Happy first day of early voting, DFW 🤸

A slew of runoff results from March’s election have led us to another round of decisions at the ballot box. Election Day is May 26, but if remembering to vote the day after Memorial Day Weekend also gives you anxiety, let’s vote early together.

Here are some key showdowns we’ll be watching:

🤼 33rd Congressional District:
(Democratic Primary): Colin Allred vs. Julie Johnson

🤼 Attorney General
(Democratic Primary): Nathan Johnson vs. Joe Jaworski
(Republican Primary): Mayes Middleton vs. Chip Roy

🤼 US Senate
(Republican Primary): Ken Paxton vs. incumbent John Cornyn

🤼 Lieutenant Governor
(Democratic Primary): Vikki Goodwin vs. Marcos Velez

You probably have other runoffs in your area, so get your specific ballot and polling place options here. 

Get lost in a wonderland of fun in the bubble-filled rooms at Bubble Planet Dallas. (Bubble Planet Dallas)

By Sydni Ellis

Children are endless bundles of energy, and even crummy weather doesn’t change that. If it’s raining, my kids will bounce off the walls—and drive me crazy. 

I understand that kids need to move their bodies, but when they do gymnastics on the couch and tackle each other with blankets, I start to lose my patience. Sometimes the only way to save your sanity (and your furniture) is to take your kids to an indoor play place full of fun. 

With three energetic kids, ages 4, 7, and 8, finding somewhere that isn’t home to let them run wild is critical—for both their mental health and mine! And while libraries, restaurants, and even Grandma’s house are great choices, they don’t provide the structure, equipment, or environment for truly letting loose and going wild. That’s why my family loves these indoor play places in Dallas-Fort Worth. Save these for a rainy day; you’ll need it. 

The Wings had their season home opener Tuesday against the Atlanta Dream. (Joi Louviere/Courier DFW)

It has been so good to see WNBA fandom grow, as the league has benefited from better marketing from NCAA women’s basketball, spilling over into the league’s annual drafts and seasons. The Dallas Wings have really benefited. In just two years, we’ve seen:

Seeing women better celebrated for their contributions in sports is enough to get even me out to a game, and I don’t discriminate by sport, but the WNBA’s recent rise has been nothing short of cinematic, and that brought me out to the Wings’ home opener on Tuesday.

First, let’s level set—this is not a Mavs game. The resources each team is working with are incomparable. Outside of that, the heart is the same. Actually, there’s probably more of it as these women are well aware that they have something to prove. The Wings entertain.

The game I saw was a nail-biter. It didn’t leave us with a win (we lost by 5), but you could feel the energy in the crowd as the dramatic game made it audible. Gasp. Boo. Cheer. Yell.

Bodies moved up and down as their arms swiped through the air to tell the players, and certainly the refs, how they felt. 

The team, still playing at UT Arlington’s College Park Center, has outgrown the venue’s 7,000-person capacity. The arena was nearly at capacity, something I thought a lot about as I dangled in the rafters, pushing down an anxious analysis of how many people I’d hit on a tumble down. Fans wore all kinds of creative swag as they downed the fruit smoothies and what has to be the butteriest popcorn in Texas.

I met these diehard Wings fans at last year’s draft party. They make their own team swag, like the suits pictured. (Joi Louviere/ Courier DFW)

Tip: Parking was $30, but in hindsight, I’d leave my car at a nearby restaurant I had dined at and get an Uber to the arena for probably the same price and avoid the jammed parking garage exit.

Take my advice and plan to go to a game this season. You’ve got too young players on the team who are already stars (and many other great talents) and will surely lead our Olympic teams and win championships someday. Starting your fandom now gives you that remember when moment when these athletes turn into A-list celebs, playing in massive arenas and making Jordan Brand-level deals. Be a part of history.

For more on how you can support women’s sports across Texas, check this out. 

Don’t Sleep On is a weekly series where I shout out DFW events and businesses I think you should try. Have a suggestion? Reply to this email.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Joi Louviere with reporting by Sydni Ellis. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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