300 파운드 시애틀 팬의 댄싱 (Y!)

[안주아님]

지난 San Antonio @ Seattle 3차전에서

300파운드(약 136kg) 의 팬이 소닉스를 위해 춤을 췄답니다.

이름은 Ben Simon.

흠..

라카님 이경기 보셨다면서..

잘추던가요? --a 아래 선수들이 말한거 보니 .. 상당히 웃겼던거 같은데...

300-pound Simon dances for Sonics fans, players

AP Photo

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By JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer
April 27, 2002

SEATTLE (AP) -- Even members of the Seattle SuperSonics' coaching staff acknowledge it's difficult to pay attention to the huddle when 300-pound Ben Simon starts dancing during breaks.

``You can see him in the corner of your eye when he's bouncing down the stairs,'' associate head coach Dwane Casey said. ``It's kind of tough because it's usually during a crucial part of the game.''

Sonics players admit they sometimes will steal a quick glimpse of Simon when they're supposed to be focused in the huddle.

It's hard not to -- Simon is good.

He promises to bust a new move Saturday when the Sonics play the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of their best-of-5 playoff series at Key Arena.

``He's light on his feet,'' Casey said. ``I was concerned when I first saw him that he might lose his pants. He's added a neat dimension, and he's a great spark for the arena.''

Simon says he's not on some mission to show that large men can dance and stay active. He's just having a blast.

``I'm just a big fan and I love doing it,'' he said. ``I get out there and let the music move me.''

Simon, from suburban Kent, first started dancing at games last season. He attended a game with a group, and sat next to a woman who was desperate to get on TV. So Simon began shaking his body during timeouts, and it got him noticed. The Sonics' mascot saw Simon and called him down to the court.

``They asked me to come back and they've been asking me to come back ever since,'' said Simon, whose day job is in sales for a wholesale distributor.

The team provides him with complimentary tickets for games he has not already purchased.

The Sonics are so intrigued with the new fan favorite they have added clips of Simon in game films.

``We say he's a center we're signing to a 10-day contract,'' Casey said.

Simon is 5-foot-10.

Forward Vin Baker has a tough time keeping his eyes from watching Simon, who often dances during the fourth quarter.

``I haven't seen a big guy dance like that,'' Baker said. ``It's exciting to watch. None of us have the flexibility to go down on the floor like he does. It's fun to see the crowd start clapping. It's a nice dimension he adds.''

Baker, Brent Barry and Desmond Mason have been working to perfect ``the sprinkler'' -- a dance that imitates a rapid-fire lawn sprinkler -- in the locker room.

Baker knows he better pay attention to coach Nate McMillan on Saturday. He has no choice in a critical playoff game.

``Unless he puts on one of those great shows, then you've got to take a peek,'' Baker said.

Simon's mother taught him and his three brothers to dance when they were boys in Tacoma. While his brothers took to musical instruments, he kept dancing.

He has passed the interest on to his own son. Joshua Simon, 10, is taking tap dance lessons.

Fans ask Simon for his autograph, and they cheer madly when he makes an appearance.

``I love to be in front of people,'' he said. ``If I had my druthers I'd be in the entertainment industry forever, as a comedian or dancing or whatever.''

McMillan has joked with Simon that no one should be allowed to move like that.

``I guess I don't even think of myself in a special group. I'm just a regular guy and I just happen to be overweight,'' Simon said. ``I do get lot of support from fans who say, 'If you can shake like that, there's hope for the rest of us.'''