Seahawk Fever

An epidemic of Seahawk Fever is raging through the state of Washington.  We've actually been infected for quite some time, but symptoms seem to be worsening.

Signs of the epidemic are everywhere.  The fever has taken over my workplace.  On Friday, I got to school and found a 12th Man flag and a bag of Skittles in my mailbox.  An email from my vice-principal instructed me to "hang it with pride!"

So I incorporated it into my review of long e vowel teams:

We could be dressed like this on any given day...

...but for sure on blue Fridays or game day.

This is all very common according to this list of Seahawk Fever symptoms.

The following symptom was particularly evident last weekend:

–When live game viewing is not possible, compulsive score checking; or, conversely, active score update avoidance if later game viewing is planned.

The fans in the stands were there to support a gymnast.  But their hearts were in the game.  Occasional roars--entirely unrelated to gymnastics--erupted from the crowd.

Sure, we were watching Natalie.  But we were also getting play-by-play updates on our phones.  And trying to sneak peeks at the TV located across the gym at the score table.

The gymnasts are warming up but look at what most of the coaches are doing in the background:

Here's a zoomed in version:

Jon watched the TV through the zoom of the video camera--when people weren't blocking the view.

When the game got close and the meet was between rotations, the judges left their tables to watch the game!  I've never seen anything like it.  And no formal blue blazer-wear that day.  No sir, every last judge was wearing Seahawks gear.  Oh the fever was roaring!

My young gymnast was particularly affected.  She even wore her jersey over her meet warm-ups.

Earlier that morning, I gave her the bag of Skittles my VP had given me and told her, "This is so you can go into Beast Mode!"  It worked.

"Consuming copious amounting of Skittles" is also on the list of common symptoms of Seahawk Fever.  When a coach saw Natalie wearing her jersey at the end of the meet, he gave her a full size bag of Skittles.   

This epidemic only looks to get worse before it gets better, but this is one fever we don't mind.

Go Hawks!