Lynx star opens up about being gay, future marriage

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Lynx guard Seimone Augustus met LaTaya Varner on June 23, 2007 at the Gay 90’s, a Minneapolis night club. Here is a look at how their relationship, from the time their eyes first met to the proposal on a beach in Miami last year, in their words.

FIRST GLANCE

On a crowded dance floor at the club.

Augustus: “I’m not a person that really goes out but my team encouraged me to go out that night. I don’t dance, I don’t do anything. I just stand by a wall.

“She came through and we kind of caught eyes and she gave me a little eye. From there she went on with her night, I went on with my night and later on that night when the club is about to close, I was talking to my teammate about leaving and I looked over and it was almost like the dance floor just kind of opened up and she was on the other end.

“So we caught eyes again and I kind of begged for her (to come over) and she was like uh uh. And I begged for her again and she finally came over. Me being so nervous, the only thing I could think of to say was do you want to dance, knowing that I can’t dance. I kind of stood there and she danced. Then at the end of the dance I asked her for her number. We exchanged numbers and at the end of the week we ended up going on our first date.”

Varner: “She asked me out on a date. I kind of procrastinated a little bit. But from that date until now, it’s been phenomenal.”

FIRST DATE

The pair met for chicken and waffles before going to Valleyfair, an amusement park about 30 minutes south of the Twin Cities.

Augustus: “We did all the rollercoaster rides and everything while her mom called every five minutes. I was like gosh why does your mom keep calling? She was like, ‘I don’t know you.’ I’m not going to do anything!

“At the end of the date, for an African-American female to get her hair wet is the ultimate no-no. So I thought I might throw that in there. How ‘bout let’s go on the water ride? She’s like no I’m not going on the water ride.

“Then she said if I get to pick the water ride I’ll go on one. So she ended up picking one that you just sit in and float around and you really don’t get wet. You just look at the scenery. And it just so happened that the waves hit and it was a waterfall coming right as we bounced off a wall and I’m like ‘Yeeeeahhh!’ We ran through the waterfall and her hair, she has natural hair, went into a big afro. She’s like ‘Oh my God my hair is wet.’

“I was kind of happy because most African-American females will not get their hair wet for you at all and she did. She was kind of excited about it. So we went on with our date and I knew from that point, ‘I must be pretty special to her for her to do this. So I might need to pursue this a little further.”

THE PROPOSAL

Augustus proposed to Varner on a beach in Miami, hiring a local sand castle maker to carve an elaborate sea shell in the sand with the words “Will You Marry Me Tay?” on it.

Varner: “When she proposed it was totally off guard. As I think about it, it I probably could’ve put the pieces together and maybe known she was up to something.

“She proposed on the beach, which was like we talked about years ago. That’s my ideal thing, to be proposed to on a beach or have a wedding on a beach is, like, awesome. And she did that. It was amazing.”

Augustus: “It was a nerve-racking day. I’m talking on the phone with my agent and we got in touch with a sandcastle building company and so I’m trying to talk to the guy about where did he put the sand castle on the beach, where did it go, what time should I come. All while she’s like right here with me.

“She’s like, ‘Who you on the phone with? What are you doing?’”

“I’m like, ‘Uh.’ I can’t lie either. I can’t make up a lie for nothing. She knew something was up, but she didn’t know it was that.

“I’d say about sunset, we walked out to the beach and the sand castle was right out by our hotel where you step on the beach. It was right there. And she didn’t have her glasses on so she couldn’t see so she was like, ‘Oh wow that’s nice. That’s cute.’

“I was like, ‘Why don’t you go over there and see what’s on there.’

“So she just took off walking to the sand castle and just stood there and it took her kind of a minute to read it because she didn’t have her glasses on. She turned around and I was already on one knee and just proposing.

“It seemed like the beach just kind of got full in one minute. Everybody just swarmed over there. I just remember one old lady in the background, because Tay was like crying and I was still on the ground, and the lady said, ‘Well did she say yes?’

“I was like, ‘Is that a yes?’

“She was like, ‘Yeah it’s so embarrassing. Why are these people standing around?’

“Then we hugged and just enjoyed the rest of her night.”

Varner: “I’m not surprised easily. It takes a lot to wow me. That was a highlight moment for my life.”

Augustus: “She’s so nosey. You can’t pull anything over on her. One point for me.”

WEDDING PLANNING

Varner is taking the lead with those responsibilities while Augustus chases after her second straight WNBA title.

Varner: “I’ve done most of the planning, as far as getting the venue together, picking out the band, getting the food ready, picking out the cake, all that is done. The main thing that has been really difficult is finding the dress. That’s been my stress point. Other than that, everything is done. Colors are picked out. I have my bridesmaids.”

Augustus: “All I said is I wanted red velvet cake and just tell me what color we’re going to have because I plan on wearing Chuck Taylors. That’s the only thing I want, red velvet cake and Chuck Taylors.”

Tags: sports, wnba, basketball