On Tuesday, a couple of friends and I made the three hour drive up to Renton, Washington for a Seahawks training camp practice. We pulled out of my driveway before six in the morning and reached the Landing in Renton around nine. After searching out the place, where we received our wristbands certifying our registration for viewing, purchased for six dollars a person through the Seahawks website, we boarded the big yellow charter bus and set off for the Virginia Madison Athletic Center. The trip on what was basically a school bus was remarkable because in the front row was a little girl who was singing “the wheels on the bus.” Of course our bus driver got us into a Seahawks remix of the song, it went something like this “The people on the bus say: Go Seahawks! Go Seahawks! Go Seahawks!”
The ride from The Landing to VMAC wasn’t terribly long but that didn’t stop us from being excited to pile off of the bus as quickly as we could. As we walked through the gates we received coupons for the Sports Authority Seahawks store, which the crowd around the Seahawks cheerleaders, who were just inside the entrance, forced us to walk through. Exiting the mini Sports Authority our noses were assaulted by the delicious smell of fresh kettle corn. Passed the kettle corn, we hit the grass path that led up a hill to the viewing area. Cresting the hill and entering the viewing area grants you the beautiful site of the lake that is just past the Seahawks training facilities. When we reached the viewing area, the Seahawks’ kickers and punters were warming up and there was music blaring over the speakers. The music didn’t stop throughout the practice, and whoever was DJ-ing did a great job of transitioning between songs. The music coming over the loud speakers and the sheer volume of people who had come out to watch the Seahawks transformed a simple practice into something very exciting. It felt like a party, with families having picnics, kids playing catch, and the Seahawks putting on a show.
The players got into the party atmosphere too. I saw a couple of players, including receiver Sidney Rice, break out some great dance moves in between plays. Speaking of Sidney Rice, he may have been wearing the red “don’t touch me” jersey, but that didn’t stop him from making some spectacular catches in individual drills. He was working with the quarterbacks, the other red jerseys, as the QBs worked on different passing drills. Sidney Rice caught passes from all four of the Seahawks quarterbacks, even when they put the ball far above his head, forcing him to snatch it down with one hand. Other players who impressed on Tuesday included rookie Bruce Irvin, he looked very quick in individual drills.
A visit to Seahawks training camp is definitely worth your time. It definitely feels like a party and it’s a great way to get a glimpse of the team that will take Century Link Field in the fall. A few points of advice though. I suggest bringing binoculars, the team drills take place on the field farthest from the viewing area, and it can be kind of difficult to see what is going on. I also suggest bringing either folding chairs or blankets, otherwise you’re going to spend the couple hours of practice with your butt in the grass. This wasn’t a problem for me and my friends but if that’s something you’d like to avoid you have to provide your own seating. If you come prepared and have a good attitude, you should definitely enjoy yourself at Seahawks training camp, though you’ll have to act fast; there are only two training camp practices left that are open to fans, Tuesday August 14th and Wednesday August 15th, both at 10AM.
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