How about a great training camp memory from Cheney

[The Radish]

Found this at the bottom of a t-shirt drawer.

Thinking this might have been a gift from Lymon & Techworlds but don't remember for sure. No matter, a treasure for us at the Radish household.

 

[BlueTalons]

The one and only time I made it to training camp in Cheney was in 2006.

 

[loafoftatupu]

The one and only time I made it to training camp in Cheney was in 2006.

It was my 3rd time, but the 2006 season was LOADED with fans in comparison.

 

[DohBoy]

In '99 I drove up from Pullman and got Holmgren and Ahman Green to sign a cheesy felt pennant I brought w/me. Anyway, lost the thing many years ago, only to find it again in the trunk of my wife's car last spring. Sadly, the Sharpie sigs are almost totally washed out now...

DohBoy

 

[LymonHawk]

Hmmm....that's when I mooned Doug Ferrar, LOL. But the BBQ at the Norton Hacienda was definitely the highlight of the trip.

Actually, the 2006 TC was the first time I had the pleasure of meeting other .net folks. I even went on stage and sang a few tunes with the 'boys.' (Eagle's Nest?)

It was my first and only time to Cheney and the experience was really cool. Walking through the parking lot and gabbing with some of the players. Lofa was very accessible.

 

[polarbill1999]

I went to Eastern and worked for the camp director Bill Nayes the summer of 2001. I have a couple good stories.

I helped setup camp and when all the players were getting in there was a bicycle shop that brought a bunch of bikes to rent to the players that didnt' have cars. Anthony Simmons was finishing up a college course so he could officially graduate college and wasn't there. He must of sent a message to someone saying he wanted a bike and some how no one else had any cash. Well I had my Per Diem cash still and said I would get it for him. I thought it was funny I basically loaned a multi millionaire $100 for a bike. He paid me back by the way plus gave me a tip.

-I was in one of the famous trash can dorms(the one the players stayed in) walking around and saw Koren sitting watching MTV Jams. I sat down and watched some videos with him and Area Codes came on. It was kind of funny because one of the lines is "206" and when Luda said that he looked at me grinning. Kind of funny. Then he asked me for a ride down to the cafeteria since he was a rookie with out a car. I dropped him off and guess I got him in trouble because they were suppose to have to walk or ride a bike everywhere. I guess this just applied to the rookies.

-I was working security at the entrance of the field checking in scouts from other teams and Big Walt ran up to me on his way out. He forgot to take his huge diamond earing out so he asked if I could hold on to it. He picked it up and I didn't think anything about it. A couple days later he was getting out of his whip(ugly turquoise Expedition with rims and a huge stereo) with Chris Gray and some other lineman at the time. They were all laughing until they came around the corner and I was walking by. Walt's face went from laughing to I am going to kill you. He is a big dude and scary. Not sure what I did or if he was just playing with me.

-Jeff feagles had a whole log of chew in his locker.

-One day after practice I was walking back off the field into the locker area where fans stand on the side and ask for autographs. As I walked through some 4 or 5 year old asked me for an autograph thinking I was a player I guess. I kind of said started to say something like "oh, I am not a seahawk" but his mom stopped me and said to just sign it. So I gave my first and only autograph as a pretend NFL player.

-Now this is the best and worst story of the camp. I was in the locker room area talking with Bill Nayes and some guy that was going bald walked up. Bill said something like "Brett, this is Matt. Take him up to the office he has some mail". Well on the walk up with MAtt I asked him if he worked for the Seahawks to. He answered "I am the QB". I thought for sure that was going to end up as part of his commercials talking about I knew I hadn't arrived yet. I got to talk to him last year or the year before out at his summer place and asked him if he remembered but I don't think he did. I guess a lot of idiots like myself say/said stupid shit to him.

Best thing about working at the camp-Getting to eat 3 meals a day with short order cooks every meal. Omlettes, fresh pasta, etc.. I remember one of the meals towards the end was kind crab legs or something like that. So awesome. Also free gatorade all day everyday. I probably averaged 5 gatorades a day. Fierce Grape FTW.

Worst part-seeing loser parents force their young kids to go through a line to get autographs even though they didn't want to. You could tell it was the idiot parents just wanting to get the autograph for themselves but the camp only let kids walk through a line with 6-8 players signing crap at the end of every practice.

 

[AROS]

Cool stories polarbill...I'll always have a special place in my heart for Cheney. Although I only made it out to a small handful of Cheney TC's, the road trip, friends and stories will always be remembered.

