Devotees dance team to victory

Darrin Blume’s dance was no funky chicken. All that elbow waving and high-knee stomping was the long-awaited Seahawks victory boogie.

“Seeeeeeahaaaaawk,” Blume squawked as he flapped around Heroes and Legends sports bar like a recently butchered chicken. Yet there was no blood and the member of the U.S. Air Force still had his head after the Seahawks won their first trip to the Super Bowl Sunday night with a 34-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

As the last seconds on the clock ticked down, fans watching the game on numerous large-screen televisions began chanting “Seahawks! Seahawks! Seahawks!”

A man in a blue Seahawks jersey jumped on the bar and acted as an impromptu conductor. A woman hugged a young boy sitting next to her. Two women scooted out the door onto West Riverside Avenue, singing “We are the champions.” The group at Blume’s table clanked their beer glasses together and howled at the screen.

Adam Graham, a native Australian, watched from his stool shaking his head.

“I have no idea how the game is played,” Graham said as Blume did his Seahawks dance. “I played rugby all my life.”

But Graham became a Seahawks fan after moving to Washington state three years ago on an exchange with the U.S. Air Force. This was his first football party and he wasn’t too resistant to all the good cheer.

“I have to support the state I live in,” he said taking a big sip of brew.

Tom Keigley wasn’t so nonchalant. He’s been waiting since the 1970s for the Seahawks to pull off a chance at the Super Bowl. He sat patiently Sunday afternoon at Fast Eddies, 1 W. Spokane Falls Blvd., waiting for the game to begin. He sipped on his beer and filled in a few squares of a folded-up crossword puzzle.

But when the high-definition screens broadcast the kickoff, Keigley’s pen was down and his eyes were glued to the tube as if his dedicated stare could guide the Hawks to victory.

“It’s destiny,” he said before interrupting himself to scream, “Yeaahhhh. Yeaahhhh.”

Another sip of beer and he finished his sentence. “Its destiny and they are a team. They are catching the ball this year.”

When the first touchdown came early in the first quarter, Keigley pounded his fists on the table and slapped friend Biji Kobara on the back.

“Beautiful, man, just beautiful,” Keigley yelled.

Kobara admitted he wasn’t feeling too confident when he came to the bar but by the end of the first quarter he was wishing he had bet on his beloved Seahawks.

“I’ve been a fan even through the painful years – for a long time,” Kobara said. “Very brutal. But I’ve been loyal.”