Fans Bring Noise to the VMAC

The 12th Man will be heard, even if the regular season is still close to a month away. Training camp sessions this week have been open to the public, and fans haven’t been shy about bringing a sample of Qwest Field’s noise to the VMAC.

This was most evident during scrimmages, when defenders encouraged fans to make noise by raising their hands in the air in an attempt to disrupt the offense.

It was a similar sight to what can be seen every Sunday at Qwest Field; fans yelling and screaming, making any noise possible to disturb the opposing team’s offense. If the fans aren’t up to task initially, players will start getting involved and encourage more input from the stands.

Fans attending practices this week appear optimistic for this season, especially significant since last season was quite abysmal. Excited spectators happily boarded buses to the practice fields, and cheered whenever a good play was seen on the field.

After the sessions ended, players walked along the practice field fences and gave autographs to hundreds of anxious fans. After Monday’s afternoon session, wide receiver Nate Burleson rewarded one lucky fan with his practice jersey, and proceeded to conduct a video interview for the team’s website shirtless.

I look forward to attending more practices this weekend, and will be present on both Saturday and Sunday.

If you haven’t attended yet, but are registered for future practices, Danny O’Neil wrote a great article on how to make the most of training camp. Taking his advice, I brought binoculars and a copy of the team roster; both were extremely handy, and definitely enhanced the experience.

As training camp continues through August, I also recommend visiting Danny O’Neil’s Seahawks blog for daily updates on practices and happenings around the VMAC. It is the best source of information from someone who is present at every practice. Clare Farnsworth also does a great job of covering practices on his blog at Seahawks.com.

If you are attending future practices, let me know! I’d love to meet other fans and talk Seahawks football. If you’ve already attended, don’t be shy about telling other folks about what you experienced. Any additional tips or comments are appreciated.