 

[polarbill1999]

Another good story although not from when I worked for the camp. The summer of 2002 I stayed in Cheney. If anybody has been there in the summer it is hot and crappy. My friends girlfriend worked at a POS bar on the main street in Cheney. Me and one other friend would hang out all day in the bar because it had air conditioning and she gave us free bar all day as long as we gave her a good tip. We would spend like 20 dollars each on Golden Tee and drink pretty much free bar. It was awesome. Well, one day while the hawks were in town we were down at the bar. The only other person in the bar was a Seahawk lineman at the time(won't name names because I am not sure if he had a wife or not at the time) and he was down in the basement playing pool by himself. The gal that owned the bar was a pretty haggered old broad and was hanging out down stairs talking with him. Kind of out of the blue she came up and said that she had a family situation and had to close the bar down. She said she would buy us a pitcher and a game of golden tee later when she reopened. We didn't think much of it. Later we found out from my friends girlfriend that she closed down so she could get plowed on the pool table by the Seahawk.

 

[3Girls'HawkDad]

Followed A Guy into the Mens room at the local Dairy Queen.

He left a blue ribbon, monster log sans toilet paper.

"Daddy, that carnival worker just left a poop," I said to my old man.

"That's no carny, son. That's Seahawks coach Jack Patera."

 

[Sac]

There was that one Vegas trip i took with Hass and company before training camp that one year...

 

[chawkjones]

I remember one year out at camp i had bought my son and i Cortez Kennedy photos 8x10 in hope to get them autographed (favorite Seahawk) anyway we were told by many fans around there good luck getting a autograph from Tez he does not sign them and was known to go back to the locker room through another door the other players did not use, so i watched him carefully as practice neared the end and when it was over sure enough he was headed behind the building to go in his own door he was escorted with what appeared to be some kind of a trainer? not for sure though.

As others were attempting autographs through the main door that players would go through i told my son come on lets follow him in back there, as i got close enough i yelled (politely) Hey Cotrtez! then he stopped for a moment turned and i remember to this day saying to my oh sheez ok it was other words, but i quick like asked could you please sign our photos, he said you better have a pen and i held up the pen and he said hurry and come over here, well all work paid off as the Tez signed both pictures, that is my best memory of camp.

 

[loafoftatupu]

My favorite training camp story was from 2006 for sure. Tobeck was playing a video game that they literally had setup right at the door from the locker room exit to the parking lot. He was with Wistrom and they were trading verbal blows with each other. Tobeck was all wrapped up around his shoulder, obviously in pain, with Wistrom keeping him distracted as two other players and some trainer/doctor type snuck up behind him.

The two players and Wistrom held Tobeck in his seat while the trainer administered an injection of some kind in Tobeck's shoulder, which spawned the loudest scream of agony followed by a slew of F-Bombs as the trainer wrapped large ice bags around the area on both shoulders. Moaning and groaning, Tobeck swore revenge as he stood up and stumbled his way up the ramp. No one bothered him for his sig as he labored towards the parking lot, but while Wistrom was signing stuff, Tobeck calmly told him "your driving me back, I can't even drive".

 

[Mick063]

I watched a practice featuring Chuck Knox, Reggie McKenzie, Fredd Young, Jacob Green, Kenny Easley, Dave Brown, and Curt Warner.

I was just a kid and awe struck.

 

[Jazzhawk]

Went there for most of them from 2001 to 2006, got to meet a few .netters there, including Les. The best part was how they had things set up so you could come and go as you please and pretty much be right there next to the players while they practiced, and as they walked back to the locker rooms all the fans would line up and could get their autographs and talk to them. My best memory was one year, I think 2004, I got nearly every Seahawks player to autograph a hat and a visor. The hat for me the visor for my son. Still have those somewhere.

 

[The Radish]

Went there for most of them from 2001 to 2006, got to meet a few .netters there, including Les. The best part was how they had things set up so you could come and go as you please and pretty much be right there next to the players while they practiced, and as they walked back to the locker rooms all the fans would line up and could get their autographs and talk to them. My best memory was one year, I think 2004, I got nearly every Seahawks player to autograph a hat and a visor. The hat for me the visor for my son. Still have those somewhere.

One of these years Kevin & I were over on the westside of the field when Wayne Hunter got hurt and they worked on him right next to the fence where we were standing. I have pictures of that, boy was he in pain. Couple of the rent a cops gave me crap about taking pictures.

Wasn't Hunter always hurt while with us?

On that same trip Jazz & I found out how loud Mike Holmgren could be. They were working line stuff on the other side of the field and he got totally pissed about something and you could hear him clearly all the way across 2 fields. Kevin & I just looked at each other.

lol

 

[Vantucky Hawk]

Went to camp the year Galloway held out and remember seeing a few Got Galloway .net shirts around. Sat behind Ricky Waters and his family at a pizza place in town, remember thinking to ask for his autograph but didn't want to bother him during family time. while waiting outside the locker room for autographs many vets were dropped off at the door in cars and didn't want to be harassed, Todd peterson, Brock Huard, Jon Kitna, and Chad Brown( after being mobbed by children when he got a bug in his eye while riding his bike) all signed for people waiting around.

 

[Jazzhawk]

Damn...I miss that place.