Going to Cheer for the Valkyries This Saturday? Stop by ‘Boohalla’
At the intersection of Third Avenue and Clement Street in San Francisco’s Inner Richmond, there stands a perfect encapsulation of how this reporter’s October is going: A Halloween-themed Valkyries installation, fittingly titled “Boohalla.”
At Boohalla — an adorable spin on “Ballhalla,” which is what the Chase Center becomes for Valkyries fans during games — you can find skeletons donning signature purple and lavender, a giant roster chalk fun of chilling puns (forward Gabby Williams is now “G. Wicked Williams,” Kaitlyn Chen is “K. Chensaw”) and a graveyard memorializing women’s basketball teams that have lost on the Valkyries’ road to the finals, which are starting this Saturday against the Atlanta Dream.
And, of course, one cannot forget Natalie Na-Cauldron, a skeleton rocking a black tracksuit and long dark hair, reminiscent of Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, off to the corner, drawing a game plan.
“Can you tell we’re passionate?” said Sarah Swig, steward of Boohalla.
“It’s become, like, my whole personality,” her wife, Ainsley Rossitto, said.
The Valkyries have made it to the WNBA Finals in their sophomore year as a franchise, rallying a fanbase that has garnered a reputation in the league for its enthusiasm.
Be sure to also check out KQED’s guide on how to follow the finals and where to watch the game, including bars in or near the Inner Richmond.
“A huge part of the commentary on the Valkyries now making it to the finals is that nobody saw this coming,” Rossitto said. “But I think, for those of us in the Bay Area, we all saw this coming.”
Swig and Rossitto recently bought their home together in the summer, and first set up Boohalla in late September. Known among their friends as the couple that goes all out for Halloween, playoffs gave them the chance to combine their two loves.
“When you step outside, it’s hard to go anywhere in San Francisco without seeing Violet or the logo somewhere,” Rossitto said. “We want to build on that enthusiasm.”
Swig saw the installation as “just a manifestation in the real world of all of the pride that we feel.
“We’re very lucky in that we go to a lot of the games, but not everybody does,” Swig said. “And I feel like we see people come here and they’re taking selfies, they’re bringing their kids … it’s just another way for people to celebrate and be connected with other people.
“Natalie said, ‘Ballhalla is everywhere.’ It doesn’t have to be at Chase Center,” she said. “We’re our little corner here, with Boohalla.”
The installation changes with each team the Valkyries take on. When this reporter visited, it was still Aces-themed — the team that the Valkyries swept during semifinals. The skeletons are proudly dusting playing cards with a broom.
“We did a little bottle service for the skeletons here to celebrate,” Rossitto said. “We have some things rolling out for the Dream very soon.”
And with the display come the Valkyries’ fervent fans. Rossitto said that they regularly find people outside their yard, taking pictures and posting on social media.
It is especially a hit among kids on their way to school. Two little girls told Swig that they wanted to be Valkyries for Halloween. A young boy, she said, saw the display and rattled off, by heart, all of the teams in the WNBA league.
“It’s really heartwarming,” Swig said. “This fan base is just so positive, and that really stems from the players, from the leadership, from the team … They really cultivated the entire Bay Area.”
That diversity is reflected in the fans the couple has met. They said that people have stopped by the house traveling from all over the Bay Area — Santa Rosa to the East Bay to the Peninsula.
“They don’t feel like strangers,” Rossitto said. “You guys are bonded by the same thing, and the fandom, and everybody’s been so friendly … I’d say hundreds of people have come by.”
And many of them are hungry for more. The couple has already been asked what they are planning for Christmas.
But they are likely capping the installation at the end of October — which is also the last game of the finals, if the Valkyries and Dream tie.
“We’ll be back next year,” Rossitto said.