invited back. Fifty-year-old Francine Davis, a Metro bus driver for 24 years, paused in between workouts to speak on her own behalf, as she didn't have an agent or an alliance with any national team.
Her college playing experience came from D.C. Teacher's College, from which she graduated in 1971.
"I'm here for the fun of it, and just to be a supporter of the Mystics team," said Davis, before learning she wasn't selected to return. "There will be people who don't make it. They can only choose eight. If I'm good enough to make it, it will show people that they are never too old to pursue their athletic dreams . . . and that God still works miracles."
Three former George Washington University teammates were reunited, discovering much had changed since their last encounter on the court. Kelly Ballentine, 33, founded and operates Pet Barn, a local upscale pet store that, she said, required even more work than helping point guard Kathy Gillespie break GW's assists record.
Gillespie, 35, has earned a law degree at Harvard, worked as an attorney and given birth to three children. The third GW player, Cynthia Baruch-Prange, 31, has two children and became a Montgomery County police officer. She hired a personal trainer 10 weeks ago -- just to prepare for this tryout. The strategy was successful: Baruch-Prange will be back today. Her former teammates will not.
"This is a great opportunity for every woman here," said Baruch-Prange, who also played at George Mason University under Lewis. "The atmosphere is very upbeat. Going through college, there wasn't any league like this. If you wanted to play, you had to go overseas."
Former University of Maryland player Rhonda Bates came -- all the way from Australia, where she has played for the last five years. The trip was worth it: She made the cut. Sallie L. Marrow, a 42-year-old insurance recovery specialist from Baltimore, also participated -- not to win a roster spot, she said, but "to be a part of history." A Secret Service agent showed up, as did a firefighter, electrical engineer, train operator, mail clerk, actress, real estate agent, IRS agent, teacher, accountant and truck driver. There were a couple of part-time models. Players came from all over the country, though the majority listed addresses in D.C., Virginia or Maryland. Their goals were big and the opportunity was small.
But, Lewis pointed out:
"We're going to have a lot of Mystics fans by the end of {Sunday}." WELCOME BACK Invitees to Today's Final Tryout for the Washington Mystics at MCI Center (Home towns listed when known)
Angela Alston, Drexel Hill, Pa.; Natasha Barnes, Rockville; Teakyta Barnes, Syracuse, N.Y.; Cynthia Baruch-Prange, Damascus; Rhonda Bates, Columbia; Vanessa Blair, Frederick, Md.; Tonya Boone, Newark; Julie Kay Bridges, Quitman, Tex.; Christy Brooks, Cedar Grove, N.C.; Kammy Brown, Washington; LaShawn Brown, East Cleveland, Ohio; Melissa Brown, Alexandria; Taacha Brown, Amherst, N.Y.; Hardisha Burgess, Hyattsville; Carrolyn Burke, New York; Kimberly Cameron, Manassas; Barbara Carter, White Plains, N.Y.; Keri-Marie Chaconas, Springfield; Marcey Clement, Marshall, Tex.; Vania Cooke, Washington; Patricia Cottman, Glen Burnie; Tonya Dancy, Bowie; Renee Dennis-Dale, Washington; Shiela Exum, Dover, Del.; Jacqueline Fields, Charlotte; Amy Fordham, Oklahoma City; Anita Garrison, Fort Meade; Tara Gibson, Daytona Beach, Fla.; Theresa Govens, Chester, Pa.; Christy Gray Dalton, Norton, Va.; Tameka Greene, Trevose, Pa.; Marlene Grimes, Maple Shade, N.J.;
Marcell Harrison, Centreville; Robin Denise Haywood, Laurel; Erika Henry, Cleveland; Jenny Higgins, Villanova, Pa.; Helen Holloway, Landover Hills; Dallese Jackson, Shillington, Pa.; Pamela Jackson, Mount Ranier; Krista Jay, Fairfax; Isatu Milton, Silver Spring; Marcia Lenn Richardson, Arlington; Stacy Denise Williams, York, Pa.; Henrietta Walls, Ellicott City; Laura C. Ryan, Peyton, Colo.; Dafne Lee; Leshaneal Shaw, Wichita, Kan.;
Christy Winters, Herndon; Meredith Sisson, Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Diane Walker, Woodbridge; Vicky Picott; Dawne Thomas, Port Jefferson, N.Y.; Michele Quille, Annapolis; Shauna Nevel, Cleveland; Tricia Rawling, St. Bonaventure, N.Y.; Margrete Rougier, Largo; Tina Nicholson, Downingtown, Pa.; Subrena Rivers, Bowie; Lea Johnson, Wichita, Kan.; Liza Donnell; Alethia Osborne, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Dolmesha Stallings, Newport News, Va.; Alisha Hill, Huntington, W. Va. CAPTION: Cheryl Burns, left, and Melissa Brown scrimmage during open tryouts in which players competed for spots on the training camp roster. CAPTION: Mystics officials must have liked what they saw during this drill because Laura Ryan was selected to return today. CAPTION: (Photo ran on page A01) The Magic Touch Carole Perry, above, was one of nearly 300 women who attended open tryouts for the WNBA's Washington Mystics at Georgetown's McDonough Arena. Among other hopefuls were a Secret Service agent, firefighter and a train operator. Sixty-four players were asked to return for additional tryouts today.