Friday, December 7, 2007

Messages for Anne

Many Storm fans have expressed their desire to share their thoughts with Anne Donovan after her resignation from the Storm last week. We invite you to post them in the comments of this blog. If you would prefer, you can also e-mail them to stormconnection@sonics-storm.com or address your letter to 1201 Third Ave., Suite 1000, Seattle WA 98101 and have them passed along to Coach Donovan.

We Sonics & Storm employees got a chance to talk with Anne yesterday, but I wanted to be sure to publicly thank her for all her help over the last five years. I can't imagine a coach who would be more helpful or more accommodating than she has been over that span, and I learned a tremendous amount from her about the game she so obviously loves.

Thanks for everything, Anne.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Anne, Thank you so much for your passion and love for the game! Thank you for taking Seattle into your arms and leading the team and city to success, a moment in time we will never forget!! You will be missed! We wish you success in your next adventure! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Kelly & Denise

Anonymous said...

Anne, you rock. Best of luck with your future plans. Wishing for you... more sunlight in your next location. Maybe we will be together again come time for the Olympic Games. You have been a great gift to the people of the Pacific Northwest and an inspiration for girls everywhere. You will be missed.

Anonymous said...

Coach D - Thank you so much ... I will truly miss you and I honestly wish you the very best - Stalker

Anonymous said...

Dear Ms. Donovan,

Thank you for everything you've done for the team and the city of Seattle. I believe you were crucial in getting us that trophy a few years back. All the best in your future work in women's basketball and your personal life. Looking forward to seeing what happens with Team USA. Hope we get a new coach here who will be just as committed to the team and will help us keep the team where it belongs. Right here in Seattle!

Best, Nicole

Anonymous said...

Anne- Thank you for the passion and class you brought to the city of Seattle and the Storm. Your exceptional knowledge of the game and coaching abilities were demonstrated by the success of the 2004 season and selections as coach of Team USA. As with your departure from Charlotte, you will be deeply missed (I received a phone call from LeAnn "SKI" in Charlotte when they annouced you were coaching Seattle, she expressed the sense of loss felt by the Sting family)by the Storm family and friends. I wish you great success in your future endeavors, starting with the 2008 Olympics and beyond.

Anonymous said...

Anne, you will be missed. Thank you for sharing part of yourself with us.

Anonymous said...

Anne, You have been so instrumental in the success of our team. Thank you so very much. I can only hope your successor can step up and fill the very empty shoes you are leaving behind.
The Seattle Storm has been a constant source of enjoyment for the two of us and our young grandsons ages 5 & 7 who have attended almost every game. The 7 year old's sobs during the last few minutes of the last game in August tell the story best since he had been told before the game that this may be the last time he would be able to see the Storm play. When the announcement was made that the Storm would play another season, I called him on his mother's cell phone as his father was crossing the finish line of an Olympic Distance Triathlon and he screamed with joy exclaiming not that he was proud of his dad's great accomplishment but that he would watch the Storm play again this next year.
You and the team have brough great joy and encouragement to many in the area.
Again, thank you and best wishes in the future.
Robin, Vickie, Isaiah and Nathan

wtchywmyn said...

Anne Thank you for 5 years of excellent coaching. It was shocking to get the email stating you were resigning, but you gotta take care of you. Everyone in that crowd has showed their passion because we believe. WE ALL LOVE EVERY PART OF THIS TEAM, even those who have moved on. You are legendary and will always be in our hearts. Thanks.
Patty (from the upper 107 loud crowd) Whenever you used to look up at the scoreboard we always thought you were checkin us out! :-}

Anonymous said...

Thank You for all that you gave the Storm and the city of Seattle. I only wish we could have seen you leave with a little more jewelry. I was there on that magic night too and had a few strands that I kept to remember that special night. I know this that it takes sometime for Seattlites to warm up to you but once you are in our hearts you are always welcome here. Take Care and Good Luck.

Anonymous said...

Anne, Thank you for all that you've given to promote the team and the sport of Women's Basketball while here in Seattle and during your career. I purchased my season tickets at the request of my mother (who played semi-pro basketball and baseball here in Washington in her younger days) as she was thrilled to have someone of your caliber coaching for a Seattle team. And oh what a ride it was for both her and myself! We will miss you. Good fortune in your ventures.

The Ogg Family

Anonymous said...

HI ANNE,,I AM GOING TO MISS YOU WITH THE STORM,,BUT AS YOU GO ONTO ANOTHER CAREER MOVE I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST.. HOPE SOMEDAY TO MEET YOU IN PERSON,. YOUR THE BEST !!!!LUV YA.. GOD BLESS.. Dick G ,,Mass...

Anonymous said...

Anne, thank you for all the great things you did for this town; for the fans, the players, the organization. It was fantastic to have a coach who loves what she does and tries her best to be successful. Mission accomplished! All the best with the Olympics and your future. We'll leave the light on for you in Seattle. THANK YOU!
Bret

AngieAnnette said...

Anne, we are still in a state of disbelief, when they announcement was made we were truly shocked. We had hoped to meet you last month at "The big Picture" and when you didn't show, we knew that something must have happened, but never in a million years, did we think we would lose you. We have been in the arena with you, 4 out of your 5 years and can't even phantom the team, OUR team w/o you. We noticed a subtle change in you last year, we seen a much more quieter, laid back Anne on the sideline, but couldn't quiet put it together, until now!
In a few more months we will be starting another season (last?) and we will truly miss you...we wish you the best in anything & everything you choose to do, no matter where your decision takes you, you will always be remembered with much love, respect & admiration as OUR Anne, OUR coach!
Maybe, just maybe, we will see you again, when you drop by to visit with us during one of the games :)

Anonymous said...

This is very stunning news. I knew the Storm was experiencing frustration since the seasons following the Championship 2004 season. I thought the most likely change would be a roster overhaul (with the exception of LJ and Bird). But I didn't expect Anne to resign herself. Anne, thank you for developing players such as LJ and Bird and for bringing them to the Playoffs and to the crown in 2004 and for LJ's 2 MVPs. I wish you the best. Hopefully, with this news of a new coach having the flexibility to do something with the roster, big changes can be made to bring the Championship to Seattle. Thank you Anne, for all you've accomplished. Congratulations on being the first WNBA female coach to win a championship. Seattle Storm, we must take back the trohpy in 2008!

Anonymous said...

Anne, you are the best. Thank you for the wonderful, wonderful championship and for your years of integrity, skill and class. I will miss you more than I can say. It will be hard to find another coach and person as outstanding. Please keep us in your heart. You will forever be in ours. All the very best to you.
Diane N., Seattle

Anonymous said...

Coach D, I want to wish u all the very best wherever life takes u from this point on. The Seattle Storm is and has always been my favorite WNBA team and u are a great part of that. Thanx for all the hard work over the last 5 yrs and thanx for the 2004championship. U will be truly missed. So, from all the way in BARBADOS(the Caribbean)...
Good luck and God bless
Barbadosstormfan

Anonymous said...

Anne, thanks for all of your energy and commitment to our team. You have made us fans proud. I likewise have that 2004 victory in my core cells and you were a huge part of that success. I wish you all the best in the future and know you will be a blessing wherever you land.

Pat P-B

Anonymous said...

There was talk of Lauren sitting the season out due to Olympic commitments and Sue, she's a free agent. I really think that it would be you to not return to the team. We will miss you but understand the need to follow new paths and experiences. By the way, you took very good care of our team while you were here. Thank you.
All the best to you.

A&K

Anonymous said...

Anne:
thanks for everything!! I wish we could have had at least one more season with you and LJ and Bird - just a fantastic trio. I wish you the best for the US team - we will be rooting for you wherever you go. It is so refreshing to see a coach with such heart-felt passion for their players well-being. You seem to understand there is more to life than basketball for these women, yet you accept nothing less than perfection. Good luck to you. I will miss seeing you on the sidelines. One in a million.

Anonymous said...

THANK YOU!!!!! You truly are an inspiration. Canada loves you.

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to say I think you are fantastic and your leaving is a loss not only for Seattle, but for the entire WNBA. Best of luck in the future. P.S. I'm the guy that was at the Indiana game with the I miss you Seattle sign. I watched as you were trying to read the sign during pregame warm-ups and through the bodies of the Fever players and it is a memory I will treasure, because as you finished reading it, you looked at me with a huge smile and waved. You are such a special individual I know that only bright thinks lay ahead for you.

Anonymous said...

ANNE U AHVE TAKING THIS STORM TEAM TO A WHOLE NOTHER NEW NEVEL OVER THE PASSED YEARS.I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR INSIRING ME TO BE A COACH AND HAVING SUCH A PASSION LIKE U DO.WE ONLY WON ONE CHAMPIONSHIP WITH YOU AND I NEVER THOUGHT U WOULD RESIGHN AFTER SUCH MANY YEARS.ITHOUGHT THAT IF YOU HAD CAME BAKC FOR ONE MORE YEAR,I CAN SAY WE WILL GET YOU BAK PHOENIX NEXT YEAR.BUT SINCE YOUR GONE SOME HOPE FALLS.
LOVE U ANNE
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

One BIG reason for having season tickets was you Coach. Though the team is moving in another direction under another coach... YOU will be missed very much next year. May you find your next adventure to be as fulfilling as it was having you as Coach to the Seattle Storm these past 5 years. Best to you always,
A Fan