When Mandy Nightingale arrived at Colorado in 1998, she was already a world champion--in water-skiing. A native of Sapulpa, Okla., she had won the 1995 and 1997 world championships in the women's open division, and was the top-ranked women in the world in the sport.

But Nightingale also excelled on the basketball court, leading Sapulpa High School to the Class 6A state title as a senior. And right now, Nightingale continues to be focused on basketball, where she's the driving force on a Colorado team looking to compete in the tough Big 12 Conference.

"Mandy is the catalyst on our team," says Colorado Head Coach Ceal Barry. "She is a big-time competitor. She scores from outside or going to the hole, making her so tough to guard."

Last season, Nightingale led the Buffs in points (13.9), assists (3.9), steals (1.7) and minutes per game (33). She was named Third Team All Big 12, and also was named an alternate to the USA Basketball World University Games team. And she's not only successful on the court, but in the classroom as well, being named First Team Academic All Big 12 last year.

Nightingale has continued to pursue water-skiing during her summers, winning the U.S. National Tricks Championship in August 2000 and finishing the year ranked third in the world. In the following interview, she talks about how she got started in her two diverse sports, her busy life, and what the Buffs need to do to finish out the season on a roll.

Gball: When did you start playing basketball?
Nightingale: In second grade. My coach would let me and Kara Faulk, my best friend who now plays at Oklahoma State, play with the fifth- and sixth-grade team, even though we were much younger.

How old were you when you first started water-skiing?
I was three. My dad water-skied recreationally when he was in college, so he got me started. As I kept improving, we got into tournament water-skiing. My brother Kyle skis, too, so it runs in the family.

There's a picture of you in the Colorado media guide almost upside down in the air while you're water-skiing. How do you get to that level of ability without hurting yourself in the process?
I've knocked myself out a couple of times. But I mostly ski with my dad, and as I kept improving I went to some water-skiing schools. Just being around some of the best coaches in the sport and the best water-skiers helped me to get better.

Are there any similarities in the two sports?
A little bit, mostly in the work ethic and dedication to the sport. Basketball is a team sport, and water-skiing is an individual sport, but I think you have to develop a good individual work ethic to succeed in either sport.

Is there any sort of professional future in water-skiing?
Well, there's a pro league that I'm already in, but we've been trying to get into the Olympics. It was an exhibition sport in the last one, but they didn't put it in this time. Maybe in the future, I hope.

Which sport would you pursue after college?
I'm not sure yet. Probably if I got a chance to play in the WNBA, I'd go do that for a while. But I'd definitely try to keep water-skiing in the summers.

Has it been hard for you to balance all these activities?
Definitely. Your time schedule is so limited. Some summers I've had to lay off water-skiing to practice basketball more, but other summers, I've focused more on water-skiing. It's tough to balance them sometimes.

What led you to attend Colorado?
I really enjoyed my official visit here. I liked all my teammates, the coaching staff, and the atmosphere. And I liked coming in with the four other freshmen [Eisha Bohman, Britt Hartshorn, Jenny Roulier, Virginie Delepine]. Plus, it's a really beautiful part of the country.

Can you water-ski out there?
We mainly do it on man-made lakes, so we can do it anywhere.

What areas of your game do you think you've improved the most since your freshman year?
Probably my jump shot. When I came here, I didn't ever shoot jump shots, but Coach Barry worked with me all summer after my freshman year. So I finally have some other shots besides the set-shot three-pointer.

On a lot of teams, the point guard isn't always the leading scorer. But you're leading the team this year, and you did last year, too.
We don't really run a true point guard offense, so I think I get a lot more shots than most other point guards do.

Who's the best player you've ever played against?
Probably Lindsey Wilson, the point guard at Iowa State. She's pretty tough, she can shoot from everywhere, and she can drive to the basket. She plays good defense, too.

What are you majoring in at Colorado?
I'm getting my teaching certificate for elementary school students, but since you also have to major in something else, I'm majoring in communications. If I'm a teacher, then I'll be able to have my summers off for water-skiing.

Do you have any spare time, and if so, what do you do?
I don't really have a lot of it, but when I do, I go to the movies or hang out with my teammates.

Looking at the rest of the season, what does the team need to do to finish out strong?
We kind of started off slow in the Big 12 Conference, since we played a lot of the good teams quickly. But we're only losing by two or three points, so I think we're playing all right. We just need to put 40 minutes together. There are a lot of great teams in the conference, so we have to win our home games and try to pick up some wins on the road.

Interview conducted by Gball Associate Editor Jim Catalano.


Check out our Q&A archives by clicking here