My Road to Being a Storm Fan Part 2

By the time 2005 rolled around, I managed to convince my dad to take me to their preseason game in New York. This was an easy trip for us because my mom had a friend living there and she wanted to visit her anyway. Seattle, on the other hand, was just too far from anyone we knew. I didn't really care if it was just a preseason game. The fact was that I was going to get to see the Storm play in person.

When we got to MSG, it didn't take me long to realize I was one in a very tiny group of Storm fans. There I was in my # 10 jersey amidst a sea of Lib jerseys. I remember thinking it was a good thing I didn't follow through on my idea to paint my face Storm green. My dad and I stayed as close to the court as we could while we didn't have to go to our seats yet. I watched as the Storm players were warming up. The good thing about being one in a few Storm fans is that you're noticed quite easily by the players. My dad was snapping away and I was just kinda staring in complete amazement.

Then came, possibly, the most embarrassing moment of my life. I consider myself a pretty calm and collected person. I guess I wasn't thinking clearly at that point. Sue Bird looks in my direction and waves at me. My eyes widened. In my head, various thoughts began swirling. There's no way in hell that she's waving at me. But wait, she's still smiling. So I smile and begin to wave back when an awful thought hits me. Crap. What if she's waving at someone behind me??? I quickly snap around to see if anyone's there (Insert embarrassed emoticon right here). I didn't see anyone and I look back at her. She then kinda laughs and nods and points at me and waves again. Well, forget embarrassed, I was ecstatic. Sue Bird was waving at me! Heck, Sue Bird SAW me. I grinned stupidly and waved back. In fact, I think the adrenaline kicked in and I began jumping....ugh...Later on, my dad pushed me to get a picture with her and to get her autograph, even if I couldn't even breathe anymore because I was so excited. She was signing for someone else when my dad kinda just pushed me over. He said that we might as well make our airfare worth it and get a shot with her.

"Hngg....." I said....it was supposed to be a very cool "Hey!"
"Can I have your autograph?" finally managed to make it out of my mouth. She nodded and signed my Liberty game card (it was the only piece of paper I was holding). I wasn't even thinking straight so I made her sign it upside down. Smart me.
And then I got my picture taken with her. This may seem like a small thing, but it reaffirmed my belief that she was an incredibly accommodating individual. Instead of just looking up and smiling, she actually walked over to the other side of the scorer's table, where I was standing, stood beside me and put her arm around me.
I said thanks and she smiled and nodded and left to go to the locker room.

Highlight of the year. By far. And I moved to Canada that year so I have plenty of memories to choose from.

After that trip, I was an even bigger fan of the Seattle Storm. I've been to other sporting events in the Philippines and I've seen other athletes. The fact of the matter is that these ladies were special. Most other athletes would just ignore you. The fact that Sue Bird (and lest I forget, the other players were friendly too) acknowledged my presence was astounding. She wasn't just an off the bench player excited to see someone wearing her jersey. She was a superstar with lots of fans, yet she made the effort to make this one fan (me) so happy. She didn't have to do it. In fact, had she not even looked at me, I would still have been content. But the fact that she did what she did has made an incredible difference in my life. This may sound strange, but after that day, I told myself that, no matter who I become in the future, I will treat people like Sue treats them.

2005 was a little bit trying for the Storm. I lived and died with them as they won or lost games. Of course, I once again had to do it from my trusty computer. In the end, they made the playoffs anyway, but were ousted in shocking fashion by the Houston Comets. Unlike in the past, however, when the team that was winning more would be my main focus, I found myself still loving the Storm and still rooting for them. This is why the Storm is so special. They are the only team I have known that can endear me whether they are playing well or not. I rooted for each and every player on that roster because, heck, they were Storm players.