Seattle trip a dream come true for avid Seahawk fan Holland

Over the past several months, my lovely wife Lee has asked me how I would like to celebrate my birthday this year. She loved to remind me this was the year of the BIG 4-0; a fact that I was desperately trying to forget. Well….when the time finally arrived to celebrate, I have to admit I had the time of my life.

Dating back as far as eighth grade, I have been a diehard Seattle Seahawks fan. You can just imagine the verbal abuse I have taken over the years as the area swarmed with Raider and 49er fans. To commemorate the joyous (her word not mine) event, Lee planned a trip to my personal Mecca (Qwest Field) to watch the Seahawks play the New England Patriots. I nearly cried with joy when she told me.

My wife and I arrived in Seattle a few days early to enjoy what we had always heard was a beautiful city. Seattle did not disappoint as we visited landmarks, museums and embarked on an underground tour. The history and architecture was amazing.

However, none of it would compare to what occurred on Sunday.

Waking up on game day, I felt like a 6-year-old getting ready to go to Disneyland for the first time. While the game didn’t start until 1 p.m., I convinced my wife we HAD to leave by 10 a.m. What if something happens along the way? We had to be prepared! Besides…look at all the people who are already walking to the game. We decided to walk the eight blocks to the game so we could enjoy the procession of faithful fans though the local neighborhood.

Upon arriving at the stadium, we did the typical tourist things; take photos and visit the pro-shop. Finally, the time had arrived. No, it wasn’t game time quite yet. It was time for a pre-arranged tour. Our guide Paul took us through the press box and showed us around. Inside were Dick Enberg and Randy Cross preparing for a network telecast. Next door, coaches were preparing equipment inside the Seahawks coaches’ booth. It was interesting to see all the pre-game work the Seahawks do to ensure the reporters have all the information at their fingertips.

Following the press box tour, we traveled downstairs and viewed the Seahawks post-game interview room. Of course, I was able to sneak up to the podium for a quick photo opportunity. That’s one I’m sure that will find its way onto the office wall.

As we proceeded around the corner, the noise grew louder. We now find ourselves walking out of the player’s tunnel onto the field. As I stopped and viewed the scene, I realized that I was standing in the promised land. A dream had come true! I was going to watch my Seattle Seahawks play a home game. Better yet…I was on the field watching the players prepare for the game.

We were very fortunate to have the linebackers perform their pre-game drills just a few yards from us. These giant men appear to have muscles on top of their muscles. As game time neared, the crowd became louder and louder. As the team completed its warmup period, players returned to the locker room.

A few minutes later, the Seahawks returned to the field under the sights and sounds of fireworks and 50,000 screaming fans. The stadium was rocking, my blood was pumping and the game was about to start. Unfortunately for us, we now had to travel to a top section of the stadium to watch the game.

The game proved to be very exciting. However, the Seahawks lost after giving up a late fourth-quarter touchdown and fumbling on the following possession. Easing my pain from the loss was the knowledge that I was going to the post-game interview with Coach Holmgren. After climbing down from the rafters, I found a seat in the NFL room away from the ‘real’ reporters. I set up my camera and waited for coach to enter. Coach Holmgren spoke about his team’s effort and the disappointment that follows such a tough loss. He was genuinely saddened for his players. One could not help but feel sad that his final year with the team was not going well.

After he left the interview room, I followed the reporters into the locker room. As I quickly assessed the area, I found that my favorite players had already left the building. Not to be deterred, I jumped into a pack of reporters and listened to the interviews. Once my nerves settled down, I walked up to Kelly Jennings and asked him what it was like to cover Randy Moss. After sizing me up and determining that I probably wasn’t a reporter, he shared with me a bit of the excitement that comes with playing against the league’s best players. After asking a couple more questions to John Carlson and Bobby Engram, I headed back to the NFL room to hear Seneca Wallace and Deion Branch post-game interviews. While I couldn’t muster the guts to ask a question in the official ‘NFL’ room, I felt that I performed admirably on my first assignment.

As I look back on the experience, I can not help but realize how fortunate I am. First, I have an incredible wife who helped an aging man realize a childhood dream. Second, the opportunity to tour behind the scenes of an NFL stadium on game day was exhilarating. The electricity and excitement of the stadium filled with 50,000 crazy Seahawk fans was pure insanity.

I guess if I would have known turning 40 was this much fun, I would have done it much sooner.