“I love Girona. I really wanted to go back there. Some of my teammates were there last year and others are new, but the atmosphere is very good. We have a new coach. I know him well from playing against him in the last few seasons, both in the Eurocup and in the Women’s League, and he always prepared the games well. He is a great coach who will help us improve. We played great basketball last season, but we didn’t win titles. The goal must be to try to recover some trophy,” explains the winger, who feels very comfortable in Girona. The Fontajau public adores him. “I am delighted to live in Girona. I like the climate and the people, who have always treated me with great love and closeness. In addition, the city is not far from the beach or Barcelona,” she adds .
Last season Gardner had Laia Palau as a partner and now she is the boss. “She is a basketball legend. She provided us with great leadership and we will surely miss her, but she will continue to be with the team and what she can bring to us from the outside will be very positive,” he says.
The heavy load of games he accumulates does not scare Gardner, who has hardly been able to have days off this summer. “The key is to take care of your body and be focused on what you do every day. As professional athletes we must not neglect our mental health, which is also very important. We must find a good mental balance. If not, you run the risk to end up burnt out. I always try to give the same importance to the things that happen inside the track as to those that happen outside. To give your best version on the track, you have to have a balanced mind,” he says the American, who in the United States actively participated in The Net, a campaign to emphasize the importance of the mental health of professional athletes.
“The season with the Chicago Sky was very exciting. It was my first experience in the WNBA and we made it all the way to the semi-finals. The regular season was very good and the team competed very well, improving every day . We couldn’t achieve the goal, which was to revalidate the championship ring, but the footprint was very good”, analyzes Gardner.
An atypical ‘rookie’
Despite being 32 years old, Gardner was one rookie in the United States, as she had never played in the WNBA before. “The WNBA is a completely different competition than the rest. Being a rookie and at the same time being a veteran player was strange, but I focused on learning. In some ways I was a rookie month. The experience was unbeatable, and landing on a team as good as Chicago was lucky,” he says.
Coach James Wade quickly understood the role the American winger could play, who played a decisive role coming off the bench. “From the first moment he gave me a lot of confidence. He asked me to try to bring energy and play as solidly as possible. One of the important things was to adapt to the needs of the team in each game, as you don’t always have to help in the same way. It’s about seeing how the game evolves and understanding how you can influence the game,” he says.
Gardner does not forget about Brittney Grinner, a player who has been imprisoned in Russia for months. “All the players are campaigning and pushing for her to be released. We are very sad, but we remain firm that she be released. Hopefully it will be soon. It is a very unfortunate situation,” she acknowledges.
