Fan Fest Block Party celebrates busy sports weekend in Spokane

Two Wyoming families who have rooted against each other on the basketball court in their home state ran into each other Saturday in Spokane.

This time, the Cox and Wagner families had common rooting interests – the University of Connecticut Huskies – on the hardwood inside the Spokane Arena.

Karen Wagner said her husband, Chris, and LeeAnn Cox coached their respective high school girls basketball teams in the state title game a couple of years ago.

“They’re kind of like rival, friend coaches, so it’s kind of funny to run into them,” Karen Wagner said.

The Wagner couple and their two children, and LeeAnn Cox and her daughter, Kambel, enjoyed some of the festivities at the Spokane Sports Fan Fest Block Park Saturday afternoon outside the Spokane Arena.

The free event, presented by Washington Trust Bank, offered food trucks, a beer garden, music and face painting, among other activities in this weekend’s celebration of the women’s NCAA March Madness regional and Pacific Northwest Qualifier for middle and high school volleyball players.

College basketball fans, volleyball players and families, and hundreds, if not thousands, of others walked through the north side of Riverfront Park to grab a bite to eat, drink hot cocoa, make a poster or play in the playground area.

Some sported Connecticut, University of Oklahoma, University of Southern California and Kansas State University jerseys and other attire representing their teams. All four schools played Saturday.

After the block party, LeeAnn and Kambel Cox walked into the Spokane Arena and watched Connecticut beat the Oklahoma Sooners 82-59 behind a 40-point scoring effort by star Paige Bueckers.

The Cox women, who LeeAnn Cox said are “basketball junkies,” both wore blue Bueckers jerseys.

“I love the way she plays. She’s super efficient, team first,” Kambel Cox said of Bueckers. “But off the court, how she demonstrates her faith is huge to me as a Christian.”

Kambel Cox carried a sign that said, “March is made for UCONN.”

LeeAnn Cox said she stepped down last year from coaching high school girls basketball after playing or coaching the game her whole life. She coached Kambel Cox, who is a freshman student at the University of Wyoming, before retiring.

LeeAnn Cox said she loves Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma, an 11-time national champion and winningest coach in college basketball history.

“I like what he stands for,” she said. “He’s old school.”

She said she installed some of his plays into her team strategy.

“He’s just a genius,” she said.

LeeAnn Cox said her daughter convinced her to make the 12-hour drive from Gillette, Wyoming, to Spokane.

After some hesitation, she decided to make the trek with her daughter.

“I’m like, OK, you live one time,” LeeAnn Cox said. “It’s not that far. Only four mountain passes. Let’s do it.”

As for the Wagner family, Karen Wagner said her family is on spring break, so they decided to make the trip from Cody, Wyoming, to the Lilac City, where they arrived Saturday.

By early afternoon, the family had visited the large red Radio Flyer wagon and metal garbage goat, and taken a ride in the Numerica SkyRide at Riverfront Park. They had also stopped at the food trucks, got free T-shirts and the kids got their faces painted. Her daughter had the No. 5 painted on her cheek in reference to Bueckers’ jersey number. Her hair was also braided like Bueckers, her favorite player.

Karen Wagner said she was rooting for Connecticut and Southern California because her favorite players are Bueckers and USC’s JuJu Watkins. Watkins sustained a season-ending knee injury in the Trojans’ second-round tournament win against Mississippi State University.

“Since they’re not playing each other today, we’re gonna cheer for both of them,” Karen Wagner said of the schools.

Southern California beat Kansas State 67-61.

Karen Wagner said more people are talking about women’s college basketball the last couple of years in part because of star players like Watkins, Bueckers and Iowa alumna Caitlin Clark.

“I just kind of like the rise of women’s sports in general,” she said.

Meanwhile, Seattle couple Lupita Yerkes Medina and Gabby Manion walked around the block party wearing Oklahoma sweatshirts. They returned to Spokane after last year’s trip to watch the men’s tournament.

Yerkes Medina said they bought tickets in October when they learned one of the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight regionals would be in Spokane.

“I was overjoyed to see that Oklahoma was playing in this part of the bracket,” Yerkes Medina said. “So, double win, get to see OU play and get to see some good basketball.”

They got to Spokane on Thursday night and took in tournament games Friday and Saturday.

“It’s just a fun energy inside the Arena,” Yerkes Medina said.

They plan to stay for the entire weekend slate of games and go home Tuesday morning.

She said they wanted to check out Fan Fest before Saturday’s games.

Yerkes Medina said she’s a “legacy fan” as her mother and several other family members attended Oklahoma.

She grew up watching Sooners football and has come to love many of the other sports the school offers.

Manion said she secretly hoped Iowa would beat Oklahoma in the second round, so she could have watched her Hawkeyes play Connecticut on Saturday. She said she grew up a few hours away from Iowa City, Iowa, where the university is located.

“But when Oklahoma won, I was still excited, so I’m an Oklahoma fan through her,” Manion said.

Youth volleyball players and families in town for the Pacific Northwest Qualifier were also present in the park.

Ali Carey and her 13-year-old daughter, Alex, flew into Seattle from their hometown of Glendora, California, and made the “gorgeous” drive across the state to Spokane, Ali Cary said.

Ali Carey was making a second trip to Spokane after watching her other daughter compete in the PNQ last weekend. Alex Carey plays for Tstreet Inland Empire volleyball club.

The women were enjoying food from some of the food trucks before they both slid down a tunnel slide at the park.

Ali Carey sung the praises of Spokane’s downtown, Riverfront Park’s features and the walkability of it all.

“It makes it really easy to get outside and be active when you have stuff like this available for free to the public,” she said.

Alex Carey said she got new shoes at the Nike Factory Store and enjoyed the playground and Spokane River rapids that cut through the park.

The mother said she admired the massive park on the edge of downtown.

“You’re not going to go into a downtown of this size and be able to hit the Nike outlet store, cross the river and hang out at a cool park … So that makes this very unique,” Ali Carey said. “It’s just beautiful.”