By Christopher Lancette
If it’s possible for First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha to “sneak” into an event, that’s exactly what they did on July 7. The fans in attendance were so focused on Serena Williams playing women’s doubles for the Washington Kastles in a World Team Tennis match that they missed the Obamas’ entrance.
Once the on-court photographers went telephoto on them, though, the buzz shot across the stadium in southwest Washington. The First Family of Tennis wasn’t doing just a drive-by appearance, either: They stayed until the match was over. Sasha was fired up the most – flashing her “Refuse to Lose” Kastles sign throughout much of the match – leading the team to an easy win over the Boston Lobsters.
I’m not prone to being star-struck as I’ve been interviewing famous people since I was a teenager but the Obamas had me spellbound. I’ve long thought I was the only person in Washington D.C. who had not run across at least one member of the family since it took office. I was starting to take it personally.
I can’t imagine how the family’s appearance didn’t distract Williams and partner Rennae Stubbs but they took care of business and stepped aside. Coach Murphy Jensen and Stubbs also got in a word, saying something that made Mrs. Obama break out in a wide smile. I didn’t get a chance to ask Jensen what he or Stubbs said but I’ve followed him long enough to know he has the gift of gab.
I had a very difficult time concentrating on the match because I was too busy watching the Obamas try to have a normal family night out on the courts. “Normal” probably isn’t a word that applies to the lives of our presidents and their families but I admired the effort the Obamas put into trying to have a low-key evening.
That’s when I got close to crossing a line — but not one on the court.
As Leander Paes and Bobby Reynolds were turning in another stellar men’s doubles performance against Eric Butorac and Jan-Michael Gambill, I edged closer to the attraction behind them – racing out ahead of Malia and Sasha when they left their seats. Turned out they were headed for snow cones. I watched them stand in line just like everyone else instead of having staff bring them their treats or asking the very muscular men surrounding them to clear out the crowd. I began to feel a little uncomfortable with my stalking, as if Chris Hansen might step out any second and shine a TV camera light in my face.
I sheepishly turned to another reporter, Judy Kurtz from The Hill newspaper, and confessed my discomfort. She told me we were fine because we were keeping our distance and not doing anything to intrude. Still, is it normal for a 42-year-old man to scribble down that a girl who just turned 13 on July 4 was wearing orange slip-on shoes and opting for what appeared to be a frozen strawberry-lemon dessert? Or that I joined Kurtz in trying to interview the scooper who sold the Obama sisters the snack? He claimed not to know he had assisted such high-profile clients – a story that sounded even weaker when he claimed he barely noticed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the same spot two nights earlier. I can possibly imagine not recognizing two kids among a gaggle of them but it’s kind of hard to miss a 7’2’’ Hall of Famer.
I retreated past the invisible boundary line as Malia and Sasha got in their first licks and walked back toward mom.
“It’s the family of the president of the United States,” I assured myself. “It’s OK.”
I wondered how tricky life must be for kids living in that kind of a fishbowl. Growing up in the White House didn’t appear to be a picnic for Amy Carter or Chelsea Clinton. Still, Malia and Sasha kept their focus on their friends and appeared to somehow be able to tune out the swirl of attention around them.
They returned to their seats and cheered some more. Williams and Boston’s Coco Vandeweghe promptly lifted their concluding women’s singles set, perhaps seeking to impress the folks in the first row.
For all the fans at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf, it was a special night. For the First Family of Tennis, though, it was a “normal” night out – a treat that was probably every bit as delicious as a strawberry-lemon snow cone.
See more photos of the First Family on our Facebook page. All photos are © by Won-ok Kim.
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