June 2001 | Scott and Angie Engelhardt

Welcome to stormfans.org

If you haven’t figured it out already, this is an unofficial fan site dedicated to the WNBA Seattle Storm. It’s a place that has become a resource, record, and forum for fans of the Storm everywhere. For us, it is a way to enhance our fan experience and to share that experience with others. Over the last 2 years, it has become that and evolved into something more. But first, we need to start at the beginning.

Why this web site?

As the inaugural Storm season ended in 2000, both of us realized that we weren’t too caught up in the fact that the team went 6 and 26. It’s not that we weren’t screaming our heads off at each game trying to help the ball into the basket through force of will, or that it wasn’t killing us that Seattle was becoming a perceived easy or expected win for other teams. During the overtime game with the Sparks that year, I actually split open my left hand because I was clapping so much and so hard. Our coworkers knew that we had gone to a game the night before because we would both be hoarse the next day. And then there were the signs – our goal was to get on the Arenavision at least once a game. Most of the time, we made it. Each game was exciting. Our players worked their butts off all the time. We got to know some of the people who sat in our section. When we lost, it was “we’ll get them next time.” When we won, it was “now things are turning around.” Through it all, we had a great time.

So at the end of the 6 and 26 season, there was no question that we would be season ticket holders again. There had been a transformation from “They won (or lost)” to “We won.” We had become caught up in being fans.

Becoming Storm fans

Neither of us have ever played sports. Both of us have watched basketball on TV and had gone to a couple Sonics games (mainly when they played Portland – that’s another story), but neither of us have ever been rabid, season ticket holder, go-to-every-event fans before. Most professional sports, including the NBA, keep their fans at a distance. The players don’t seem to care about the fans or are downright hostile. There is no connection between us and the players or team, nor is there the slightest possibility for a connection. The ticket prices are so steep that there’s no way that we could afford season tickets beyond a token 5 or 6 game package. And, there’s no indication that us being at a game or going to an event or holding up a sign is going to have any effect on the players or game.

We went to a few Seattle Reign games before the ABL folded. We saw a double overtime game between the Reign and the San Jose Lasers that was one of the best basketball games we had ever seen. We could sit close enough to see the players, the tickets were affordable, hey – we’d found something we could get into. We had honeslty decided to buy Reign season tickets a week before the league went under.

So, when the WNBA decided to test the waters in Seattle and the opportunity to put down a deposit on Storm tickets came up, we jumped on it. We went to the logo unveiling and every other event we could get to. We were primed by what we saw in the Reign to be willing supporters of the Storm.

What we’ve found is more than just an affordable and exciting sport. We’ve found a group of people who seem genuinely happy that we are fans. They are approachable. They will talk to you. They look up into the stands every once in awhile and acknowledge a sign, or dance with the kids at events, and give high-fives as they leave the court. They seem as interested in making a connection with us as we are with them, and that has helped turn us into the rabid fans that we are now. It’s much easier to root for someone if you feel like you know them a little bit, or that you know because you’ve talked to them that having you up in the stands makes a difference. There’s an inclusive attitude in the WNBA that is different from other professional sports and that, for us, makes us feel good about being fans.

This site is an expression of our fandom and, hopefully, it can be for yours as well.