Blue Friday isn’t limited to Seattle. Seahawks fans are showing their colors throughout Kent, from barbershops to high schools.
Fandom does strange things to the psyche, and it’s no surprise that many hardcore fans have developed their own traditions for games. In some cases it’s wearing that shirt or watch, while other times it’s having the “good luck meal.”
Mill Creek Middle School teacher Nannette Navarro celebrates game days with a fancy nail job — her green and blue nails sporting quarterback Russell Wilson’s No. “3”, No. “12” in honor of the 12th Man and running back Marshawn Lynch’s No. “24” — as well as her stuffed green monkey.
She and her husband always wheel out their Green Egg grill and fire it up. Rain or shine, they’ll be grilling. If the Hawks win the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday (3:30 p.m. FOX-13 TV), she’ll add more players’ numbers to her nails.
After the Seahawks’ disappointing loss to the 49ers in December, Navarro’s looking for blood.
“Me and my husband both agree that beating the 49ers is more important than winning the Super Bowl,” she said.
Mill Creek student Trey Cooper says that his family celebrates game day “like they do it in California,” which includes a plethora of eats ranging from carrots and veggies to pizza and fried chicken, watching the game in high definition, and doing the wave whenever the Seahawks score.
Cooper also wears his Seahawks helmet, especially for games.
Bank worker Jay Knapp, who was getting his hair cut at Barry’s Barbershop, on Central Avenue, said that he and his son put their jerseys on right before kickoff, because “you don’t want to ruin the mojo.”
Knapp is expecting a 20-10 victory Sunday. He had tickets to the Seahawks’ divisional playoff win over the New Orleans Saints last Saturday and experienced Marshawn Lynch’s electrifying, game-clinching 31-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.
“I’ve never heard anything like it,” Knapp said of the CenturyLink mayhem. “It’s the loudest, craziest scene I’ve seen at a football stadium.”
Niko Vasquez, a student at Kent-Meridian High School, says that his family traditionally gets together for a large barbecue and has a bonfire in their back yard every game. He expects to see a 45-15 victory Sunday, and says that his favorite play last week was Lynch’s touchdown run.
Regardless of the traditions held by local fans or their predictions, there’s no doubt that passion won’t be lacking for Sunday’s playoff game.
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