Photoessay #1120 - Blackout

And so the UW football home season is a wrap.

Last night I worked the UCLA game on a cold Thursday evening. I would like to report that the UW campus did not sink into Lake Washington by putting on a Thursday 5pm ESPN televised game. A lot of gnashing of teeth and rending of garments. Actually I was in the stadium by 2:30pm so I didn't see what happened outside.

The travel arrangements worked. A lot of people carpooled and used the University Village parking permits (a mile walk to stadium). Next year, if I do this, I have a much better chance to carpool. Turns out my fellow usher David is right on the way. We never knew it. I parked the car by Discovery House, took the 44 which let me out right in front of the stadium. Afterward I walked with another fellow usher Kim who knows the busses and got the 44 back. The athletic department ran zillions of shuttle buses to various parts of the city. On the bus ride back (not far), they didn't even ask for fares, they just wanted to get people OUT of there. A little dicier than I thought on N 45th but ok.

I had on MANY layers of clothes (ie should I wear this long underwear or that, I know, how about wearing both!!) so I was not cold. Main activity in my section, while I was on break, a row of rowdy drunken men got into some kind of fracas and one fell down several rows taking out several people and knocking over the grandson of one of my regulars. She complained mightily. We called the supervisor and Mike came with two Washington State Patrolmen who pulled the offenders out and gave them a strict talking-to. Told me that they had promised to settle down and if they didn't, let them know and they would eject them.

David, next door, had an elderly man collapse and he had to get the first aid personnel involved and he heard that they sent him to the hospital.

The theme was 'blackout'. Everybody (except us, of course) was supposed to wear black and the UW football players had new nifty black uniforms. It did look pretty cool, I thought. I did get confused because the UCLA players and metallic gold helmets and pants with white jerseys just like UW usually wears. I kept getting them mixed up.

UW won 24-7. Several interceptions right in front of my section and the fans left happy. Several said (and me too) 'See you next year!'

So I made all six home games. I worried that I would not be physically able to do it. YOu do have to stand up for many hours. But I did it just fine. I enjoyed having 'my' section.

Picture by Dean Ritz of Seattle Times used without permission of one of the interceptions. Nice picture!