Sophomore forward Ashley Foster possesses the whole package in terms of power, speed, ability in the air and accuracy in her shot. It's those qualities that have made her one of the Horns top offensive threats in 2004. A native of Athens, Ga., Foster recently took a break from her busy schedule to go from A to Z with TexasSports.com.
A for The Ashley Diet
Looks like someone has put a new spin on the Atkins Diet. Ashley inhales pasta like air before games and at just about every other meal, yet manages to stay in amazing shape! In fact, she believes in this diet so much, if she had say, Martin Luther King Jr., comedian Dave Chappelle, and singer Lauryn Hill over for dinner, she would recommend it to the stars as well.
B for Battle of the Boppers
Teenyboppers, that is. First up, in the battle between "Mean Girls" star Lindsay Lohan and yes, you guessed it – "Lizzie Maguire" star Hilary Duff, Lohan wins by a landslide because she's simply more fun in Ashley's opinion. In the battle between the Simpson sisters, Maggie and Lisa — I mean, Jessica and Ashlee — Jessica wins by a landslide because of her amazing voice and because as recent SNL episodes indicate, the younger one is battling that horrible, voice-crippling sickness called acid reflux. Miraculously, she sang "live" just two days later at the Radio Music Awards. Hallelujah.
C for Cassius Clay
"When you're as great as I am, it's hard to be humble." Ashley's favorite athlete is none other than the victor of "The Thrilla in Manila," Muhammad Ali. Ali, born Cassius Clay on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Ky., began his astounding career at the age of 12 when his bike was stolen from him. He proceeded to find and tell a cop in a nearby gym that he was going to "whup" whoever just stole his precious bike; the cop, Joe Martin, suggested the angry youth learn how to box first. Clay did, won his first bout weeks later, renamed himself Ali and the rest is history. Ashley says he is the only cocky athlete she has ever liked because he was great at what he did. "Simply put," she said, "He's the man."
D for Diva in the Making
There's no lip-synching with this Ashley. A member of the New Vision and Ebenezer West Baptist Church teen choirs in high school, Ashley has been exercising those lungs for quite some time. Her favorite karaoke-in-the-car songs? Whitney Houston from the days of "The Bodyguard."
E for Ellen DeGeneres
Most would say Letterman. Some Conan. Some Oprah. Ashley's favorite talk show host is the lovable voice of Dory from "Finding Nemo," Miss Ellen DeGeneres. Who doesn't love the kooky, outspoken blonde whose show is on KVUE every morning at 9 a.m. Central? She even makes her guests dance or shoot-around with her during the show — good stuff.
F for "Friday"
High-pitched and highly funny Chris Tucker plays Smokey in the 1995 comedy, "Friday." Ashley loves Chris Tucker in the movie and would love to quote many interesting lines from the film but unfortunately none of them are particularly PG.
G for Georgia
"Georgiaaaa" "Just an old sweet song" Ashley finds her peace from the same great state Ray Charles crooned about over 40 years ago. Family, friends, football and the Bulldogs of UGA all keep Georgia on her mind. "Ray," starring Jamie Foxx comes out in theaters across the nation on Friday, Oct. 29.
H for Halloween Overtime
Last October, in the spirit of beating the Aggies and dressing up for Halloween, Texas-ex and now Olympic gold medalist Aaron Peirsol and company came out in their best costumes to jeer and cheer on behalf of the Longhorns. The 2-1 double overtime victory is Ashley's most memorable moment in a burnt orange jersey.
I for iPod
Note to Ashley's friends and family: She wants an iPod for Christmas this year. Pink. Mini. You can even personalize the back of it. Are you writing this down?
J for Jesse
Uncle Jesse. Yep, Ashley's favorite uncle and everyone's San Francisco treat. For eight years, John Stamos wooed female audiences across the country as the charming, aspiring rock star uncle on "Full House," Jesse Katsopolis. But Ashley says she watched the show all the time because she thought Michelle was adorable. Who would've known adorable Michelle would later become a teenage billionaire? Don't tell me this world isn't fair!
K for The King
If Ashley could travel back to any day in history, it would be to the day Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. On August 28, 1963, in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., with thousands of captivated listeners, MLK Jr. gave this momentous and unforgettable speech to urge Americans to "make real the promises of democracy." If you ever want to listen to the historic speech, you can find it online at www.americanrhetoric.com.
L for "Love Shack"
Quite a few stars share Ashley's precious hometown of Athens, Georgia, including the likes of Oscar winner Kim Basinger, underground rock artists R.E.M., maker of hits like "The One I Love," and "Losing My Religion," and of course - The B-52's - geniuses behind that "little, old place where - we can get together-er-er - Love Shack baabyyy (Love Shack baby!) - Love Shack, that's where it's at - Love Shack." Okay, sorry I'll stop.
M for Major: Kelly Wilson
No kinesiology for this athlete. Instead, Ashley chose to major in — Kelly Wilson. Ashley says she studies the way her All-American teammate plays on the field whenever she can and strives to be at Kelly's level one day. The giving and ever-gracious Wilson offers advice and answers any questions Ashley shoots her way. In fact, Wilson was one of the primary reasons Ashley picked Texas over other "soccer" schools like North Carolina and Florida. Well — that and the complimentary burnt orange gear of course.
N for "The Notebook"
Not one to be especially emotional or sappy, Ashley found herself weeping at the end of this particular notebook tale. You know, the one written by Nicholas Sparks that was turned into the highly successful summer flick, "The Notebook," starring two virtually unknowns, Rachel McAdams (the meanest of them all in "Mean Girls") as Allie and Ryan Gosling as Noah Calhoun (the slightly dorky football player with a twain in "Remember the Titans" – Ashley's pick for best sports movie). For a basic synopsis, read teammate Laura Kram's End-to-End.
O for Outkast
"Ah ha, hush that fuss. Everybody move to the back of the bus." With innovative and catchy hits like "Rosa Parks," "So Fresh, So Clean," "The Way You Move" and countless other classics, it's no wonder this band is Ashley's all-time favorite. "Shake it like a Polaroid picture!"
P for "The Color Purple"
"It's about life. It's about love. It's about us." No, this is not some cheesy theme song from the WB's latest "Dawson's Creek" knockoff. It is the tagline to Ashley's favorite movie of all-time, "The Color Purple." Ashley considers the main character, Celie, Whoopi Goldberg's greatest role of all-time. The critically-acclaimed 1985 drama, directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Alice Walker's novel, is about the life and trials of a young black girl growing up in the early 1900s. The movie opened many eyes in the late 1980s, including young Ashley's. (P is also for how many shameless plugs there are in this End-to-End).
Q for Quirky
After dinner, part of Ashley's pre-game ritual is to take a shower in complete darkness and just let the steam hit her. She says it helps clear her head of all distractions and claims it is the most relaxing thing she has ever done. Kids, unless you can see in the dark, please don't try this at home.
R for Rubbin' It In
If Ashley won $20 million tomorrow, the first person she would call is Texas goalie and friend, Alex Gagarin. Apparently the two opportunists play the Texas lotto on a regular basis. One night, the pair kept buying tickets and ended up with a grand total of $40. Ashley says with her newfound fortune, she would definitely give Alex her fair share of — um, well — $20. Lucky Alex.
S for Seafood
Ashley is not allergic; she's just not partial to eating ocean critters. Dory and company appreciate the absence of their kind in Ashley's diet.
T for Tiffany's Treats
Mmmm. This local favorite is also a favorite of Ashley's. Her cookie of choice? Snickerdoodle. She hates chocolate. Unbelievable!
U for Undertaker
That's right, Ashley wants to be a mortician. An undertaker. A funeral director. Crazy, is she? She certainly does not think so. Ashley says that she is highly interested in it, is not afraid of it and does not think it is disgusting at all. Hey, "My Girl" was good, but wow...
V for Vote or Die
Ashley has officially become a part of "20 Million Loud," "Rock the Vote," "Choose or Lose," or whatever catchy slogan MTV is currently perpetuating. I cannot tell you who she voted for (okay she refused to tell me), but she was quite the devoted citizen this year and sent in an absentee ballot. Nobody else has an excuse now! So in the words of everyone's favorite activist, P. Diddy, (who, by the way is rumored to have forgotten to register himself), "Vote or Die!"
W for Wayans Encounter
On a flight from Los Angeles one night, "Scary Movie" and "In Living Color" star Shawn Wayans suddenly noticed something peculiar. A flock of college-aged girls kept walking by him, throwing "sneaky" glances his way but never stopped to say anything. Finally, brave little Ashley and the rest of the Longhorns soccer team stopped casually passing by and asked for his autograph and a group picture. The girls even tried to make small talk when they saw him reading over a script. Maybe it was for the highly-underrated comedy "White Chicks."
X for X
Every time Ashley accidentally steps on someone's heel, she always draws an X on their back. In the air of course, not actually. She's what we call a little superstitious.
Y for YOBMOT
What? You've never heard of a yobmot? Just read from the right — T-O-M-B-Ohhhhh. Ashley was quite the tomboy when she was younger and played soccer with boys until she was a teenager. If she had to pick an actress to play her in a movie, it would be "Love and Basketball" phenom, Sanaa Lathan (the actress had never picked up a basketball prior to the shoot). In the film, Lathan plays a tomboy who loves the game and reaches her dream of playing for the WNBA, but not before working relentlessly to overcome several different obstacles which help her arrive at the pinnacle of her career.
Z for Zapatos
Ashley's favorite holiday is get this – NOT Christmas! Thanksgiving is her favorite because of course – she gets to eat all the complex carbohydrates she wants! Last Turkey Day, Ashley spent the holiday with teammate Alex Gagarin's family in Austin and she would like to say a special thank you to Alex's grandma for showing her the coolest pair (and hperhaps only pair) of purple zapatos – that's Spanish for shoes, kids - she has ever seen.
