One Perspective on the Seahawks 2012 Season
Just so you know…
Being a 12th man (or woman) isn’t easy. It’s a process of maintaining a precipitous balance on a razor thin ledge called Nerves of Steel. On one side, the glistening Moat of Hope, fed by the pristine glaciers of Last Minute Win and Always Compete. On the other side of the ledge is the Swamp of Depression fed by the fetid waters of Dashed Hopes and Dropped Balls. I’m pretty sure the Wizard of What the Hell Was That Play makes his home in that particular swamp.
Life on the ledge is pretty good. The view is great, there’s lots of 12s to hang out with and there’s loads of excitement as long as we’re looking at the Moat of Hope. But the Swamp of Depression is always right there… ready to stink things up!
I tend to be a Moat of Hope kind of a 12. And the beginning of this season was full of hope… from hanging out with other 12s at the Hawks Nest and watching Paul Allen advance tweet the entire 1st round of the draft, to learning who Pete and John had drafted to watching Russell Wilson excel at training camp!
The actual season was a wild ride… kind of like ballet on that ledge…
- The emergence of new stars…
- Moments of sheer beauty…
- The holding of the breath at risks taken…
- Cheers when the play was right…
- Lots of “we’ll get ‘em next time” when they didn’t quite nail it….
- Watching the team rally around their rookie QB
- The ultimate joy of going 8-0 at home
- The optimism of sending in my playoff $ for seats in case we took the second seed…
- Winning our road game against the Redskins…
And of course, the emotional comeback against the Falcons and the tears as the last 31 seconds ended our magnificent season.
I’m still grieving… not so much for the actual loss, but for the end of that beautiful ballet, that dance on ledge, the glistening pool of hope, all the beauty and athleticism, the cheering crowds at the Clink… it all came to a crashing end.
My beloved told me the other day that it was hard to think about renewing our season tickets. He used to say this after a 4-12 season or a 5-11 season. This year, he said it was because the season drained us emotionally.
I can’t say whether this is similar with other fans, but I know that many 12th men are still processing, recovering, recharging… I know I am. I still can’t listen to sports radio, and I’m iffy on the whole Superbowl thing…
If you’re still grieving, welcome to the ledge. Recovery is underway. It’s time to recharge and strap on your ballet tutu.
It’s a hell of dance!