DATE: Sunday, May 11, 1997                  TAG: 9705080631

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C10  EDITION: FINAL 

SERIES: Mother's Day Stories 

SOURCE: ROBIN BRINKLEY

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:   35 lines

IVA BROWN, OSCAR SMITH: WITH A DAUGHTER AT WESTERN BRANCH, SHE'S SOMETIMES THE ENEMY

Iva Brown teaches at Oscar Smith. Her daughter, Courtney, is a freshman at Western Branch and a budding star in volleyball, basketball and softball.

Competing loyalties for Mom? Not really.

``I'm a Smith supporter except when my children are playing,'' Brown said. ``If Oscar Smith is playing Western Branch in football I'm for Smith.''

Iva has missed only one of Courtney's games this year. But even with that glowing record of support Mom still gets lumped with the enemy before the Bruins and Tigers meet.

``Courtney tells me `We're going to beat your pants off,''' Iva said. ``They have, too, except in basketball.''

Iva also catches grief from her students.

``Before games they'll harass me about having a daughter who plays for Western Branch,'' she said. ``But afterward they'll ask me how she did.''

The answer usually is pretty good. Courtney was the Bruins' MVP in basketball, is a part-time starter at shortstop in softball and saw considerable action in volleyball.

Who gets the credit? Mom does today.

``We'll probably go out to dinner at Applebee's or Red Lobster and I'll give her a card or a flower or a balloon,'' Courtney said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by HUY NGUYEN, The Virginian-Pilot

"I'm a Smith supporter except when my children are playing," says

Oscar Smith teacher Iva Brown. Her daughter Courtney plays

volleyball, basketball and softball for Western Branch.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu