9/15/03

Q&A with Bethany Howden
By Meredith Gusa

Junior Bethany Howden, a middle blocker on the Longhorns' volleyball team, sat down to discuss the upcoming Big 12 season, having a full squad and her love of Harry Potter.

On the court:
What are your thoughts about starting Big 12 Conference play this week when you face Iowa State Wednesday night?
Howden: "We are really excited to get the conference season started. One of our major goals this season is to win the Big 12 Conference championship. Our conference has a lot of strong teams and winning the title will be tough for anyone. For us to win, we have to show up for every match and play well against a lot of talented teams."

Have you prepared differently from the preseason to the start of conference play?
Howden: "During preseason practices, we worked on getting comfortable with our teammates, developing good communication and stressing fundamentals on the court. Now, we have some games under our belt and we've had some good wins. We also have had some tough losses, but we've learned a lot from those games. We are trying to take what we learned from those games and apply it to the rest of our season."

What are your thoughts on having the entire team together now for the first time?
Howden: "It's so exciting! Dariam (Acevedo) just got back (from the World Under-20 Championships where she competed for Puerto Rico) and she is so much fun and has a lot of talent! She adds much energy and she adds a fun-loving energy to the team. We are also thrilled to have Kathy (Hahn) back in the lineup. Kathy brings so much spirit and energy to our team, as well. Both Dariam and Kathy are amazing volleyball players and add a lot to our lineup the minute they step on the court."

How excited are you to move back to your normal position at middle blocker (from outside hitter where she's played the first eight matches of the season in the absence of Acevedo)?
Howden: "Playing on the outside was fun and it was great to get to play another position, but I am much more confident when I play middle blocker. I feel like I can help the team more when I'm in a position that I am comfortable playing."

Did you do anything fun this past summer during the off-season?
Howden: "I worked at the UT volleyball camp, which was a lot of fun. I also got the chance to go up to Creede, Colo. where I worked at a Young Life camp. I went there with my mom and we chipped in during "Work Week". My mom and I helped give the camp a fresh face for all the new campers who were attending this summer."

Off the court:
You are a huge Harry Potter fan. How did you become interested in reading the popular children's series?
Howden: "During high school, my family went on vacation to Florida. We were going out to the beach and I wanted something to read so I stole my little sister Abby's Harry Potter book while she was out. I absolutely fell in love with it!! I started reading it and couldn't put it down. I was swept into Hogwarts right away. They are really fun books to read."

Do you have a favorite Harry Potter character?
Howden: "I really like Ron (Weasley) because he's fun, precocious and always gets himself in trouble. I also like Harry. It's hard to name a favorite because all the characters are great. But if I had to chose, my favorite is Ron. I think red-heads are cute!"

Did you wait in line to get the new Harry Potter books when it came out this summer?
Howden: "Yes! I went to the midnight book release party at Barnes and Noble in Austin when Order of the Phoenix came out. I was there with one of my best friends and my little sister. I bought the book and went right home and started reading it."

Can you give any reasons why someone who hasn't gotten into reading Harry Potter should start reading the series?
Howden: "The Harry Potter books are written incredibly well! J.K. Rowling is an amazing writer. My advice would be to read the books first and then watch the movies. The movies are good, but the books allow you to use your imagination more. The books have so many more details that the movies don't show. They are just interesting books that you can curl up with and get away from everything as you read them. I also love how they get kids interested in reading."