Year on team: 1st
Star sign: Capricorn
Hometown: Puyallup
Favorite movie: Notting Hill
Favorite actor/actress: Tom Hanks
Favorite band: Jewel
Favorite book: Babbit by Sinclair Lewis
Favorite restaurant: Olive Garden
Favorite place to go on a date: Going on walks, enjoying each other's company
My role model is... my mother (her strength)
When I think of "Big Snacks" I think of... Red Vine licorice (has to be Red Vine, not Twizzlers!) Skittles, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, angel food cake (plain)
I became a Sonics Dancer because: I love to dance, entertain the fans, get involved in the community and be a role model for kids.
What are three words to describe yourself? Down-to-Earth, goofy, optimistic
Who (dead or alive) would you have over for dinner and why? Jennifer Lopez, because for the longest time in high school I was crazy about her. She's beautiful, a good dancer and seems cool to hang out with.
Where's the craziest place you've ever visited? Canada
What's the best part about being a Sonics dancer? Working with other talented dancers and being recognized in the public

The old adage states that if you find a job you love, you never work a day in your life. That definitely applies to first-year Sonics Dance Team member Jessica, who couldn’t be happier to be doing something she’d willingly do for free. “When I get my paycheck,” Jessica notes. “it doesn’t even feel like I’m working for it, because it’s what I love to do.” No wonder than that she says of her Sonics experience overall, “Oh, I love it. It’s a great job.”

The games have also been exciting for Jessica. Just recently, she reports that her courtside seat got her a (brief meeting) with a Sonics star. “Gary Payton fell on me the other night.” Did he say anything to the dancer who broke his fall? “No. He was busy. I understand.”

Jessica picks an interesting aspect of the dance team’s performance as the most difficult part. “Trying to give yourself that energy at the games when you’re starting to get tired,” she says. “If you’ve had a long day, you know, because we do work or have school or whatever. Sometimes you’re tired but you’ve gotta have that energy.”

Jessica has experience mixing the dance team with both work and school. After taking a quarter off from the University of Washington to work at the McChord Air Force Base commissary, she’s back at UW for winter quarter. Jessica plans to major in fine arts with a minor in business.

Still, those aspirations hide her bigger dreams. “Look for me one day. I’ll be big,” she says. As an avid piano player and signer, her impending stardom will probably come in the music business. We’ll be watching.